Gold Coast-based boxer Shannon Philp has opened up about an unconventional career move that has transformed her financial situation. She revealed that she earns up to $45,000 monthly through content subscription platform OnlyFans.
The middleweight star made the decision to join the service last year after struggling to fund her professional boxing career through prize money alone. What began as a supplementary income stream has evolved into a full-time venture that now bankrolls her athletic ambitions.
‘I sat down with my partner (Lyndon) and we talked about it (OnlyFans) at length,’ Philp told the Daily Mail. ‘If you said to me a few years ago I’d be uploading (explicit) content for subscribers, I would have laughed.’
The former hairdresser and dance teacher explained that the economics of women’s boxing left her with little choice. Training camps, coaching fees, travel expenses, and medical requirements quickly accumulate, creating a financial barrier for athletes trying to advance their careers.
‘The reality is, if we (female boxers) don’t have a regular source of income, we can’t go to the next level,’ she said. ‘When you factor in training camps, coaching, travel and medicals, it all adds up.’
Philp’s approach to her personal life is equally unconventional. She and her partner Lyndon participate in what’s known as an ENM (ethical non-monogamy) relationship, which she says is increasingly popular in their Gold Coast community, often referred to as the Glitter Strip.
‘It is new for both of us, we enjoy it,’ she explained.
The platform has proven lucrative enough that Philp now has concrete plans for her earnings, including purchasing property and a home. Her partner assists with content creation, photographing many of the images she shares with subscribers.
‘I have goals, like buying a house and property,’ Philp said. ‘My friends and family are supportive of what I do… having subscribers gives me a flexible lifestyle.’
The content she produces varies based on subscriber requests, ranging from bikini photographs to custom videos. She’s encountered numerous niche interests among her paying audience.
‘Be it bikini shots or solo videos…it is up to the creator,’ she said. ‘Plenty of my subscribers have foot fetishes, others like to be dominated, as in talked down to…I have an open mind.’
Philp emphasized that she’s not alone in balancing boxing with online content creation, noting that other female boxers have made similar decisions.
‘There are also other (female) boxers doing OnlyFans, it is a respected industry,’ she said.
On social media, Philp commands significant attention with nearly 85,000 Instagram followers, in addition to maintaining presence on X and TikTok. Her content creation has expanded from what she initially envisioned as a side project into her primary source of income.
‘It all started as a side hustle, and is now a fulltime gig,’ Philp said. ‘To go from earning $20 as an apprentice hairdresser to (now) meeting our financial goals is satisfying… the aim now is to keep training hard to improve as a boxer.’
Though she’s currently winless in two professional bouts, she views these early results as part of her development process, describing them as a ‘stepping stone’ toward future success.
