 Boomer on. In this week's episode is brought to you by Platinum Wave Campers, the UK's leading stockist of luxury Volkswagen camper vans. With locations up and down the country, Platinum Wave Campers are on hand to bring your vision to life. So whether you are looking to start working on a custom-built project or find your dream Volkswagen transporter, this is a place to look. Ever dreamed of owning your own Volkswagen camper van? Well now's your chance as you can save £500 by using the code James500. All you have to do is speak to one of their friendly sales team and say that James Ingleys sent you there. Now, let's get into the episode. You can now follow me on all my social media platforms to find out who my latest guest will be and don't forget to click the subscribe button and the notifications button so you're notified for when my next podcast goes live. Boomer on. And today's guest with a good box up. Everybody just how are you, gorgeous? I'm good, thank you. Very well. Glad to be here to finally come about. The blown bomber. Yeah. And the UK making waves. Yeah. Before we get into all that though, first and foremost, how are you? Good, you know, obviously I've got a fight coming up so I'm pretty deep in camp. I'm excited, you know, just head down grafting and yeah, just working it. When is the fight? We'll plug that straight away. Yeah. Fight 26th March in Leeds for an IBF world title. It's my second world title fight against a very good champion in Cecilia Roman from Argentina. So she's the longest reigning champion in division, most experienced, but that just makes me really hungry and really motivated and inspired. You're fucking always in Leeds mind. Yeah, in Leeds more than Josh Hey, hey, hey, all Leeds, aren't we? Yeah, no, look, it's my adopter city now. So it's it's my home away from home. Why Leeds? Leeds United. I think it all came about Leeds United, you know, obviously the football fans, I'm a Leeds United fan. And, you know, I started there and then just being over here and and being in Leeds and having to warmth from the community. I love the community. They're my kind of people like Yorkshire people, you know, like they just I can resonate with them and I can really, you know, resonate with that kind of, you know, demograph and and I just love it. You know, the support's great. People great and the team's great. Yeah, like crazy bastards in Leeds. Yeah, they're crazy and, you know, crazy like me, like I say, you know, they're the dirty Leeds and I'm a bit dirty as well, you know, in more ways than one. No, everything just sits there and then I feel good there, you know, and it's beautiful and I just like giving back to the community. And yeah, it's great, great to have have that love and like a, you know, like people that are away from my home, but, you know, it makes me feel like home. So yeah, always go back to the start of my guests. Yes, where you grew up, how it all began. All right, look, I grew up in Sydney, Western Sydney, which has a pretty bad rep, I suppose. It was like Westies, you know, it's a bit of a rough area. And yeah, I grew up there, I've got two brothers, I've got a twin brother. My mum and dad are great, you know, my dad's an artist. Mum does lots of things, but she's insurance. Yeah, growing up with my brothers, it was always like, I was like wanting to be like them, you know what I mean? So I've always been a tomboy my whole life. My parents put us in karate when I was five. He's like, you know, beating up my brothers. But yeah, like, you know, that's, that's kind of there. And I don't know. Yeah. How was school? School, school, I didn't even remember much of school. Honestly, my teens was probably the hardest part of my life. I had a really rough start. My primary school was really good. But then when I went into teens, a lot of things happened to me. And then I kind of, I went way off off track and disconnected from everyone family and everything like that. And yeah, it was probably rough. I have a lot of traumatic times in my, in my teens. And I don't really remember much of my teens, if I'm quite honest. Trying to block it out. Yeah, block it out. You know, I don't know, like when I start, I suppose when I was 13, my best friend killed himself. So then obviously that was hard on me. And then like a year and a half, two years later, a year and a half later, my boyfriend got killed. And then this is only young, I'm 13, 14, 15, you know, I'm involved with like older people, people that are getting into things. And then I would obviously escape, you know, so I was doing things to escape from all of that. And it was just really dark spot and hanging around bad people, seeing bad things, having bad things happen. So yeah, it was, it was rough for me. And I suppose I blocked it out. And, and I took things that just make me think now that I can't remember because I was so flying, you know what I mean? So yeah, drinking drugs. Yeah, yeah, pretty much, you know, I'm pretty excessive, though, not like, not like just a bit of weed, you know, so it's pretty bad. But um, yeah, you know, it all makes you who you are. And, you know, as I get older, I look back and I think, as much as I was fucked up, it was fucked up and the shit like, I've never really been a bit of a victim, never been a victim. I've always, you know, when I did change, my parents helped me pull myself out of it when I was about 18. But it was a five rough years. And yeah, when they pulled me out, I'm lucky I have a great family that I come from a good family that could actually, you know, be supportive and want to help me. And then yeah, when I change, when I decided that's like, I'm going to change and, you know, I've wasted enough time. And you know, I'm not this kind of person. I'm not this. This is not what I do. And yeah, I just made it my mission just to fucking make the most of every single minute, not waste a minute, and look back and be like, thank God, all that happened. Because if it didn't, I wouldn't be the woman I am now. It's all the hard stuff that you go through that makes you resilient, you know, and makes you think like, makes you realize that that happened to teach you that all that happened to because of now this, you know, so and I'm a firm believer in everything happens for a reason. Everything happens how it should. And it's just how you look at it, you know, Yeah, your cards are always dealt in life. Yeah. First, how you play them like, from going through that experience from 13 years old, like those traumatic experiences, they're so tough because there's people in adult years who can't handle that trauma. So as a kid, you don't understand that because you're so young. Yeah. So it's hard to then disconnect because you don't know how to handle it. So we disconnect through exactly stuff to take us away from the pain. Yeah, definitely, you know, it was hard, like I don't regret it. Like my parents, like I just like, I was so dark and so, so like, in my own thing, trying to escape from everything that I lost that connection with my parents. I'm just blessed that I was a beautiful family. Do you know what I mean? But um, yeah, like I always think like, we never really had that. I never really had that like mother daughter thing or, you know, I had like bikers and strippers and drug addicts and, and for the fucking shit, shit, cunts, but fuck where it's like bringing, pretty much bringing me up, you know what I mean? Like all these, that's why I got brought up with hanging out of bike clubs, hanging out in strip clubs, hanging out in all these kind of things, doing drugs and all that. Like that's, that's what brought me up most of my teams in that life, you know, but at the same time, it also made me very obviously streetwise and very headstrong and, and whatever. But um, yeah, that's all built me for me now. And then you learn a lot, you know, and, and as much as I'm, I'm not glad it happened, but I am because I love the person I am now. I absolutely am so secure in myself and I've, and um, I'm so proud of myself and how far I've come in just my, everything that I do. How hard does it feel for your parents to see their daughter slipping? I think it was very hard. My mom always even now, she's always like, I mean, and I don't usually, I don't talk about it. Like I said, I'm not going into full depth with you because we could be here all day with some of this shit, you know what I mean? But my mom, I think it was probably the hardest for my, for my mom. She kind of knew what was going on, but she had to keep it to herself. And then I got really out of control and really, really bad. And then we had to kind of share it with the rest of my family, my dad and stuff. But um, now even my mom is like, you know, like I did that celebrity SAS. She's like, just don't talk about it. Like, because you don't want to live in the past. You don't want to bring up those negative things. And I don't like what it bring up. You know, I purposely don't go into depth and talk about it all because I don't want to be brought up because it is the past. I don't dwell on it. I don't think about it. But for my parents and for my family, I think they don't want to be out all the time. Everything I did, they don't want to hear about it. It was a fucking hard time for them, too. I think seeing their daughter, like, you know, disappear kind of thing. You know, so I think just for this, you know, comfortability of my family and everyone around me, I think it's not something that I really want to, you know, go and touch on in depth at the moment. And because I am in a great life and I know I love that people can focus on all the positives for me. I don't need the sob story. I don't believe in sob stories, sorry, but I fucking hate that victim mentality. It gets you absolutely nowhere. And I don't need the sob story to help me get noticed or help me for people to appreciate me and respect me. And if I need a sob story of people to respect me, then fuck it. I don't know, like, respect me for the hard work that I've done and all the positives that I've done. Because ever since I turned my life around, it hasn't not stopped of achieving, achieving, achieving, achieving, achieving. But it's not a sob story because the majority of people are less than all being in the same position that you were in. So your sob story can be the strength for some of the else. Yeah. I feel ashamed about talking about yes, the past can fucking, it can make you sad in a bit down, but people can realise, OK, she can now cut about in her brand pants in one world title. Yeah. And look, well, like, so from having a life of misery, losing friends to suicide to then being a fucking champion of the world to then traveling the world to then growing up following and then being happier that people then want to know the tools and techniques that you use to get out that that place. So even though you don't want to speak about it, your story then helps other people get out of their misery. Yeah. Yeah. And I totally agree on that. And and and I feel that. But I'm like, I don't want every time I ever, for example, this is the first time. This is probably the deepest I've actually talked about it. It's fucking pretty good, Jake. Thank you for opening up straight away. It's timing. It's time. Everything happens for a reason at