Britain’s Shannon Courtenay will clash with Aussie raider Ebanie Bridges for the vacant WBA bantamweight world title on Saturday April 10.
The pair will collide at a venue to be confirmed on a show which will be televised by Sky Sports Boxing in the UK, and DAZN in more than 200 countries worldwide (including the United States).
Bridges (5-0 with 2 wins inside distance) steps in for a golden opportunity after Courtenay’s planned opponent Rachel Ball was ruled out by COVID-19.
Shannon (6-1 with 3 wins inside distance) will now have to wait for the chance to avenge her only pro defeat so far at the hands of Ball. But a world-title shot is a pretty nice consolation prize.
Courtenay’s promise
She said: "I was gutted to hear Rachel had pulled out but safety comes first so I wish her a speedy recovery and look forward to when we do have that rematch down the line.
"All that’s changed is the opponent, the outcome is still the same and on April 10 I will be crowned world champion.
"We‘ll put on a great, non-stop action fight for the fans but I’m more determined and focused than ever and that world title is staying in the UK."
Ebanie excited
Bridges meanwhile recently had her first fight in a year with a points victory over Carol Earl in Sydney. She’s excited to show her skills at the highest level.
"I’m very excited to be the first female from Australia fighting on a Matchroom card," she said
“When Eddie (Hearn) contacted me, it was really unexpected but I’m not going to say no to this chance.
"I was gutted for Rachel as she’s a friend and I wish her well in recovery but opportunity knocks. This is a fight that fans have spoke about for a while now since I moved onto the British scene.
“I respect Shannon as a boxer, I think we’ll put on a great show but I’ll be the one leaving with the gold.
"This is a huge platform to showcase my skills and who I am, 'The Blonde Bomber', to the world. I’ll bring the fight to Shannon - I’m coming to win that World Title, buckle up!"
Topping the bill on April 10 will be welterweight star Conor Benn defending his WBC Continental title against Samuel Vargas. WBO middleweight champion Savannah Marshall meanwhile will make the first defence of the title she won by defeating Hannah Rankin late last year.