Ebanie Bridges: "Boxing is a business. You need to advertise"

The Blond Bomber, Ebanie Bridges, is just days away from fighting for the IBF World Title in Leeds. But how did she get there? 

Self made, and self-promoted, Bridge’s knows better than anyone that boxing is a business and she’s here to bring her fight to the world and make us watch. 

A maths teacher turned pro-boxer—Ebanie brings her message of mindset and strength everywhere she goes. And here she is at her best: raw, blunt, determined and authentic. 

Will the next sentence in the Blonde Bomber bio be World Title? Only time will tell...but just as Bridges reminds us: the next sentence, the next chapter, and the next book are just waiting to unfold.

Tune in March 26th for the IBF World Title Fight and listen to the podcast as we discuss Ebanie's opinions on being a teacher, how she hopes to use her brand in the future, and the double standards of female boxing weigh-ins.

On her entry into boxing

Before boxing, I was the card girl, the ring girl. I was walking around with the cards—which is very different from getting in the ring and punching people in the face. Quite contrasting there. 

On Being a Teacher 

I am a learner, that’s what I do. Life is all about learning, that’s easy for me. Even when I’m in the classroom I’m learning: how to teach the kids, how they learn, how the students are different, how to get my point across in different ways, how to get in their heads and minds to teach them. Even though I’m a mathematics teacher, it’s about instilling that mindset in the students and kids to want to learn and want to be better. Being the best they can be. It starts with that mindset. Maths just comes with it. 

On Coming to the UK

I was confident. It was very clear I had a huge following over here. I spent a year building that brand and that marketing. I knew once I fought, and people actually saw me fight—it would be even bigger. Which it was, exponentially. They saw that I was more than just the Blonde Bomber. People fell in love with my personality before they fell in love with my boxing. I purposely didn’t show my fight to prove myself—I didn’t feel the need to prove myself to anyone. I had fans that, win or lose, it didn’t matter because it wasn’t my boxing they fell in love with, it was me as a person. 

On Boxing Being a Business

This is what people don’t understand: boxing is a fucking business. If you’re still hanging on to this idea that it's all based on skill—it’s not. I bet you there’s amazing boxers in Ghana that no one’s ever heard about, or the Philippines or wherever. If it was skill, you would know those people. It's not. It’s a business. You need to advertise—how are you going to get people to come to your business if no one knows who the fuck you are. 

On the Name of the Game 

All I care about is getting more people to watch me, and watch the fights because it makes money. I don’t care about respect—no matter what you do you can’t expect respect from people. Katie Taylor is one of the best fighters in the world, people slag her all the time and talk shit. She’s fucking amazing! They're always gonna find something to pick on you for—it doesn’t matter. 

On Weigh Ins

People weigh in in underwear. The difference is I have silicone tits. The difference is I have big boobs. And my body looks mad. And I’ve got blonde hair and whatever! That’s the difference. They're all in underwear. 90% of people that weigh in wear underwear. Literally what is the difference. It’s frustrating. It’s double standards, and it’s purely because of my body. 

On Life After Boxing 

I am so blessed that I have such a big profile. I am able to spread this mindset, and the beliefs that I have and what I stand for. The reason I started teaching was because I wanted to be in the classroom, I wanted to inspire the kids, I wanted them to believe in themselves so that they can change the future because I had a rough past. I wanted to be that person. I can actually use this platform not just for kids, but for the fucking world. And older people—it’s never too late to start chasing those goals. 

Ebanie Bridges challenges Maria Cecilia Roman for IBF bantamweight title on March 26. Watch on DAZN