the right time. But I do I don't want to go into it mainly because I was traumatic. But I just don't want it to be brought up constantly. I just see like, especially in my boxing at the moment where I am, it's just a negative for me. And I don't want to every time I go in a ring, they tell us that tell the I'm going to stop every time jumping. Oh, you know, Ebony used to do this and she didn't happen to her and this I just don't don't really I rather just roll with, you know, all the good stuff and not have to be bringing that up all the time. And, you know, a little bit here than interviews every time is going to ask me about it. Like, you know, you see people and I'm like, that's all they talk about because people love it and I get they love it. But I don't fucking love it. I don't need that. I've got everything else. I've got fucking two degrees of Master's degree in mathematics like I inspire children like I'm happy to do that. But what you're saying is I love when I finish boxing and I don't have boxing anymore. That's something I want to do. I would love to do motivation seminars due to as tell my story, write a book so you can really fucking see what I've been through. So, you know, and that's when I want to help people right now. I want to inspire people, but my goal is boxing and my goal is to be the best that I can be and be a positive mindset right now. As much as I want to inspire people, I don't want to have to bring up bring up my past and talking depth about it to inspire people. I think I'm doing a pretty good job as it is. But when it's all over and I'm happy to got enough and else to talk about, then yeah, let's talk about it and let's talk about the fucking shit. And I may feel the beans in the boxing industry. No, but you know, it's a fucking it's a it's a it's a rough sport. That's for sure. No. But honestly, um, yeah, there's a time and a place for everything. And I think the time and a place is not now for to bring in to really dig deep into it. But yeah, it was always time for a part of it. So exactly. Yeah. So after you started coming out at that period, yeah, they what started happening? How did you make those changes to then go? OK, I'm a bit fucked up. I need to make changes. Yeah, so I pretty much. Yeah, I think I was 19 and I started, I said, OK, well, what do I want to do? I always wanted to be a teacher, right? So why? Because of because of kind of what I went through, I always wanted that that change that I made. I wanted to be able to go into the schools and I wanted to necessarily tell my story, but be that person that I didn't have, you know, to believe into to show that if you just believe in yourself, you can do anything, you know what I mean? And and I thought, well, I didn't get like a certificate where I could go to university because I didn't. I was doing all this other stuff. So I had to do some studies to get into university to do all that. So I did some exercise. Yeah, like P.T. and college to do some personal training anyway, I got in a gym and then I wanted to challenge myself. I needed to go. I got a very addictive personality if it's channeled in the right spot, you know, here we are, you know, and I so I was like, you know, I want to challenge myself and I was looking at like I saw this girl and she was a bodybuilder and I was like, well, man, that physique is insane. Like imagine what it would take to look like that, you know, and there were a lot of people around going, oh, she looks like a man and all this kind of stuff. And I'm just looking at a body going, wow, that is fucking hard work. And I went up to her and I had a chat to her and I said, you know, what do you do? But I'm lying. She's like, I'll do bodybuilding and I'm like, wow, you know, like I want to do this. So I would say that bodybuilding, you know how people say with boxing, oh, you know, save my life, my bodybuilding, save my life, you know, got me off the street. I feel like that was for me for bodybuilding. I was completely sober for 10 years or through my 20s. I didn't touch a drink, you know, I didn't, nothing, you know. And now I don't even really drink. I might have like a couple of drinks a year, but I just don't touch anything. And bodybuilding, just that mindset, man, of it's so hardcore. It is so hardcore. Like, you know, everyone's like tries to compare boxing and bodybuilding and it's a different kind of hardcore, you know, discipline that you need to look like that, you know, day in, day out, 365 days a year. There's literally no day off because when you're not in when you're not in pre-comp trying to get shredded, you're in offseason trying to get big. If you, you know, had that mentality where every rep counts, every session counts, you know, there's no, no, you know, there's no no excuses, you know, if fatigue's not an option, like all these kind of things that I just embedded in me, you know what I mean? And I just pretty much lived in that goal and and and, you know, obviously I got on stage my first, my first competition I won and I just kept winning. And so because I put everything into it and and I actually ended up not even like like bodybuilding. I didn't really like lifting weights and I obviously didn't like the diet. It was pretty shit, but I just, I just liked winning and I just like being the best and I just wanted to push myself, just constantly pushing myself to be better every day and and that mentality that I had through bodybuilding I think is has taken me has really built that kind of no excuses, you know, no quick kind of mentality that I have, you know, to continue on to now my boxing and absolutely everything else I do. You know, everything I start now I just can't can't stop everything. Even I fucking hate it. Even my degree did my mathematics, you know, degree, my master's degree to do math when I went to uni. I hated it because I was so stressed every day anxiety, you know, like wanting to cry every day. Like, why am I doing this? My mum would say, why don't I just quit ebony? Like, look at you. Like, you're so anxious because I was juggling three jobs and training plus university, like and traveling five hours a day to get everywhere. Do you know what I mean? So it was like, I would sleep like three hours a day, you know, if that, but I'm still trying to get like good marks and trying to pass my thing. And my mum would just be like, you know, it's look at you like it's not healthy. And I'm just like, man, I'll go. If you quit when you get when it gets hard, you're never going to get anywhere. Never. I'm the first person in my family to even finish school, let alone go to university, let alone do a master's degree. And I said to my mum and it's nothing against her, but I said to my mum, OK, there's a reason I'm the one that does that does everything and I'm able to achieve because I don't quit because you can't have that mentality that oh, it's so hard. Look, you're suffering like just quit it, but it's not worth it because it is fucking worth it because every time I push through those hard barriers and every time I push for all that shit that other people want to do the success and the feeling of of achievement is so much more than fucking feeling like shit. Do you know what I mean? You just can't. There's no you can't get away from that, you know? And like there's there's no price on that. So and you wouldn't know, I suppose, unless you are the kind of person that does push through all those barriers, you know what they say? There is the it's the climb to the top of the mountain that makes a view so exhilarating, you know, like you can go get a helicopter at the top of a mountain and it looks great. But imagine fucking climbing up there and getting up there. You know what I mean? How is it that no quit mentality? Does that come in from the pain of the past? Or else do you think if you never had that trauma that you wouldn't have got to where you are? No, I definitely think of you always had that drive to know. I would say it definitely became because I had this thought where when I was younger, like when I went through all that, when I when I obviously made that turn in my life, I was like, I just fucking wasted five years of my life. Do you know what I mean? Like everything's a lesson. I quit it. Yeah, of course. Yeah. But this is what I thought, you know, I'm like, I literally quit on myself like that. Like I'm just like gave up on myself for that many times that long. And so then, you know, when I put myself on that seat, like I've got to stay disciplined and I've got to believe in myself and I don't want to ever give up on myself and nothing's too hard now. What I've been through, what I've been through, everything's easy now to a degree. So I thought then I did bodybuilding and that was it. No, that was that was that was hard, you know, but yeah, look, it's I think like everything, it builds my mentality. You know what I mean? I've also been brought up with my parents of having my dad's creative as an artist and being you being real I've always been being brought up to be an individual, my parents, whatever you want to do, whatever you want to do, you do it, whatever makes you happy. Don't listen to anyone, you be yourself and and you stay true to yourself always, you know. So I'm lucky that I've been instilled in that since I was younger. So yeah, I mean, whenever I wanted to give up, I just pretty much said, no, like you're not done yet. Like you're not done. And the more you succeed, the more you push through all those barriers and you get to the end and you take those goals off, the next one gets easier, so to speak, because you're like, you know what happens? You know what it's like? You know, human nature always wants to quit. You know what I mean? It's our body. Our body wants to do our mind wants to do it when anything gets hard, you know. But you just got to persevere and I continue to persevere and I think it's a you want to believe in manifestation or positive mindset. But I will literally say everything that I say I'm going to do, I fucking do it. I do it because I just do because I look in my past and I think everything I've said I'm going to do, I do it and I achieve it. Whether or not that's just because I'm putting that into the universe and I'm putting that in the positive mindset saying, well, I said I'm going to do it and everything I do, I do so it continues to happen or I just make it happen. I just find a way, you know. I might set a goal and I expect to happen in two years. You know, that doesn't work. It might take five years, but I just know what's going to happen because I've said I'm going to do it and I won't if I don't think I'm going to do it. I'm not a hundred percent in my heart wanting to do it. And I believe I won't actually project it, you know. So yeah. How was that feeling when you got your degree? I'm not going to no word of a lie. It is probably the best achievement that I've ever experienced in my life. So still to this day. And I know people go to uni all the time and, you know, it's a degree. But I did it as a later age. I started I started university at 25. Took me seven years. I was seven years in university and it was hard. I was working three jobs. I was working in a bar or I was doing bodybuilding perhaps doing nutrition for people. I was tutoring student like tutoring