Ebanie Bridges, known as the Blonde Bomber, took an unconventional path to the top of the boxing world. Before fighting in sold-out stadiums, the 40-year-old Australian star juggled three jobs to make ends meet. Now an adopted Brit living and fighting out of Yorkshire, she was always drawn to combat sports.
Encouraged to take up martial arts as a youngster, she tried karate, kickboxing and Muay Thai. But after discovering she wasn't keen on being kicked, elbowed and kneed in the face, she turned to bodybuilding and then boxing. With the sport banned for women in Australia until 2008, she worked as a glamorous ring girl to stay close to the action.
Teaching Career and Motivation
Being a ring girl didn't pay the bills on its own, so she competed in bodybuilding competitions while working as a maths teacher. "I always wanted to be a teacher," she reflected while writing for talkSPORT. "Because I went through some stuff in my teens, and I wanted to inspire and have an effect on kids."
She explained her motivation: "I also wanted to spot problem children and see kids who were at high risk to problems at home or drugs and alcohol, and be able to get them while they're young and influence them into being better adults and changing their lives."
Bridges added: "That's where it stemmed from, wanting to give back. I would see their attitudes change in the classroom towards themselves and towards their lives, because of the things I taught, such as positivity and self-belief in a very safe and positive environment, which is full of support."
Classroom Life and Boxing Debut
She joked she was the most popular teacher in school, with kids loving her class. "I even had other kids trying to get into my class!" She had punishments for banned words like 'I can't' and 'it's too hard', making students write affirmations to stop talking negatively about themselves.
Bridges added: "They all knew I boxed; they loved it. I would bribe them by letting them watch my fights, sparring or training if they did their work. I ran boxing classes at both of the schools I worked at, once a week, for disengaged and troubled teens or anger management girls who were getting in fights, to teach them self-love, discipline and respect."
After making her boxing debut in 2019, she left teaching behind. She made waves with her hard-hitting punches and social media presence. In 2022, she told Women's Boxing Show: "Someone asked me about Only Fans. But one of the biggest reasons I'm not going on Only Fans and make millions, as I would, is obviously because I want to have the opportunity to go back to teaching."
OnlyFans and World Title Success
By November 2022, she had joined the platform, announcing the move at a weigh-in. She is now an athlete sponsored by the platform and told Daily Star Sport: "It's great support and they're supporting my boxing financially. There are many Only Fans athletes. Only Fans is really supportive of sport. We're very blessed to have that backing."
Bridges achieved her dream when she won the IBF female bantamweight world title from Maria Cecilia Roman in Leeds in 2022, holding it until a defeat to Miyo Yoshida in 2023. After time away to recover from a hand injury and surgery, she became a mum, starting a family with British boxing legend Kell Brook.
Having signed with Jake Paul's Most Valuable Promotions in July last year, she lost a comeback fight against Alexis Araiza Mones in January, but bounced back with a victory over Ebonie Cotton in April, with her eyes now firmly set on recapturing world title gold.
