This Sunday will start the same as any other for Ellie Scotney: some time with her family and celebrating Mass at church, as she does every week. However, it won’t be long before she swiftly turns her attention to that evening and her attempt to become Britain’s youngest-ever undisputed world champion, male or female.
The unified junior featherweight champion will take on Mayelli Flores with all four belts on the line in London [Sky Sports in the UK, ESPN+ in the U.S.]
As well as a stack of straps and a piece of history, Scotney (11-0) is fighting for a car, courtesy of Most Valuable Promotions chief Jake Paul.
Paul appeared stunned when he discovered that Scotney doesn’t have a driving license and takes a combination of trains and buses to get to the gym each day with the occasional treat of an Uber on sparring days. He has since declared he will buy her a car if she gets the business done on Sunday.
Before she thinks about getting behind the wheel, Scotney remains focused extending her unbeaten record on a very important and emotional day for her on Easter Sunday. Her boxing, as with everything in her life, is driven by faith. The 28-year-old even double checked with her pastor to get his advice about fighting on the sacred day.
“My initial thought was how does that stand being a Christian fighting on Easter?” Scotney told ESPN.
“I rang my pastor and he said: “Look, Ellie, it’s not your timing … It’s the Lord’s plan.’ I just feel like when I enter that ring, my main purpose, no matter what day it is, is to glorify the name of Jesus Christ and what a better day to do it.”
The south-London fighter says having such a strong faith gives her an extra lift in the ring. Scotney doesn’t come from a particularly religious family and says it was her own decision as a teenager to turn to the church.
“As a fighter, you walk in that ring and I know that it’s not just me, I’m not going in alone,” she says. “And that’s the beauty of it. It’s been my firm foundation since I was a kid.”
Her grounding can also be traced back to her mother, who Scotney explains always encouraged her to always push herself. When Scotney won her first belt, it wasn’t allowed to be displayed in the house.
“My mum never let me put them out until I got more than one, which is mad, really,” she explains.
“She was like: ‘Until you get … [more]. ‘And then when I started adding them up, we got this little cabinet and we need another one now, so we’re heading in the right direction.”
The collection could be completed this Sunday in what is expected to be crowning moment for Scotney, who is arguably one of the most under-appreciated champions in British boxing.
Scotney herself has joked about becoming the first undisputed champion without a knockout on her record, but her talent, ability to break opponents down and boxing IQ can’t be questioned. Neither can her determination, with big fights in the offing should she get past Flores.
“I think this is her time; this is the moment … This is the pinnacle in her career,” trainer Shane McGuigan tells ESPN.
“When she gets [victory] on Sunday, she’s going to ring me on Tuesday and say: ‘All right, it’s over.’ I say, “Well … let’s make another Mount Everest.”
Chantelle Cameron chases more glory
Already a former undisputed champion at junior welterweight, Chantelle Cameron is looking to add another division to her résumé in her WBO super welterweight clash with Michaela Kotaskova.
The fight will also be the first women’s title fight to contested with three-minute rounds in the UK.
Should the 34-year-old get past Kotaskova, big fights await, even if it isn’t the trilogy fight with Katie Taylor fans are desperate for, with talk of a unification bout with Mikaela Mayer.
Mayer, who recently signed with MVP, is the WBO welterweight champion as well as the WBA and WBC junior middleweight title holder.
While Cameron refused to discuss the prospect of the bout this week, insisting she is solely focused on Kotaskova, Mayer said she wants Cameron.
“She’s fighting this weekend for the belt that I just vacated at 154 pounds,” Mayer told Sky Sports. “I still have two other belts at 154, so assuming she gets the win this weekend, we can fight for a big unification fight.”
Mayer has also been linked with an undisputed clash against Lauren Price, who defends her WBA, WBC and IBF welterweight titles against Stephanie Pineiro in Cardiff on Saturday.