kids and I was training bodybuilding and then transitioned into the boxing. So I was always training like twice a day. Sometimes three times a day plus doing all of this. So it was really hard for me. I'd be going to school with like kids and all that this at home. Like I've been off mom and dad. You know what I mean? Probably not working or just working in a part time job. But I had to put food on a table. I had to support my training and I had to support my, you know, my travel and all this kind of stuff. So I had no choice but to work and graft. And then when I did my master's degree, which is the masters in teaching but mathematics, but it was a lot of reading and writing. I chose maths because I didn't read and write. I never read a book in my life. Fucking hated it. Always have. I've never been into reading and writing. And then when I went to do my master's, which you had to do to do teaching. All of a sudden I'm having to read 200 pages a day and write essays and I've never written an essay in my life. You know, so I actually, this is a pretty good story. It's a story I told my students all the time is my first semester of my master's degree I failed. I failed two units and I was told that I need to do extra work. I need to do extra classes on how to write because when I read and when I write, it was all over the place. Didn't make any sense. They're like your writing is horrible. Like what do you, you know, like it's all over the place. Like it's, it was really, really bad because I never written, you know, maths we don't really write. So I was just winging it. I was literally just winging it and I couldn't read it. Like, you know, I'm really struggle. I struggle with attention with reading. And I was like, I can't believe I failed. Like, you know, because obviously I don't like failing, but I was like, man, like what am I going to do? I don't have time to go and do extra, extra classes to learn how to write. I don't even have time to do my fucking master's degree because I'm too busy trying to be a boxer and trying to put food on the table. Do you know what I mean? Anyways, but I don't like to, I don't like fail and that, you know, that hurt. And I'm like, you know, I can't have this, you know, like I'm not letting this get me. So I was very blessed that I have my partner who's very smart as well. And I said to him, you know, like, can you help me? And which I never asked him for help before, but I know he's smart. And I said, like, maybe you can read through my essays for me and see what I'm doing. And when he first started doing that, he pre-freed it and we would sit there for about two and a half hours. And he's like, what are you saying? And like, why are you repeating yourself? Like, you've already said this. And like, I didn't know what I was, I didn't know, you know, I'm like, and then, and then, and then he's like, you need to stop. Like, this is so bad. And I speak three languages. So sometimes I write things. And for me, it makes sense because like, maybe I've, you know, the transition also in another language, like it kind of makes sense. Like, and I never really learned English in school. Like I didn't care for it at all, you know? So yeah, anyways, long story short, because if we'd go on, we got better and better. And every assignment he would read and try and help me through it. And I started getting distinctions, I don't know if you call them, and high distinctions. And then, you know, my next units, you know, distinctions, high distinctions. And I wasn't sleeping because I'm putting so much effort into it. By the end, he was literally just skin reading because it was so good. Because I learned, I learned on the job from sitting with him and him teaching me in my own time. But whilst doing my assignment, does that make sense? So it wasn't like I was having to actually go get lessons, but I was doing it this way. And then, yeah, by the time I graduated my master's degree, I actually got a Dean's Emeritus Award, which means I graduated in the top 5% of my cohort. So I actually graduated with distinctions after failing my first two units. So for me, that is a huge achievement because, again, I fucking hate reading and I'll never read a book in my life. But I had to force myself to read and the way that I had to actually break down all my research with all the highlighting and all the notes, like it took forever for me because I had to try and understand it. I'm not one of those people that can just like skin reading and go, yeah, let's make up some bullshit because I literally have to understand it because I can't talk shit, you know? But because of that, because of the rigorous studying that I did, my assignments were so in-depth and so good that I was getting distinctions and high distinctions and then I graduated at the top of my cohort. So for me, that was an amazing achievement for me and just pushing through all that plus becoming a high rated amateur boxer plus then a professional boxer plus everything else that I did. For me, that was a very proud moment for me. Yeah, congratulations. How much does it stand off the drink? No, I make you achieve these goals because it pushes you towards your dreams, I believe. Drinking alcohol takes you two steps back. Everything in moderation, I believe, but when you start stopping over the negatives, you then opens the door for all the positives. How much was that a big factor in your life for 10 years? Yeah, I mean, look, drinking wasn't really the issue for me, but trust me, it was a lot worse than drinking, probably the worst you can think of. But yeah, I mean, drinking or drugs just in general, you know, they are just setbacks, you know? All they do is hold you back and it's just really, you know, the day after anything or the week after, like, you're not motivated. You know what I mean? Like, it's just an escape, like anything, like, you know, and when you start on that, but become, obviously it becomes a habit. But I think just in general, like, I'm the kind of person that I couldn't do anything like that because I need to be 100%, I'm all or nothing, I'm literally all or nothing. Do you know what I mean? I can't just go out and have a drink. I don't even like alcohol, it tastes like shit to me. Like, I don't like actually having a drink. So I'm kind of okay with staying off the drink and I can't just go, okay, yeah, let's just have a beer or cider or wine with my dinner. I just don't enjoy it. Do you know what I mean? But drinking and drugs and like things for me, say, for when I was younger, you know, you start when you're 12, 13, smoking weed and then it just goes into this and then it goes into that and then like before you know it, you're in a fucking dark, dark hole doing shit that's fucked up. Do you know what I mean? And I believe in that. And I'm such an, I'm not anti, like I am obviously anti-drug because of my path but it's true, like you don't know, it can just take one thing in your life that will just send you down that fucking, that hole, you know? And then people will all like, you know, it's just a bit of weed or it's just a bit of alcohol. But before you know it, something's happened and that's your escape and then you're all fucked up. You know what I mean? And it's hard for me. It wasn't that bad for me in my teens until my parents found out, all two people found out, because it was my secret, which only my close-knit people, people I was involved with knew about. And it wasn't until people find out what you're doing that you're like, fuck, okay, this is pretty bad. Because when it's your secret, like, you know, it's like, it's just your thing, you know? You're not affecting anyone really, you know? You're just doing your thing and trying to get through life. But then when you see how it affects your family and how it is when they respond to it, I think that's, for me, was like a real wake up. Do you know what I mean? The kind of, I was like, okay, yeah, like, I know it's bad, but it's not that bad because it's my secret, you know? But then when it becomes known, it's kind of, yeah, it's a lot worse. Yeah, denial's a big part of it as well. For any age, because we always think we're fine. When I was taking gear and drinking all the shit, I had it well, because I was a big handsome bastard. Nobody's seen the tell-tale signs. But when you're sitting in a house sniffing your fucking brain out for a full day straight, the questions then start to take, and then the agitation starts, and then the anger and people saying, there's something up with you. And it's, I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm fine. And then it took me many, many years to make changes. Yeah, definitely. I mean, looking at my change, the thing is I still went to school, I still did things, like I said, I was blessed I came from a good family and a good upbringing, so I had morals. Always had morals, always had respect, and all this kind of stuff. It was just, I was just in the wrong path, you know what I mean? But I still had those values from the start. I think I feel sorry for some people that don't have that, or they don't have the family support, or their family's in denial, the family doesn't help. Do you know what I mean? My brother disowned me, do you know what I mean? And that was hard for me. Like, it was all really, really rough, but I feel like, you know, because I was able to still go to school and I was still able to get by with what I was doing, it was like, it's okay, but like, I'm not doing anything really bad for it. I'm, you know, like, I'm not, you know, whatever, selling myself, I'm not doing anything like that, you know what I mean? I'm just, it's just my escape, it's just what I do, you know? And yeah, so it was like, it wasn't until people find out and you see the effects around people and then you kind of get a bit of a wake up call, you know, and you're like, yeah, this is pretty fucked. Like, and you need help, you know? People can still function on it. Oh, definitely. Because I know plenty of people still take what they take and still go to the gym, go to the water, and they think they're fine, but you gradually see their face changing, you gradually see them changing their energy, their presence, their aura, everything changes. And the scary thing is people do it to touch family members, friends, and that's a hard thing because you think we'll fuck them then and then you start getting more ego and pride when you think, well, they don't love me, but they only pull away because they actually do love you. