Ebanie Bridges has been called out by Australian boxing veteran Shannon O'Connell who vowed to "punch holes" in her rival.
Boxing beauty Bridges became world bantamweight champion back in March when she defeated Maria Cecilia Roman in Leeds on the undercard of Josh Warrington's fight with Kiko Martinez. The 'Blonde Bomber' was a fan-favourite in her native Australia before Eddie Hearn brought her to the UK during the pandemic, where she has set up her camp and reached world level.
But there are still fights there for Bridges back in her home country, with O'Connell making herself available after a stunning first round stoppage of Sarah Higginson this morning. Bridges and O'Connell have had a long-standing rivalry, although it generally seems to come one way from the Queensland fighter.
And after her massive knockout victory today, O'Connell again called for a big domestic fight, saying: "I'm the best female fighter in Australia. Ebanie pretends she doesn't know me because she's scared of me. I will punch holes through that girl."
Bridges has become a major player in British boxing through her impressive skills in the ring, going 3-1 since coming over to bring her record to 8-1 as a professional. including a war with Shannon Courtenay for the WBA belt last year. But she is also known for her antics on social media and at weigh-ins, where she often goes viral for her skimpy outfits and cheeky demeanour.
Meanwhile, O'Connell has stayed in her native Australia and put together a solid CV of her own, becoming one of the highest-ranked fighters in the world. When Courtenay and Bridges fought back in April of last year, there was controversy over their ability to fight despite Bridges being ranked below O'Connell at No.8 with the governing body and Courtenay not being on the list.
But they played out one of the most gruelling contests of the year, with the Brit ultimately taking home the gold in one of the great women's fights in recent memory. Since then, Courtenay has struggled to maintain her form, losing the belt to Jamie Mitchell the following September amid injury issues.
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Meanwhile, Bridges has gone from strength to strength, winning two quick-fire bouts on her way back to title contention last year. She came back from a hand injury in March to take her belt, and now awaits her first defence.
It could end up being against O'Connell, with Matchroom Boxing set to make their Australian debut this September with a big move into the market. The country has reopened to tourists after the coronavirus pandemic and is eager to bring back major sporting events, such as last month's undisputed lightweight title clash between Devin Haney and George Kambosos Jr.
Liam Paro will face Brock Jarvis in Eddie Hearn's maiden Australian show, with a host of Australian talent expected to feature on the undercard. The bout takes place in September, with Skye Nicholson also set to feature.
