Former IBF female bantamweight champion Ebanie Bridges has revealed that she’s expecting her first child. The Australian boxer, known as the Blonde Bomber, made her pregnancy public during her appearance at the Misfits Boxing event in Newcastle on Saturday.
Bridges, 37, has been relatively quiet since her last bout in December, where she lost her title to Miyo Yoshida. However, her arrival at the Utilita Arena for the X Series event turned heads as she proudly displayed her baby bump, catching many of her acquaintances off guard.
Bridges studied mathematics with a minor in physical education while pursuing her amateur boxing career at Western Sydney University. She then went on to get a master’s degree in teaching at the top of her class.
Bridges eventually discovered competitive bodybuilding, where she competed for eight years and won multiple regional and state championships while being mentored by Arina Manta.
The Australian has never shied away from showing off her modesty in public. Before starring with the gloves on, she attracted attention by serving as a ring girl at high-profile matches.
The news was captured by YouTube channel Boxing King Media, who briefly interviewed Bridges before she entered the arena to support her friend Elle Brooke, who was headlining the event.
This development marks a significant milestone for Bridges, who has previously spoken about her desire to start a family. In an exclusive interview two years ago, she shared the internal struggle between her career aspirations and her longing for motherhood.
“It’s a battle I have all the time, and it’s very heartbreaking,” Bridges had said. “I want nothing more than to have a family and have kids. It’s very important to me.”
At the time, Bridges expressed concerns about the challenges of balancing her boxing career with parenthood, particularly given the geographical distance between her work in the UK and her partner in Australia. She had hoped to achieve her career goals before embarking on motherhood.
“I’m just praying in a couple of years I’ve achieved what I want to achieve and can go off and then have children,” she had stated.
Now, it seems Bridges has found the right moment to embrace this new chapter in her life. While it’s unclear how this will affect her boxing career moving forward, her fans and supporters are celebrating this joyous news with her.
The Misfits Boxing event, where Bridges made her pregnancy reveal, saw Elle Brooke successfully defend her Misfits Women’s middleweight title with a unanimous decision victory over Jenny Savage. Bridges was present to cheer on her friend’s triumph, adding a personal touch of celebration to an already eventful evening.