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know yourself, if you want to make changes, you need to dig deep yourself with them. Yeah, for sure. No cunts coming to save you, chat with your dorms says, let's go and change your shit. Yeah, yeah, I mean, it was kind of like, like, with my parents, the first thing, well, actually, because my parents kind of kept, I had to go and sort myself out and obviously then my brothers and I were family found out, but before that, my brother was my twin brother, I was like, you got my twin sister back, because they didn't realize, it was because I'd been off stuff, you know what I mean? And they're like, I'll come in and beat back how I was a little bit, but I've found it all through my teens, whenever I tried to quit, because I knew I had to stop things and I'd just try many times and my mum would be like, you're on drugs. Like actually, today I'm fucking not, you know what I mean? But it's just because I'm different, because they're so used to me being on everything every day or whatever, that was normal Ebony now. She's just dark and that's her, but when I'm not on it, it was obviously different. So then they sing that as me being on drugs and I'm gonna tell you down to the doctors and get drugged down, like, all right, let's go. You know what I mean? But yeah, it's tough, you know? But it teaches you a lot and one day I'll go a lot more in-depth about it and really by just hopefully touching on it a little bit, it can show that you can change your life around. And to be honest, I just push that message so much and it's never too late to change. I started boxing when I was 30, I'm 35 and it's my second world title fight in a month. Do you know what I mean? And you know, it's really, it isn't even with the kids in school, I see the kids in school and I can see, I can resonate and I can, I see the signs of some of the kids and I run, well obviously this year I've been overseas so I'm not working, but in every school that I've taught out in the last five, six years, I've ran boxing programs for disengaged girls, for anger issue girls, for their anxiety girls, so they come and they'll train with me once a week and it's all about that positive mindset, positive relationships, self-belief and just not being their teacher but being almost like a life coach to these girls because I see the signs in them and I see letting them know and not talking too much about in-depth but just letting them believe in themselves and being in a good environment and positive environment and teaching them how to use their mind and that mentality. And I do the same thing when I'm in a classroom, it's all about, for me it's all mentality. Forget learning and the stuff you've got to learn in school because you can't learn that if you're not receptive and if you don't understand and you don't have the mentality and the mindset to want to learn, to want to improve, to want to be better, you're not going to give a fuck, you're not going to care, so my classroom starts with them when I get my new classes and all the kids know that it had been with me for a bit of a having new class. You know, it starts from square one. This is my classroom, this is what you've got to do. I've got classroom rules. One of my classroom rules, my fourth classroom rule is banned words. You cannot let us say, I'm done, I can't, it's too hard. They're banned in my classroom. If you say that, you've got to come back at lunchtime and write lines of affirmation, I can, I'm capable, I'm smart. They fucking hate it. They think it's fucking lame. They literally hate it. And they're like, look, this is gay. You know what I mean? That's what they say to me and I'm just like, no, it's not lame. You know, it's, it's, you need to stop talking down on yourself. When I first became a teacher, I was taught in a very low class, a very school that was as part of a disadvantaged schools program, Aboriginal school program. It was very known for like government housing, very rough. And all the kids were doomed from the time they popped out of their mum, their junky mums. You know what I mean? Like, and the teachers in that school thought that as well. I remember going and all the other kids, that's not like capable. They don't want to learn. I'm like, that's because you don't want to fucking teach them because you don't want to teach them because you don't think that they're capable. Start letting them believe that they're capable. And I let all my students know that they're capable. No matter what level they are, they're fucking capable. Then they might not be at advanced yet, but they're still capable to be better. They just got to try. And so I pushed that into their minds and that positive mindset, those banned words, it's training them to teach, to talk well about themselves and to stop the negative self-talk. I nearly cried one of the first few times when I started at the school. I was like, I can't believe these kids, all they do is talk so bad about themselves. I'm going to get emotional talking about it because all they do is talk so bad about themselves. And I hate it. Does that mean you use yourself as I could? Of course. You know, and I hate seeing people do that. And I hate kids that don't believe in themselves because that's where it starts. Yeah, you're fine. Look how far you've come. And the amazing thing about life, I am as important, but belief is a key ingredient for any recipe to make changes in your life. Having that self-belief is so important that you can achieve anything. Your prime example, coming from a bit of hell, to then making something for your life. But this is only the beginning of your journey as well. You've got so many chapters of your life which is important. And planting these seeds in these kids is very important as well because some teachers are miserable bastards. How many successful people do you hear? Their teachers saying you're never going to amount to nothing. Yeah, 100%. And Les Brown always says that people's opinion of you doesn't have to be a reality. Meaning that people talk, you can't be a boxer. Why do you want to be a football player? Why do you want to be this? Why do you want to be that? But it's all down to self-belief. You've got to dig deep. And I am is very important because no matter what you say, whether it's a joke or it's true, the universe doesn't know. The bit of it doesn't know what's real or what's fake. So if you're putting that out there, you're going to automatically believe it. And affirmations are important for repeating. I do affirmations every minute to tell myself I love myself. I am happy. I am the best in the world. I repeat that shit consistently. And over the last three years, all this stuff has manifested into my existence. So the shit does work. Obviously with hard work ethic as well. But so when you're doing the teaching stuff, then something that you're clearly passionate about, why the fuck do you then go jump from something that's safe to then put in your life in danger? Because I just like to be a walking contradiction. No, you look honestly, I do it just because I love it. You know, honestly, I love fighting. I started, like I said from the start, I started karate when I was younger. I got my black belt in karate. So I was dedicated to that. I've always been into martial arts. After my bodybuilding and I was done with that and achieved everything in that, I was like, oh, what do I want to do? Like, you know what? Like I like fashion people up to be honest. I've got some obviously clear, like still got some anger issues inside of me. And I do like hitting people and I do like fighting. And I've always loved it. And I thought, well, you know, I might as well do what I love and get paid for it. And yeah, that was it. That was just something that I thought I loved. I'm a big boxing fan. And I just thought, well, let's go down, let's challenge myself here. And when I started boxing, like I said, I had my first amateur fight two weeks before my 30th birthday. And when I went to start boxing, I didn't say I just want to box. I said, I want to fight. And I remember going into the gym and I smoked. I was like a fucking, I smoked a pack of cigarettes a day. That was like my fucking, what do you call it? My vice. Yeah, my little vice. My little vice was my cigarettes. Anyways, but I started boxing and I was like, I have to get rid of this shit because it's hard enough as it is. Anyways, and a little bit into the boxing and I was like, why Ebony? Did you say you wanted to fight? This is fucked. This is so hard. I haven't even ran for 10 years. Bodybuilders don't run. I don't run across the road. I might lose my muscle. You know what I mean? So like now I'm having to do all this exercise and I have to do all this cardio or this agility or this shit that, you know, like my body is like, what are you doing Ebony? And I remember sitting there and I got so many injuries because the transition obviously from bodybuilding to boxing is so different. So I got a lot of injuries and a few times I was like, clearly someone upstairs does not want me to box like because I'll get an injury and then I'll work around it and then I'll get another injury. I'm like, man, I'm never going to get in this ring. Like I'm never going to fight because I just keep getting setbacks and setbacks and setbacks. I'm like, no Ebony, you said you wanted to fight. Don't be a fucking pussy. You said you wanted to be fight. So you cannot actually stop your mission until you get in there and have that fight. And when you have that fight, once you've had a fight, if you don't want to do it no more, that's all right, but you've done the fight because that's what you said you're going to do. My first fight, amateur fight, I broke the girls nose second round and it only lasted like a two and a half minutes and I was like, that's it. I was like, fucking need to do that again. Like, you know what I mean? Like I went through all this shit and now that was it. So then that became my addiction obviously and then, you know, really the rest is history but I just put everything in my boxing. I loved it. I loved everything about it, the training obviously and pushing myself and just, you know, when I go into the gym, I can just zone out of everything in my life and just, you know, just work on my boxing and, you know, go into that. So yeah, I mean, unreal. And here I am, you know, it's great. And you know what, actually, I was actually a card girl all through my 20s. I ring up because I loved boxing and a lot of people might not know this but in Australia it was actually, combat sports was illegal until 2008. It's for women, for women. So we couldn't actually fight. So I did all this martial arts and I did all this kickboxing and stuff in my teens but we couldn't fight. And I loved boxing and I loved the fight so much, Muay Thai, kickboxing, all of it. So I was like, well, I want to be at the fights and I want to get in the ring. So I'll just do ring card, you know, and I was obviously fit. So yeah, I did that. And then I transitioned from ring girl to then fighting and yeah, it was good. Everyone was like, obviously like, what the hell? Like, are you holding the cards? Like, yeah. Now I'm going to bash you guys up, you know? But no, it's been such a whirlwind of a story and a life and everything that I've done, everything that I've done has led me to this point now. You know what I mean? Like my martial art background, discipline when I was doing karate, like the stuff that we used to do then is probably really fucking illegal now if they did that to kids. Now when I was, you know, we're talking like 30 years ago. Like I think it was like Cobra Kai shit. Like, you know what I mean? But you know, so I kind of built that discipline there and then obviously going off track but it all kind of led to this point, you know? Me doing my bodybuilding, sometimes I think I wish I started boxing earlier because I'm a bit older now, you know? And it is, I don't have much time. But then I think if I'd started boxing earlier, I wouldn't have had, you know, the power