Ebanie Bridges

Bio

Right then, Ebanie Bridges is one of the most marketable fighters in women's boxing — and also, let's not beat around the bush, a genuinely better boxer than the commercial brand tends to get credit for. The 34-year-old Australian bantamweight held the IBF female bantamweight title from 2022 to 2023 and has fought the best women at the weight across multiple continents.

Make no mistake, the commercial side of the Bridges brand is enormous. She's built an audience outside the traditional boxing fanbase, commands appearance fees most female fighters don't get near, and has used the platform to push women's boxing genuinely forward in Australia and the UK. But the reason the brand works is that she actually has the pedigree to back it up — the IBF belt was real, the wins were real, and she's a proper professional in camp.

Now, at 34, she's in a phase where the path back to a world title needs a name opponent. April 18's win over Ebonie Cotton at Rainton Meadows Arena was a clear-cut 59-56 unanimous decision, her first UK fight in over three years, and a must-win after the January defeat to Alexis Araiza Mones in Puerto Rico. It gets her back on track. The next fight has to be someone relevant to the IBF title picture — otherwise the momentum leaks away. If you know, you know — Bridges can still win another belt before she hangs them up, if her team picks the right summer fight.