Ebanie Bridges’ astonishing previous as maths trainer by day and ring lady at night time
Ebanie Bridges took an unconventional route to the top of the boxing world. Before fighting in front of sold-out stadiums, the Blonde Bomber was juggling three jobs to make ends meet.
The Australian star, 40, now an adopted Brit living and fighting out of Yorkshire, was always drawn to combat sports. Encouraged to take up martial arts as a youngster, she tried her hand at karate, kickboxing and Muay Thai.
But after discovering she wasn’t too keen on being kicked, elbowed and kneed in the face, Bridges turned her attention to bodybuilding and then boxing. With the sport still banned for women in Australia until 2008, she found another way to stay close to the action – working as a glamorous ring girl.
Ebanie Bridges spent time as a ring girl before boxing professionally as the Blonde Bomber(Image: Twitter/@EbanieBridges)
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However, being a ring girl didn’t pay the bills on its own, and she competed in bodybuilding competitions while also working as a maths teacher.
“I always wanted to be a teacher,” she reflected while writing for talkSPORT. “Because I went through some stuff in my teens, and I wanted to inspire and have an effect on kids.
“I also wanted to spot problem children and see kids who were at high risk to problems at home or drugs and alcohol, and be able to get them while they’re young and influence them into being better adults and changing their lives.
Bridges was a state and national champion in body building(Image: Ebanie Bridges)
“That’s where it stemmed from, wanting to give back.
“I would see their attitudes change in the classroom towards themselves and towards their lives, because of the things I taught, such as positivity and self-belief in a very safe and positive environment, which is full of support.
“I’m so passionate about teaching and so many people don’t believe in themselves when it comes to maths, which is bulls*** because anyone can do anything they’ve just got to f****** try and work at it!”
Boxing beauty Ebanie Bridges once worked as a maths teacher before she became a world champion fighter(Image: Instagram/ebanie_bridges)
Bridges joked she was the most popular teacher in school; kids loved being in her class. She added: “I even had other kids trying to get into my class!”
And then, giving insight into her teaching life, she explained she had punishments for banned words such as ‘I can’t” and “it’s too hard”. Instead, she would make them write affirmations to “stop talking negatively about themselves”.
Bridges added: “They all knew I boxed; they loved it. I would bribe them by letting them watch my fights, sparring or training if they did their work.
Ebanie Bridges explained how boxing was banned in her younger days(Image: ebanie_bridges/Instagram)
“I ran boxing classes at both of the schools I worked at, once a week, for disengaged and troubled teens or anger management girls who were getting in fights, to teach them self-love, discipline and respect.”
However, after making her boxing debut back in 2019, Bridges left her teaching career behind. She made waves with her hard-hitting punches in the ring and sultry snaps on social media.
Bridges initially held off on moving into Only Fans, due to the possibility of going back into the teaching world. Speaking in 2022, Bridges told Women’s Boxing Show back: “Someone asked me about Only Fans.
“But one of the biggest reasons I’m not going on Only Fans and make millions, as I would, is obviously because I want to have the opportunity to go back to teaching.
Ebanie Bridges is now an Only Fans athlete(Image: https://www.instagram.com/ebanie_bridges/?hl=en)
“Boxing is not that big in Australia, so if I was to reside back in Australia, I would eventually probably have to go back to teaching. So I didn’t want to jeopardise my teaching career because I love teaching.
“But I still want to go into schools and inspire and do talks to kids, but probably not in the classroom. So who knows what the future holds for Ebanie and Only Fans, but right now it’s not my focus – but it’s definitely not out of the question.”
However, by November that year, she was on the platform announcing the move at a weigh-in, in classic Bridges style.
Ebanie Bridges’ lingerie weigh-ins are famous
She is now an athlete sponsored by the platform and told Daily Star Sport earlier this year: “It’s great support and they’re supporting my boxing financially. There are many Only Fans athletes. Only Fans is really supportive of sport. We’re very blessed to have that backing.”
Bridges achieved her dreams when she won the IBF female bantamweight world title from Maria Cecilia Roman in Leeds in 2022, holding it until a defeat to Miyo Yoshida in 2023.
Following time away from the ring to recover from a hand injury and surgery, she also became a mum, starting a family with British boxing legend Kell Brook.
Having signed with Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions in July last year, she lost a comeback fight against Alexis Araiza Mones in January, but bounced back with a victory over Ebonie Cotton in April, with her eyes now firmly set on recapturing world title gold.