and the strength that I have from the bodybuilding. I might not have had that mindset, that bodybuilding really instilled into me, you know, like that hardcore, like shit that I take into boxing, you know? So yeah, I'm like I said, a big believer in everything happens for a reason at the right time. What was it like turning pro? It was obviously I look, I've always been a fan of boxing, pro boxing. I never wanted to be an amateur. I've never even watched an amateur fight until I had a fight, you know what I mean? But I knew that for me to, you know, box or pro box that I would have to obviously get experience up, you know? And I, my first fight, my first professional fight was on pay-per-view TV. Fox Sports, which is big, obviously, Chattel in Australia, it's like Sky Sports on the undercard of Tim Zoo. I was absolutely fucking shitting myself, you know? I was like, but I was excited because I'm like, this is what I'm made for, you know? This is what I'm born for. I knew I was born for the big stage. I knew I was born for this, you know? And I just wanted to go out and like just smash. In the first 10 seconds, I got clipped with a flash knockdown to snap my ankle. Yeah, that was fun. Mind you, I didn't know that I'd been like knocked down because I got straight back up and it was like a blackout. And the ref's counting me. Like, what the fuck? He stayed in the video. I'm like, I didn't even get here. Like, I'm thinking, why is he counting me? Cause I literally just blacked out, like, and I got up and then I went to walk and my ankle was fucked. And I was like, oh, did I just roll my ankle and he's counting me? And all these things going through my head, like, they can't give you a standing eight count. Like, this is not the amateurs. Like, anyways, and I just thought, I clicked out and I'm like, oh, she's fucking dead now because now I'm down a point because I just got some eight count for nothing. This is all in my head, right? So I just smashed the shit out of her. I ended up, because it was in the first 10 seconds, I actually ended up winning that round back and then I run the next three rounds and got the win. But then, because I did snap my ankle, I had to go to hospital the next day and had surgery, two surgeries. I was on crutches. I didn't walk for nearly three months. Had to learn to walk again. And I fucking headbutting the mic there. Yeah, had to learn to walk again. And that was a real fucking other step back, you know, where I was just like, that actually taught me so much, you know, because I was on top of the world. I'm like, I finally made my pro debut because my first pro debut fell through. So I finally made my pro debut. After the fight, I had the promoters messaging me, oh, we've got four fights this year. Like, we want to get you on, you know, it was an exciting fight, you know. But I'm like, mate, I don't know how long I'm going to be out for. Like, I might have to have surgery. Like, you know, they're saying like, you know, six months, like, you know, like it was, and they're like, oh, so that was like, all my dreams are starting to come true. And it was just like, I'm just going to fucking take them away from you, you know, and it was really hard for me. The first 10 days, I was, you know, drugged up and painkillers. And then when the painkillers wore off, I was like, fuck, I need to go to doctor and get more drugs, you know. And I started to get, because I was obviously depressed and I'm like, I don't want to think about, you know, I was kind of going into that bad mindset again where I'm like, I just want to escape. I just want to escape my thoughts. I want to escape the fact that now, you know, my life's over and everything, because, you know, it's all over. That's what my, I wasn't dramatic. I was like, oh, it's all over. Everything I've worked for and sacrificed and all these, it's all over now. Like, you know, and I said, no, Ebony. Like, and I fucking like, not hit myself in the head, but like, I, you know, snapped out of it. I go, what the fuck? Don't be a fucking victim. Don't be, feel sorry for yourself. You just snapped your ankle. Like you got it. You still got two arms. You still got another leg. I'm like, you know, like, you're not dead. You're not in like a wheelchair. Like, you know, you're still okay, Ab. Like, you know, even though I had to sit down in the shower on a chair, actually that got quite comfortable sitting on the shower. It was quite relaxing, but I couldn't stand in the shower because of my ankle, right? Well, I can't obviously run and I can't box, but I have an upper body and I can lift weights. And I hadn't lifted weights for years because I completely left the weights after body burning. I was like, I'm done with that shit. But I'm like, well, you know, I need to do something. I can't just sit around and feel sorry for myself. And so I was very blessed that I had a friend that would pick me up and take me to the gym every day. And cause he worked at the gym. And so I got the gym and just start pumping weights again, you know, and just for those endorphins and just a positive and then, you know, I'd be in the crutches at the gym and walking around and all the people, the PTs at the gym, helping me with all the equipment because I couldn't put my foot down, I couldn't walk. But I could get the chair and I could sit down and do the lifts and all that kind of stuff. And so I just did that and I practiced a lot of more affirmations and meditation and I'd never done meditation much before, but I was like, well, I need to do something to keep me sane. I've just gone from working three jobs, training twice a day and studying to now not even being able to leave my fucking house because I can't drive because I got a snapped ankle. And I go crazy, you know what I mean? So I had to think of other things to do. So I started with that positive mindset with more affirmations, with meditation, with focusing on what I just, it's that what I learned about that is focusing on what you can do, you know? And I preach that, you know, when something bad happens there's always something you can do, you know? And so that's what I did. And I started drawing again. I hadn't drawn for a long time. I don't usually see my drawings, but you know, and that was great for me. I now continue to draw. I didn't realize, for me, because I stopped drawing when I was in my teens because of obviously what I was going through. And but I was always a drawer. And now I do it to escape, not to escape, but drawings like my escape, because drawing are mathematics, either of them to switch my mind off from everything. So if I'm feeling really anxious or I'm feeling like really stressed, I'll start drawing. So I did all this kind of stuff. And then I had a coach at the time as well. And I had my pro debut with, and that was just a fucked up, you know, environment. He was quite narcissistic. And having that snapped ankle gave me a way to get away from that, which I was kind of on myself. I didn't have a coach for a little bit and I was a bit lost. But then I got my other coach. And anyways, we could be here forever. It's a fucking long story. But yeah, and then I got my good coach. And here I am, you know, it's just crazy. Like when I look back at really, and this is why I preach it, everything that happens for a reason. I've snapped ankle. I felt like my life, I thought that was it. My dreams are over. But the amount of good that came out of that, the shit that I learned about myself, the mindset that I learned from that, you know, like the truth about those affirmations and just being positive and working around things and focusing on the positives and what you can do, being grateful, waking up with gratitude, you know, waking up and being, I'm so grateful that I've got two arms and I can still go to the gym and train something. I'm so grateful that I have food on the table. I'm so grateful that, you know, I'm able to do this and gratitude is fucking huge. You know, whenever you, whenever you, I feel like it, when everyone asks me for advice if they're down or whatever I go, you know what, focus on gratitude and be thankful for the things you do have. I'm not saying that you should look at other people and go, well, they're worse off. So I should feel happy, you know, where they say, oh, there's people worse off for you. Because it's not like everyone has their own story and their own things and you shouldn't be comparing to other people. But there's always something you can be thankful for, just the fact that you're breathing, you know what I mean? Or there's something you can find for a beautiful fucking day in this ugly London weather. Thankful for a nice sunny day today. Do you know what I mean? And it's those, it's, it's positiveness. It's that positive mindset that gets you through, you know, and pulls you out. So yeah, I mean, that's, yeah, I'm preaching and preaching now, but yeah. How was it going through, seeing you were on the prescription drugs as well, seeing you were slipping, were you scared that you went full fucking bloodied again? Yes and no. I mean, do you know what it was when I went to the doctors to get the new more prescription? So I went to the doctor and I said, can I get some more medication? He's like, no, you shouldn't need it anymore. It's like, you should be fine. You don't, you don't need it anymore. And when he said that, I'm like, you know what, you're right, I don't need it. I actually don't need it. I'm not really in pain. I just wanted to sleep my days. I just wanted to sleep my days. I just wanted to sleep through my days. So I didn't have to deal with the fact that I felt like my dream was over. Do you know what I mean? So that was a bit of a wake up to, you know, I don't wake up, but I was like, you know what? You're fucking right. I don't need them. So then I went home and that's when I changed my mind. I'm pretty strong with it. I feel like, I don't know. I don't, I mean, sometimes I, I'll be lying. If I say sometimes I just don't think, fuck it, I wouldn't mind just going and doing that. Like, I think about what I've to do. Yeah. Like I think, you know, I wouldn't say this every day, but sometimes when I get really, really, really stressed every day. I've got constant good and evil here. Is it? Yeah. Constant fuck the podcast, wrap the ceiling down, drink drugs. Women fucking get all fucking mental. And then other times, think how far you've come. Like it's a constant good and evil every time. