Boxing results: Ebanie Bridges wins thrilling head-to-head fight with Shannon O’Connell

Via Vince Dwriter: As a co-event in the Josh Warrington vs. DAZN’s Luis Alberto Lopez, Ebanie “Blonde Bomber” Bridges successfully defended her IBF bantamweight world title by scoring an eighth-round TKO victory over Shannon O’Connell (23-7-1, 11 KOs) at the First Direct Arena in Leeds, England.

Bridges immediately set the tone for the game by coming out in the first half, attacking forward and landing a 1-2 combo. She was in complete control of the opening round until O’Connell landed with her right hand on a hard counterattack that sent Bridges reeling for a few seconds before the half-time bell rang.

At the start of the second half, O’Connell made a swing because he knew Bridges was in pain in the previous round, so he decided to continuously throw his forehand overhead. However, Bridges was able to stand her ground as she continued to fire shots at O’Connell’s body.

The third inning started with a bang as Bridges hit O’Connell with a massive right hand that sent her crashing to the tarp. O’Connell was able to get up and once she got up, she used her veteran ring experience to survive the round.

The next three innings of the fight were filled with crowd-pleasing toe action as Bridges and O’Connell readied themselves in pockets and exchanged punches. Both fighters are able to fight with gunfire as the two boxers fight at intense speed.

The seventh round is similar to all other rounds, as Bridges and O’Connell participate in many exchanges. From a scoring standpoint, the round seemed ready until Ebanie Bridges pushed her opponent into a corner and hit her with a series of difficult shots.

Through seven rounds, both boxers have unleashed consecutive punches, but it seems that Bridges is launching harder, cleaner shots. In the 1/8 round, Bridges continued to defeat O’Connell with a score of 1-2 in the middle.

While her opponent was on the rope, Bridges hit O’Connell with a series of clean shots, and the referee intervened and brought the contest to a halt.

The build-up of the match involved both boxers exchanging verbal insults, but the bout was overstated when Australian boxing star Ebanie Bridges (9-1, 4 KOs) had was able to successfully defend her title by winning a TKO against her bitter opponent. In her post-match interview, Ebanie Bridges mentioned one of O’Connell’s pre-match insults.

“I have to say, not bad for a tall skinny stripper.”

Bridges went on to say: “I don’t usually disrespect my opponents, but she was very disrespectful to me the whole time. So I really can’t give her much respect. She can hit, she can beat. She comes, she’s hungry, she’s aggressive, but I’m better, and that’s why I’m the champion.”

Ebanie Bridges showed off many aspects of her game against fellow Australian Shannon O’Connell. Bridges showed that she can box, she can fight and she is also very resilient.

Ebanie Bridges will end 2022 with a successful title defense and she can start her new year with a unification match against WBO bantamweight champion Dina Thorslund.