by By Vince Writer: As a co-feature event of Josh Warrington vs. DAZN’s Luis Alberto Lopez, Ebanie “The Blonde Bomber” Bridges successfully defended his IBF world bantamweight title by earning an eighth-round TKO victory over Shannon O’ Connell (23-7-1, 11 KOs) at the First Direct Arena in Leeds, England.
Bridges immediately set the tone for the fight by coming out in the first round pressing forward and landing the 1-2 combination. She was in complete control of the first round until O’Connell landed a hard right hand counter that sent Bridges faltering seconds before the bell rang to end the round.
At the start of the second round, O’Connell came out swinging because she knew Bridges had been hurt in the previous round, so she decided to constantly throw her right hand over the top. However, Bridges was able to hold her ground as she proceeded to fire shots at O’Connell’s body.
The third round started with a bang when Bridges hit O’Connell with a big right hand that sent her to the canvas. O’Connell was able to get up, and after getting up, she used her veteran ring experience to survive the round.
The next three rounds of the fight were packed with crowd-pleasing action, as Bridges and O’Connell were more than willing to stand in the pocket and trade blows. Both fighters were able to hit each other with low shots as the two boxers fought at a fierce pace.
The seventh round was similar to all the other rounds, as Bridges and O’Connell were involved in multiple trades. Scoring-wise, the round looked like it was up for grabs until Ebanie Bridges pushed her opponent into a corner and hit her with a flurry of hard punches.
Over seven rounds, both fighters fired punches in clusters, but it looked like Bridges landed the hardest, cleanest punches. In round eight, Bridges continued to tag O’Connell with the 1-2 down the middle.
With his opponent on the ropes, Bridges hit O’Connell with a flurry of clean shots, and the referee stepped in and called a halt to the fight.
Preparation for the fight involved the two boxers trading verbal insults, but the match lived up to the hype as Australian boxing star Ebanie Bridges (9-1, 4 KOs) was able to successfully defend his title by earning a TKO victory over her. bitter rival. During her post-fight interview, Ebanie Bridges referenced one of O’Connell’s pre-fight slurs.
“Not bad for a skanky stripper, I must say.”
Bridges went on to say, “I don’t usually disrespect my opponent, but she disrespected me all the time. So I can’t really give him that much respect. She can knock, she can punch. She came, she was hungry, she was fierce, but I was better, and that’s why I’m the champion.
Ebanie Bridges showed many facets of her game in her fight against fellow Australian Shannon O’Connell. Bridges has shown she can box, she can brawl, and is also tough.
Ebanie Bridges will end 2022 with a successful title defense, and she could possibly start her new year with a unification bout against WBO bantamweight champion Dina Thorslund.