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, yeah, like I say, I didn't relapse after 10, after 10 years. Like I said, I was 10 years sober and I didn't relapse, but it was just a once off. And then I was just like, How was that feeling for you? It was like, I started, I couldn't stop. And then I was like, fucking hell, like, you're fucking the fuck. You know what I mean? And then I just knew the next day, I was like, I can't do that again because it actually didn't get me anything. It was like, why did you do that? You know, so, yeah. But so now I should be honest, I look at that day now whenever I think about things and I think, do you remember how you felt? It didn't feel good. Like it literally solved absolutely fucking nothing. You know, so don't even bother. Like that's where my mindset is with all that. But yeah, I mean, yeah. But when I, when I, I don't know. Yeah. When I think about it, like I still think like obviously, if anyone was to ask me, I'm like, it's fucking great. They're like, you know, but yeah, anyway. Yeah, 10 years a lot. I'd done two years off everything. Had a drink and went off the rails for a full year. Oh really? Full fucking year. But then I realized how good I felt within the two years when I was off it. I was a better man. I was a better father. I was a better friend that I got more done. And then that's me over three years now. No drink, no drugs. Yeah, amazing. Yeah, well done. What I'm achieving is second to none. But it's still scary because with come success becomes more pressure, becomes more envenous, becomes a lot of negatives with positives as well. So it's trying to overcome that every day. Yeah, definitely. I mean, even me, like obviously with the success I get, I have a lot of love and have a lot of fans. But it doesn't really affect me too much, but I do get negatives sometimes. But I just always remind myself that, you know, these people, one, they don't know you, you know, and they just, people project their own shit onto you. You know, the way people treat you and the stuff that people say, it's always really about them and you can't let what other people think affect you because you've got to be confident, secure in yourself. You know what I mean? I was brought up, sticks and stones will break your bones, but words will never hurt you. You know, I fucking lived by that. You know, like, you can say anything about me. I'm like, you don't fucking know me. I love who I am. You don't know what I've been through. You know, go fucking work on yourself and stop focusing on others, you know. And the pressure gets hard for me. And I just do know with more popularity and more fame, it only gets worse. More people trying to drag you down. And the hardest thing is when it's people close to you. I've had that where I think, wow, I can't believe you fucking betrayed me like that or I can't believe it's you. Like, all the shit that I've done, you know, and it's, you know, when you think that people close to you, that's the fucking worst. But again, you've got to think it's their fucking problem. Not my problem. And it's fucking sad. You've got to feel sorry for these people. You know what I mean? But yeah, I don't know. Like, I think I'm okay. I don't think I, I don't know. I suppose I've got goals. Who knows what we'll be like when I don't have goals and I feel lost. But I would hope to hope that I'm, you know, strong enough and I'll always have something that I'm working on. And I have so many big goals and visions for myself. Like I said to you earlier after my boxing, I want to do chores. I want to do motivation seminars. I want to spread my mindset that I've learned through the fucking hell that I've been through over and over again through every part of my life. There's always been something, you know what I mean? There's always been hard times. Even in boxing, mate, like it's fucking people. We just say this, that's all the blonde bomber. She gets everything. She's pretty, you know, she gets everything because she looks the way she looks and what I'm like, mate, you have fucking no idea to be where I am. I'm dealing with a lot more fucking shit than the guys that are fucking, you know what I mean? Not on a big stage. Like the shit that you go through, like to be the work and graph that I do everything myself. I set up all, I do all the PR myself. I do most of the managing myself, you know what I mean? I do all my social media. I do everything myself. I would love to have someone to do it for me, but I just don't trust anyone. You know what I mean? What do you mean people that I just don't have that trust and hopefully wonder, I can find someone that I believe that can really help me, you know what I mean? But until then, unfortunately, I take it all on myself. So not only am I my professional box, but I'm also doing everything else, you know? Yeah, because that adds a lot of pressure on you. Because social media is just as poisonous as any drug. Yeah, definitely. So you need to be careful, but to promote your brand, you still need to do it. You have to do it. So I'm the same, I do everything myself. Yeah, it's part of it. I've got my editor and stuff, Steven, but I just work better when I'm under pressure. I work better when I'm alone because I know I can't let anybody else down but myself. Yeah, exactly. If you want something done, you've got to do it yourself. Fucking asswear. It really is like that, because I've even asked people, and I try and get people to do things, and I'm like, they're not doing it, or I'm waiting too long, and I'm a bit impatient. I understand things take time, but I'm also the only person that's, there's no one else out there that's going to want what I want as much as me. No one's invested in your dreams and in your goals as you. They can say they are, they're part of it, but you can't accept, you can't expect someone else to be as invested in you and your dreams as you are yourself. You know what I mean? And so that's why I just have to go after it because I'm the best person to go after it, you know? So it's hard, it's hard. Made a lot of sacrifices, you know? How hard does it to be a female boxer? How is there a lot more pressure, do you think, from female combat sports? Depends who you are. For me, I think I've got a pretty good bit it's also because of the work that I've put in, you know what I mean? And the sense that I have with marketing and business and I know how it works. I'm very highly socially intelligent as well, you know what I mean? So all these kind of little things help, you know? And for me, I'm loving women's boxing at the moment, you know? I, it is thriving, but it is hard for us in the sense that, like, you know, we can talk about, you know, the equal stuff, like, you know, everyone talks about equal pay and stuff, but how can you expect to get equal pay when we're not doing the fucking revenue? I understand that. It's not even about boxing. Number one is an entertainment sport. It's not a sport like football or rugby. It's a purely an entertainment sport. So it doesn't really matter that you're putting yourself at risk because that's what you meant to do because that's what it, that's the sport, you know? That's what it is. So for us to say which we are, putting ourselves just as much risk as the boys and all these kinds of stuff when training, just as hard, doesn't matter if we're not bringing in the views and we're not got that commercial value, where are we expecting to get the money from? So I totally understand that, but I also think that there's still such a big pay gap between, say, me and my commercial value if there's another man similar commercial value, we're not getting paid the same. Yeah. We're getting paid a lot more now than we were and you've got to be fucking very thankful for that. Got to understand things take time, especially changing society's views and changing a long, you know, standing thing of, you know, women shouldn't fight, you know, and that's going to take a lot of time for the world and society to open up. I feel like maybe in 10 years, you know what I mean? But the fact is we're making progress and progress is key. If we're not making progress, then that's a problem. But as long as you're progressing might not be at the speed that we want, but you've got to know how the world works. You know, if you look back five years ago, we've made a fucking huge progression. So I think another five years, you know what I mean? I think women's boxing, I feel like depending on who you are, you know, like anything, you know, you need to sell yourself. It's a product, you know what I mean? I totally believe that. It's not too hard for me because that's what I do. But as a world champions out there, that I'm even known, you know, because they're not selling themselves and I'm pushing them either. You know, obviously we have Eddie Hearn helping now and you've got everyone else jumping on the wagon to help women's boxing. And, you know, last year they were just jumping on the wagon, you know, because that was the thing to do because, you know, we've got to do it. But now I'm seeing that actual, especially Americans are starting to believe a little bit more too, like Eddie Hearn, do you know what I mean? And these old school guys are starting to really believe in women's boxing and that's, you need, like anything, you need the passion. You need the passion and belief for something to be successful. And the more fans that we get, the more passionate fans that we get, more passionate and promoters we get and people are really believing in the sport. Trainers even, you know, it's hard being a female fighter because we don't get paid like the men. Get a world title fight and your trainer's like, is that all I get? But it's a world title fight and I've got to put in the same effort with you as I've got to do with the boys and that's all we're getting. And that doesn't motivate trainers. Like, fuck, I don't want to train women. Get paid fucking pennies, you know what I mean? But you've got to hopefully find trainers that are going to invest in you and believe in you and just believe in a process, you know what I mean? So yeah, and also, I'm going wrong with so many fucking tangents. But you know what's hard for me is because of the way I look. Oh, she must have fucked away at the top. Oh, you know, she's fucking, she's not, she's only there because she's fucking sucking dick. She's fucking, you know, it's got nothing to do with her talent. Like, you know, to tits because she gets tits out, you know, I wear lingerie, fuck me. I'm wearing underwear just like everyone else. Yeah, I got mad bolt-ons. I look good. I'm fit, but that doesn't get me shit. It's all the other stuff that I'm doing, including building my brand, including my intelligence of putting my name out there, including the fucking graph that I do in the gym day and day out. You can't outwork me. Every trainer that's trained with me, he asked them, you can talk to tibs now because he's obviously trained me at the moment, but they all say the same thing. I graphed harder than anyone, you know? And that's with me, everything in my life. And I say it to my students. Can I go on an example here? I'm like, fuck how long have we got? I got with students. So when I went back to school in November, just last year, I went back after being over here and everywhere for a year and I just went back for some casual work and the kids obviously asking me about everything. You know, like me, it's like, you know, whatever. And they just came back from lockdown. And they said to me, oh, you know, but why don't I do what I'm doing with me? It's like, I've had four months off. Like, what's the point? You know, we've only got like a month left to school. Like, there's no point. I got no point. I teach, I teach at a sports school. And I'm like, no point. I go, do you go out? And like, you get a goal scored against you in the first 10 minutes of your game and your football game. And you go, fuck it, we're losing. That's it. What's the point? I go, is that the kind of athlete you are? Because if that's the kind of, that's a shit mindset. And I go, that's exactly