Boxing world champion Ebanie Bridges teased that she may sell the bath water from her weight cut on Thursday night to a fan on social media.
The 'Blonde Bomber' is one of the most divisive figures in British boxing, known as much for her antics at weigh-ins and outside the ring as her aggressive style inside it. She is making her first title defence at the First Direct Arena in Leeds tonight after winning the belt back in March, facing fellow Australian Shannon O'Connell.
And just before her weigh-in, which always attracts thousands of fans to Matchroom Boxing's YouTube stream, Bridges announced that she is partnering with subscription platform OnlyFans to make content. Bridges has resisted the move for years, but was approached more recently and is now involved, branding herself with an advert for the website before tipping the scales.
Bridges came in at championship weight of just under 118lb, as did O'Connell, after a weight cut that included a lengthy stint in the bath to get the last few pounds off. And in a cheeky video shared to social media, she asked: "So guys, how much for my weight cut bath water? Asking for a friend."
OnlyFans is known culturally for explicit or adult content, but the brand are attempting to broaden their horizons and have signed a number of fighters in recent weeks. Bridges has confirmed that she will use her page to have one-on-one conversations with supporters and post professional lingerie photoshoots, behind-the-scenes training footage and 'intimate home content'.
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In a press release made before her weigh-in, Bridges said: “I was the first to weigh-in with lingerie and I received a hell of a lot of backlash and controversy, but it paved the way for other women in the sport to have the confidence to do the same. I expect similar controversy with this, but I thrive off of being a pioneer in the sport and hope to inspire many other women to be able to act freely without concern over how they will be judged”
But her first focus will be on tonight's heated grudge fight with O'Connell, who has taken a number of bitter jabs at Bridges over fight week. The champion is favoured with the bookies to retain her world title in her first defence, but it's relatively close and given both womens' aggressive styles there's a chance that a shock finish arrives at either end.
