You can put this one in boxing’s all too rare “well, that
escalated quickly” category.
“She’s a nobody and the people teaming up with her are
just haters,” Ebanie Bridges responded to a question posed to her on Twitter by
freelance sportswriter and obvious admirer Dan Kelly regarding fellow Aussie
and mandatory challenger Shannon O‘Connell. “She’s desperate for attention and
begging me for exposure but I won’t give it to her cos she literally offers me
nothing. If she was somebody, I’d fight her. It’s that simple.”
‘Shotgun’ Shannon retweeted this exchange, adding the
caption, “Hahaha. She’s embarrassing herself.” Besides disrespectfully and
erroneously referring to Shannon as “a nobody,” it is very odd indeed that Bridges, considering
her bra and panties approach to gaining followers, would accuse O’Connell of being
the one who is “desperate for attention” and “begging…for exposure.”
Thankfully their war of words on social media will be settled
by a war of attrition inside the ring at a date and time soon to be determined.
Shannon had grave doubts about being given her rightful opportunity to face her
brazen nemesis when I chatted with her about the prospect of an all-Aussie
world bantamweight title fight for a story I wrote on the topic ten days ago.
Team Shotgun was initially informed that Bridges was not
due to make a mandatory defense until March 2023, and the newly-crowned
champion showed little interest in the prospect of clashing with O’Connell. Nor
did Ebanie’s promoter Eddie Hearn. Talks between the Matchroom Boxing mogul and
Matt Rose of No Limit Boxing, who represents O’Connell, had been contentious
and unproductive.
Over the weekend, however, news broke that the IBF is
ordering Ebanie Bridges to defend her world bantamweight belt against O’Connell
by no later than September 26, with negotiations to be finalized within the
next thirty days.
It makes perfect sense for the tussle between Bridges and
O’Connell to be staged on Matchroom’s inaugural Australian boxing card which
will be occurring on the Gold Coast in September. Whatever the time and locale end
up being, one thing is certain. With an inevitable showdown with Shannon O’Connell
looming just two months away, Ebanie Bridges is going to have to train her focus
on much more than what she will be wearing, or not wearing, at the weigh-in.
Especially with a fired up ‘Shotgun’ Shannon vowing to “punch
holes through her.”
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