Ellie Scotney arrives at a career-defining moment. Win her unification fight on April 5 at Kensington’s Olympia and she would become Britain’s youngest undisputed world champion of the four-belt era, for men or women. Scotney faces Mexico’s Mayelli Flores in a 122lb showdown for the WBA, WBO, WBC and IBF straps, a fight shown live on Sky Sports.
For Scotney the prize is everything. She describes the chance to collect all four belts as the pinnacle of what she’s been working toward since turning professional. Her path has been far from straightforward: she left the Great Britain amateur programme to turn pro in early 2020, only for the Covid pandemic to halt the sport and upend plans.
With boxing on pause, Scotney took regular jobs to get by, including shifts at B&Q, a garden centre and Sainsbury’s. She laughs about her time in DIY retail—“I used to work with the nails and I didn’t have a clue,” she says—recalling how she would bluff answers and hide when customers asked questions. The work taught her humility; she jokes that “it’s much easier getting punched in the face” than dealing with retail.
When Scotney finally began fighting professionally late in 2020 she moved through the ranks rapidly. By her sixth fight she had secured the European title and then went on to claim the IBF world belt, later adding the WBC and WBO. Importantly, she’s beaten the reigning titleholders rather than taking vacant belts, a route she regards as the old-school and most satisfying way to rise.
“That’s the right way to do it,” she says, noting she’s had to earn every step and never taken the easy route. That hunger, she believes, is what keeps her striving.
There is personal motivation behind her pursuit as well. After winning her first world title, Scotney’s grandmother—one of her fiercest supporters—told her to “complete the collection.” Two months after that first world-title night her grandmother passed away. Scotney made a promise to finish what she started and carries that vow into the ring.
The April 5 unification fight holds extra resonance because it falls on Easter Sunday. A devout Christian, Scotney plans to attend church that morning; her pastor will be with her to pray before she fights. Her church only learned she boxed after she became a world champion; inspired by his own sermons about spiritual battles, her pastor has since watched one of her title defences.
Scotney admits there were low points when she feared she might have to return to regular work before a breakthrough came—especially before signing with management team MVP—but she persisted. Now, one more victory would not only complete the quartet of belts but fulfil a promise and crown a remarkable rise from pandemic uncertainty and shop-floor shifts to the brink of undisputed glory.
Fans can watch the build-up on Sky Sports. Behind The Ropes: Ellie Scotney is scheduled for 7.45pm on Sunday on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Action.