Catford boxer Ellie Scotney will celebrate world title win with a cuppa

BY MATTHEW NASH

Ellie Scotney just wants to get home and have a cup of tea if she wins a first world title of her career after playing the waiting game to get a shot at Cherneka Johnson next weekend.

The Catford super-bantamweight will attempt to take the IBF belt from Australian Johnson at the OVO Arena Wembley on the undercard of Sunny Edwards’ flyweight world-title clash with Andre Campos.

But it’s the comforts of the family home in South London that Scotney is looking forward to once she has conquered the world for the first time, if all goes well the other side of the river on June 10.

“I’ll get home, watch the rest of the show on television in my pyjamas with a cuppa and a couple of digestive biscuits,” she said ahead of her first world championship contest against Johnson, the second Maori to win a major world boxing crown.

“After my fight, I’ll have my head set on getting home to Catford. I did that last year for the Joshua Buatsi-Craig Richards fight when I was on the bill earlier in the night against Maria Cecilia Roman.

“For me, there’s nothing I like more. Plus, my mum keeps my belts under the bed so I just hope I bring back another one that she can put away and we can enjoy watching the rest of the show.”

Scotney believes she won’t still be boxing at 36, unlike her idol Katie Taylor, who lost her unbeaten professional record in defeat to Chantelle Cameron last month in Dublin.

At 25 Scotney appears to have the world at her feet and is aiming to become a global title-holder in only her seventh outing in the paid ranks. However, she does not see herself carrying on fighting well into her 30s.

“I believe once I’ve got this belt in my hands it’s a bargaining tool and I can’t be ignored any longer,” said Scotney.

“People will hopefully be saying ‘she can fight’ but I also don’t want to be still fighting at Katie’s age – 30 or 31 and I think that will be me done.”

Scotney certainly feels her rise to world-title contention has gone under the radar, although she won’t be trying to follow in the footsteps of fellow female fighter Ebanie Bridges’ business plan either.

The Aussie, known as the Blonde Bomber, is reported to make big money from fans subscribing to sites such as Only Fans, where they can pay to see her content.

Scotney joked: “I’m never going to tap into that market like she has! She’s absolutely killed it. A lot of people say I should get more attention, though.

“Other fighters get pushed and I don’t believe I have been. Now I want to make sure I get the recognition I deserve in the future.”

Scotney was originally due to be on the Taylor-Cameron bill before the clash with Johnson (15-1) was removed due to Cameron’s dispute with former coach Shane McGuigan, who trains Scotney as his gym in Leyton.

The South Londoner revealed she approached new undisputed super-lightweight queen Cameron to try and persuade her – in vain – not to drop the showdown from the card.

“I wanted to reason with her,” said Scotney. “We were going to be in different hotels and their paths would never have crossed.

“I did all I could – everything. Everyone was so happy I was fighting for a world title but I had this feeling it wasn’t going to happen.

“There was a chance I could have lost the shot because it was originally signed to take place in Ireland as it was neutral territory.

“I’m sick of waiting now and I missed out on the biggest platform any female fighter could ever have on Katie’s undercard so I aim to make up for that now.”

Croydon’s Edwards (19-0, four KOs) makes the fourth defence of his IBF world flyweight title in the main event.

The 27-year-old has won unanimous decisions in his last eight victories.

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