what you're doing now in the classroom. You know, the last four months or nothing and I've only got a month left. So what's the point of trying? You know what I mean? And like, that's like, you know, and I say, if you're all that kind of athlete, then you're never going to get anywhere. If you're going to go half time and you're lost and you're down and you're going to go, and you're that kind of player or that kind of team that comes out in the second half and just gives up because you're already down. Like, that's shit. You're not going to get nowhere with that mentality. You're not going to get it. And that same mentality you're putting here in this classroom of wanting to give up just because of all that. You're going to put it in your sport. You're going to put it in your career. You're going to put it in everywhere. So it all starts here. And I say it starts in the classroom, but it starts no matter what. You have to have that mindset in absolutely everything that you do. You know, it's not just like, you go to the gym and train hard and then just give up on the rest of your fucking, on everything else. You know what I mean? You want to put it into your relationships. You want to put it into the gym. You want to put it into your studies, into your work. You need to have that mindset and everything. And when you do that, that's when you become so successful in everything. You know, and I try and teach that obviously. And the best way is obviously to do it with sport, with the kids, you know, but it is true. No one likes, you know, no one's going to get nowhere if you just give up when it gets hard or you give up because you're down, you know. What was it like wanting to battle with Tito? I fought the world title. I didn't win it, but it was great to get the opportunity. Obviously, I got the call from Eddie Hearn after I had four weeks preparation for it. And yeah, obviously a tough fight, Shannon Courtney, my rival. So that was just for the belt then? That was just for the belt. I thought you had the belt and Shannon won it? No, no, I got the call up. I'm all, I, well, I originally had the belt in Australia. I was supposed to fight for someone else. Anyways, it's a long story, but pretty much it ended up being, ended up me and Shannon having to fight for it. So what was that? So what was this script with you and Shannon Courtney for the world title? So you never had the belt that a belt was vacant? It was vacant. Was that your first team in the UK? It was my first time in the UK, but I'd already built up a huge fan base in the UK just through COVID, because during COVID, I was just smashing out interviews. I was trying to get my name out. I was letting people see the Blonde Bomber. Everyone fell in love with the Blonde Bomber. They didn't even see me fight yet, you know what I mean? But they fell in love with the Blonde Bomber as a personality because of my interviews and they're seeing me on Twitter and they're having a conversation. I'm very accessible to my fans because I love to talk to people. I love to meet people and I just love to be accessible, you know? And there was all this question about me, oh, she's just a laundry model, she can't even fight, because they hadn't seen me. This was my haters, obviously. But then I had the fans that just, they just were supporting me as the Blonde Bomber. They were just fans of Ebony Bridges. I wasn't even about the boxing. So then when I went into that fight with Shannon Courtney, obviously I had a huge fan base here already. And that rivalry, she hated everything that I did because, I don't know, because she wanted to do it, but I was better at it, you know what I mean? But that's what I was saying. But honestly, because I was just myself, unapologetically myself, I want to wear nice underwear, I wear, I want to do makeup, I want to look pretty and I want to show that you can look like me and you can fight. And I know that I could fight. I knew I could fight. I just had to prove it to the world. And that fight obviously came out and I got a headbutt in the first, in the second round, she had butted in my accident, I had butt. So then by the seventh round, my eye was closed. So then I, you know, it was a grueling fight, toe-to-toe. One of the, it's been mentioned as one of the best female fights in history. You know, just obviously because of the whole lead up, you know, our real true rivalry, her giving me, she's telling me I don't take the sport seriously because of the way I look or because of the way I linger. Apparently that means you don't take the sport seriously, but I fucking proved her very wrong. Unfortunately, yeah, I couldn't stay out of my eye, but because of that, she got the win, but I had a lot of people, a lot of people in boxing who actually thought that I had won that fight. And they obviously all want to see the rematch because they do believe probably if I had two eyes and maybe if it wasn't like, you know, her being the home fighter, then I can win that fight. And I totally believe that as well. I believe that I won that fight. It was like a great fight, man. It was, that's probably the best female fight I've seen. Unbelievable, the toe-to-toe, non-stop, just constant punches. How many punches were thrown in that? I don't know, but it was a lot. And you know what? The thing is that I got to show the world. I did the, you know, obviously it sucked having that injury. You know, no one ever wants to be injured, you know? Cause, you know, you're a hundred percent, but I was so happy in a way. I won so much from that fight. Even though I lost the, I didn't win the belt. I won, I won. No one was even talking about Shannon Courtney. You know, everyone's talking about Blombob and Ebony Bridges, the heart that she has. Because not only do they say that I can fight like a fucking little Mexican, like, you know, but they also say that I have heart. And it's not until fighters and people go through that and get those, have to go through that adversity where you have an injury where, you know, you can't see your fucking my broken ankle or broken hand. And you fight through it. That fight fans or people in general see, wow, that's something you can't teach that heart. Cause most people would quit. There was heaps of stories that, you know, people are other fighters, men who have quit with less. You know what I mean? But I was like, no, I'm not quitting. I didn't care if I can't see, I'm finishing this fight cause I don't quit. You know? And that just showed and obviously got a more fans because it was like, wow, not only can she fight, not only does she look fucking great, but she has heart and she's a real fighter. She's a true fighter through spirit of fighting. You know what I mean? And yeah, so, you know, and then from there, obviously built the builder and now I'm just getting opportunities and keep proving myself over and over again and keep rafting and, you know, God willing, March 26th, I get the world title. You seem to be quite friendly after the fight as well. We're shining, calling, shout out to shining as well. For putting out a great fight and one in a title. Takes two to tango. But there was four. There was four of yous both cuddling and after the belt was a lot of you should respect her after the fight. Yeah, I mean, the first thing she said when she come up to me was, wow, I really underestimated you like as in like, you know, like she did. And I said, you know, you too. But there was a little bit of top. But no, there's still a fucking very strong rivalry there. She's very much everything that I'm not dislike. She goes against everything that I believe in, which is, you know, obviously being you don't, not judging people and being true to yourself and not putting others down and, you know, supporting people. So I would always have that kind of spike. She's just not my kind of person. I respect her as a boxer, you know, for that fight. And, you know, hats off to her. She did become a champion. But yeah, as a person, not so much. Seeming you're cutting about in the sex laundry and that is a method as well. Because you look at Ed the Herndon, it's funny now because when you walk out, he's staring at the seat and all that. He's fucking like, because there's been so many footages now. I'm looking at your ass. I don't even know if he's looking at your ass. You could be looking at somebody else, but it's the way the photos and stuff get kicked. But do you laugh at that? Yeah, it's clearly business as well. You're showcasing yourself and then opens up those first sponsors. It's a great tool to utilize it. If you're looking fucking great, why not? Why not expose it to the masses? Yeah, you know, it all came about just because I was a bodybuilder, right? So I was used to being on stage. You can get also used to cutting about. I'm used to being on stage and then fucking g-string, flexing, posing and I miss bodybuilding. And so I actually kind of made my way in like a little kind of mini bodybuilding, but be on stage and pose and be cute, do my hair, do my makeup and show off my hard work body. I don't fucking walk around like that. I'm like that for a week. Mate, I'm like that for a week. So you won't see me in a bikini or outside or showing my skin outside of that week or fighting up because I just don't know. I'm not really like that, you know what I mean? But on that week, I'm like, I'm fucking in this camp. Like I've worked so hard in my body. I've dieted hard and I'm gonna show my body off and I'm gonna do my little quarter turns, my little poses and be cute and shit like my front double bicep and get that little bodybuilding fix because I still love the bodybuilding stage. I loved it, you know what I mean? I just didn't like the process, but I love the stage. So yeah, it kind of worked that works for me and now it's a thing. And I feel like people ain't even fucking looking at me anymore. Everyone's too busy looking at everyone in the background. They're all waiting to see what Eddie Hearn does or they're waiting to see what all the guys in BBB of C do, the boxing board of commission would do. Like I'm like, hey guys, remember, I'm the one weighing in here, but you know, you see on all my comments, it's all like, oh, look at that, did you see that guy? And like this guy and all, they don't want to get in trouble with their wives, but it is, it's fucking great. And it's another thing for me. It's another thing to connect with my fans. You know, I always ask my fans, what color should I wear? Get them involved. You know, I like being involved with my fans. You know, you would have seen me going around, doing meet and greets in my time, you know, and do that for the fans because I wouldn't be where I am without the fans because it was the fans in 2020 supporting me and yelling my name and screaming out and tagging Eddie every day. We want to see the Blonbomber in the UK. We want to see the Blonbomber in the UK, you know, they're the ones pushing me and promoting me that helped get me over there. If I didn't have the fans, I'd just be a fucking other Aussie boxer that no one even knows about. Do you know how many Australian boxers besides George Canvos is probably now, but you wouldn't have known him before George winning that Underspeed title. You probably didn't even know who he was. Well, he's not