Ellie Scotney stands on the brink of history. A win in her next fight would make her Britain’s youngest ever undisputed world champion of the four-belt era, male or female.
Scotney meets Mexico’s Mayelli Flores at Kensington’s Olympia on Sunday April 5, live on Sky Sports, in a unification fight for the WBA, WBO, WBC and IBF titles at 122lbs.
“It’ll mean everything,” Scotney told Sky Sports. “This is the pinnacle that I’m boxing for. It is everything you want in boxing and it awaits. It’s been a long journey and God willing on April 5, it’ll be worth it.”
Her professional path began awkwardly. The Catford boxer left the Great Britain amateur squad to turn pro at the start of 2020, just as the Covid pandemic shut the sport down. With fights and crowds off the table, Scotney found herself working in retail to get by — including a stint at B&Q.
“I used to work with the nails and that. I didn’t have a clue, I used to blag it,” she laughed. “Someone could ask me a question and I’d tell them to go that end of the store knowing it weren’t there and I’d hide. It was a nightmare. I was just in the transition from leaving GB and turning pro so I needed a job. Because it was during Covid I was a key worker, I don’t know how!”
She’s done other jobs too — garden centre, Sainsbury’s — and jokes that “it’s much easier getting punched in the face. It’s so much easier.”
Once Scotney’s pro career finally began late in 2020 she moved quickly. By her sixth fight she had won the European title, then added the IBF world championship, followed by the WBC and WBO belts. Notably, she beat the reigning champion each time rather than winning vacant titles.
“I feel like it’s the right way to do things and it’s the old school way,” she said. “You become undisputed but you haven’t fought for a vacant belt, you literally beat every champion on the way, there’s no better way in my opinion. I’ve never had the easy touch but again I’m grateful because I wouldn’t be standing here and have the hunger and the drive that I have.”
Going undisputed would also fulfil a promise to her grandmother. Her nan, a fierce supporter, watched Scotney win her first world title and urged her to “complete the collection.” Two months after seeing that victory, her grandmother passed away.
“She saw me win the first one and she said: ‘You complete the collection now,’” Scotney recalled. “I made a promise then that we complete the collection. Sadly we lost her. It’s took a lot longer than I thought it would but again it’s took the right time. It was meant to for me. Becoming undisputed is something that every fighter dreams of and I’ll fulfil that on April 5.”
The date carries extra meaning: the unification fight falls on Easter Sunday. Scotney, who is devout, plans to attend church that morning; her pastor will join her to pray before the big night. Her south London church only learned she boxed after she became a world champion — the pastor had spoken about preparing for battles through prayer and, inspired, watched one of her title defences.
“It’s been a very long journey,” she reflected. “I’ve had so many moments in my career where I was thinking I’m going to have to go back to B&Q. I laugh about it but there were moments of that before I even signed with MVP. God willing the collection will be completed on April 5.”
Watch Behind The Ropes: Ellie Scotney at 7.45pm on Sunday on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Action.