The rise of European and IBF World Super Bantamweight champion Ellie Scotney
Every sporting athlete has their own unique story into how they got into their sport and Ellie’s is no different. Being the youngest of seven which included five brothers, the 25 year-old said she was thrown into the boxing environment from a young age.
“Being one of seven which includes five brothers, I basically grew up in and around boxing, I was my brothers shadow being the nine year old that just wanted to do everything he did, but it was never cool to take your little sister to the boxing gym”.
Having ventured into the boxing gym at the first time at the age of nine, unlike many other boxers Scotney only lasted a year. She eventually came back to the ring eight years later at 17 after reigniting her love for the sport due to watching the Commonwealth games and since then she has not looked back!
“During the eight years out of boxing I didn’t play any other sports, I was actually really ‘girly’ during that time. Watching the Commonwealth Games brought back good memories and my enjoyment so I had to go back and thankfully I did”.
Of course, taking up a sport that at the time, was male dominated, does come with its challenges and the judgement that follows. But Ellie used this as motivation to ultimately become one of the best.
“I have had to deal with challenges, especially when they look at you and think you’re a female, but I think that is a motivation in itself. The biggest compliment you can get in a boxing gym is being told you ‘fight like a man’. As bizarre as that sounds, you fight like a man is the biggest compliment to me that I can get as a fighter”.
With 40 amateur fights under her belt at the age of 22, Ellie decided to take the next step and become professional. As the excitement and anticipation built towards her first professional fight, Covid hit and affected boxers all over the country. Eventually the fight was rescheduled but it was like no other fight she had fought before…
“Unfortunately it was behind closed doors in Peterborough. It was bizarre and a very different situation that everyone was used to, especially for their first professional fight.
It was mental, I had been used to boxing with people there and then you have picked your ring walk song and nobody is there when you walk out. I would have never had imagined it to be like that growing up, there were only about 20 people there including the judges it was crazy, but it was perfect, I got in the flow a lot quicker than if there was a crowd if I’m being honest”.
Walking out to Nina Simone - ‘Feeling good’ in front of an almost empty room was a new experience, but one that she can remember in more detail than either of her title fights. Winning on points in her first professional fight set the standard and provided the perfect platform to go on to have not one but two, successful title fights at Wembley arena to become undefeated at 8-0, and the current IBF Super Bantamweight Champion at 25.
2024 has huge potential to be another exciting year for women’s boxing. Natasha Jonas and Mikaela Mayer have already headlined the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool earlier this month with an enthralling encounter. But also 2024 is a big year for Ellie in particular, with her eyes firmly set on a unification fight.
Written by Eithan Boulter-Ashcroft
