Ebanie Bridges ‘didn’t make money’ until sixth fight but is now huge attraction

Ebanie Bridges now needs no introduction to boxing fans – but the Australian hasn't always enjoyed superstardom.

Bridges, 35, is the reigning IBF female bantamweight champion, following her unanimous points win over Argentine fighter Maria Roman in Leeds. But it's not just her in-ring ability as that has propelled her into the headlines, with the 'Blonde Bomber' not shy to flaunt other assets.

She's become infamous for wearing racy lingerie during weigh-ins, once forcing blushing promoter Eddie Hearn to look elsewhere. Bridges has also embraced her new-found love of Leeds United, and was a special guest at Elland Road last season following her title win.

The Sydney-born star has her critics though, with many accusing her of using sex appeal to enhance her boxing career and celebrity status. And now she's fired back, claiming that it wasn't until her sixth bout – a brutal clash with Shannon Courtenay last year – that she began to profit from the sport.

"Didn’t even start making money until my 6th fight, just spending money, working 2 jobs and relying on sponsors help and belief in me to help with some of the expenses," she wrote on Twitter. "The first purse I actually made a couple $$ from was the Courtenay fight. Let’s get this right NOTHING has come easy!"

Her bout with the English fighter represents the only defeat on her nine-fight pro career so far, but it was one Bridges emerged with credit from after battling on with a brutal eye injury. But she claims prior to the night, boxing was proving an expensive career choice.

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"My first three fights cost me over 12k combined," she added. "Out of my pocket!! Because in Aus there wasn’t pros for me to fight AND Aus is so far from other countries, and I didn’t have a promoter paying for all my opponents, team flights, accommodation, food allowances, visas, medicals and everything else."

Bridges boasts a Twitter following of 141,000 and then proceeded to engage with a number of fans, insisting she wasn't speaking out for sympathy: "People don't know s**t. And I’m not on here to talk about my hardship. Or need to constantly talk about the past.

"But sometimes u just need to remind c*nts I wasn’t gifted. Didn’t sign with a promoter as a debuter with guaranteed purses and my opponents paid for. I grafted on my own."

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