Underspeed, but whatever. You can argue that, but you know, you probably didn't even know who he was, you know, but everyone knows who the Blonbomber is. And if you didn't know, and if I wasn't, if I didn't have the fans behind me pushing my name, I would literally just be another no-name, you know. So I give back to my fans and when I can, I want to meet them because I just, I don't know how much it means to them to see a fan, take a photo, have a little chat, ask them their name. I don't just take a photo. I want to know about them, you know, tell me a little bit about you, you know, tell me whatever, like give them that time because that's something people will cherish, you know. So, and it doesn't take much out of me. And it's my way of giving back and showing my thanks to them as fans because this sport wouldn't be anything without fans and I wouldn't be where I am without the fans. So they still promote me now anyways, pushing me, probably more than Eddie, you know what I mean? But they do, so yeah, shout out to my fans. How hard was that after the losing a world title for you at Boone's back? Not hard at all because I was very pleased with my performance. I was very happy with what I did. And obviously there was things to take home and improve, but, you know, I don't get upset about a loss. I'm not the kind of person that draws on a loss. There's always something to learn. And, you know, back in the gym straight away, for me, like I said, that fight wasn't a loss for me. I gained a huge more, even more fans. I proved a lot of doubters wrong, even though I lost, I proved whatever all the doubters, I had so many doubters doubt me to change their mind. I had people tuning into that fight because of the hype and the buildup because of who I am, because of how I pushed that fight because I wanted people to see me. I didn't want just the women's boxing fans to see me. I wanted everyone to tune in, and they did. You had the football dads tuning in. You had, like, fucking, you know, the young kids tuning in. I had Americans tuning in. I had the Mexicans tuning in. You know, we had everyone tuning in. Eddie came up to me and was like, wow, like, you know, we had people all over the world. I had like high level American boxers message me and say, I lost your fight, it was amazing. These are male boxers that wouldn't even watch fucking female boxing to save their lives. You know why they watch, but they watch because they see my tits and they see in the laundry and they say, I want to see if this girl can fight. Who gives a fuck why they tuned in, but they tuned in and it worked and now they're going to be fans of me and fans of women's boxing because they've seen that we can fight. Because you need a reason for people to tune in to it. You know, fans of, say football, for example, if they're not a fan of football, how are we going to get them to tune in? You've got to, they don't know that football. Okay, well, we've got to build something. Got a bone brand pants on it. Yeah. How was that? Do you feel an added pressure on you because you're like the girl next door as well, the pretty girl that who's doing well, that do you feel added pressure when you're doing that stuff on stage to then because I must become a lot of jealousy and hate towards that as well. With what, sorry? Like because of what you do on stage, you're looking great, you're owning it, you're confident, like, does that added pressure on you too, succeed in 2B and not just be a one-trick pony who's looking great on stage and then goes into the ring and fucking fails, like? Yes. Is that added pressure on you because I must become a lot of jealousy with that as well? Yeah, I wouldn't say pressure because I believe myself, I know I can fight. So for me to be on the scales and to look that good, every time I get in a ring because of the graph that I've done in my camp, you know, I know that's where the real work's done. So when I get in a ring, I'm always very confident, you know what I mean? And I know when I lose, it's gonna be fucking exciting because of the way I fight. I'm a got a fan-friendly fight style. So, and that's all I care, all I want to win, I want to be a world champion but what I care about is entertaining. I'm a boxing fan. I want the fans to go, Ebony Bridges is fighting, Blom-Bom is, fuck, I gotta tune in because it's gonna be exciting. You know, I want to be that kind of fighter. You know, not just because I'm boxing, Ebony's fighting, I want people to go, we know no matter what, it's gonna be exciting. So, you know, she might not win this one, like, or whatever, I don't care. Tune in because you want it to be exciting and I can bet my money on that as what's gonna happen. Not only is my fights exciting, obviously my way is exciting, my build-up is exciting, everything, and that's what I'm about. That's what I want to do, want to be excitement to win this boxing because there isn't that much of it, you know? And as for the pressure, I feel like I feel more pressure sometimes to show the other side of me as in the fucking smart, driven, intellectual, you know, math teacher kind of person, do you know what I mean? Because people just see the tits or they just see the boxing, but they don't actually see all the other stuff that I do, you know, the smart, and that's why I always dress smart. You know, I don't walk around in, you know, whatever, like, you know, what's it called, track suits. I don't walk around in track suits. I don't like, you know, I always present myself well and I always like to look smart and, you know, because I want to show that there's more to me than just this and that, you know, like always in fight week, you know, I don't walk around with like low cut tops and I don't, I very rarely wear low cut tops, you know, because there's a time for that and that's when I'm on the scales. You know what I mean? Sometimes if I go out, maybe a little bit, you know, I can't hide them all the time. They're just there. But, you know, I do try, you know, do consciously try, you know, not to be like, okay, he gives me so much it's guys again, like in your face. Like, you know what I mean? Because I am more than that. And I believe I am more than that. There was a time when I thought that's all I was, you know, when I was younger and I was like, well, you know, like, I'm, you know, I've got the boobs and like that's it. You know what I mean? But obviously I've grown and I've matured and yeah. How was it fighting in there? Josh Warrington, undercard at the Ellenwood. Oh my God. How was that? I'm good to be with Josh. I love Josh too, that's good. Yeah, you know, unreal. I don't know if you're there for my fight, but obviously the reception. So when I walked out, like, you know, they're all chanting for me, you know, it all leads on me like, and I was just like, and I only had five days notice like for that fight, as in the fans only got told five days out that I was fighting. So for them to be there that early, you know, cause I was on the beginning of the card and to be chanting and like loud for me, like unbelievable. I was just soaking up the moment. And I was like, you can see my walkout. I was just like, yeah, I'm like listening to them. I'm like, calm down, Ebony. Like, you know what I mean? But yeah, like it was unreal. And that was my first time fighting you came in front of a big fan base rather cause the other times were in lockdown, you know? So to get that little bit of a taste there was pretty epic. And then obviously being there, I've seen Josh Warrington's fights obviously on TV, but being there in that atmosphere, well, we worry, we worry, we worry, we worry, we worry. And you know. I said, I was walking. I was wearing anything. It was unbelievable. It's so good. I was unbelievable. I'm just like, that's what I want, you know? And you know, it's funny. I'm probably skittin' all over the place, but when I made the decision to want to fight in the UK, so I was at Wilder Fury. Cause I was building my brand in the US cause I already had to fight in the US and I had managers in the US and whatever. Anyways, I was at Fury vs Wilder 2 in Vegas. And there was Brits everywhere. And all I could hear was Pomi accents everywhere. We call them Brits, Pommies, whatever. It was just thrilling, let me go. And they were so loud. And I was like, fuck me, this is what I want. I've been to Vegas fights. I've been to fights in America a lot, but it wasn't like that. It wasn't like these British, you know what I mean? And I'm like, man, this is, I need to be fighting in this atmosphere. I want these fans. I need to fight in the UK. I don't even care if it's for me, you know what I mean? I was like, I just want to be on a fight night to experience this, you know? I had no idea that actually, when I was to fight in the UK eventually, I was in front of fans that it would be very, it would be for me. I have the fans. They're my fans chanting my name and yelling with me, you know? And so I made that goal in early 2020, in March, it was like February 2020. And I said, okay, what do I got to do? I want to fight in the UK. So if I got on Twitter and I started doing interviews with UK YouTube channels, I fucking getting up at two o'clock in the morning, waking up before staying up till 12, whatever, you know, doing everything that I could to just push my name out because I knew I needed to somehow get this little blond Aussie, get my name and into the UK market. So then I could be known there. So then I would be worth it, but getting over, you know? And so pretty much it was like eight months after I made, after I decided that, that I got my first fight offer in the UK, which fell for because of injury. But, you know, it was like I made the decision and I did it. It's crazy. It was some card, ain't Katie Taylor, Connor Ben, Warrington yourself, it was a great card and it was a fucking great night. It was just a shame what happened at the end with the injury, but. Yeah, I know. So now we're going for another world title shot. How's the pressure on you? You're feeling it, are you excited? It's a little bit, it's definitely, I would say it's definitely more pressure on this fight for me. Then say my first world title. Why? Because my first world title I just got the call, hey, can you fit in? Like it wasn't like it was, it was just the opportunity. I was a late replacement for Rachel Ball. And I was like, fuck it, yeah, let's go. You know, like I'm gonna take this with my hands and I believe myself, give it my best and win or lose, I'm just gonna have to give it my best. You know, I don't have the preparation for it, but I'm gonna take the opportunity with both hands and make the most of it. But now this time it's like, okay, I need to win this world title. Like, you know, like I do believe that I can win it. I've got the preparation for it. I'm fighting a champion. She's like I said, the longest reigning champion in the division, Cecilia Roman, she's been champed five years. Is it gonna be her eighth world title defense? It's not like, you know, I'm fighting for vacant titles. It's not like I'm just fighting a newbie champion. She's very, very experienced. Eddie even, Eddie Hearns said, you know, and he said it numerous times. He did, he offered me easy fights. So I don't want to fuck, man, I'm not here to fuck spiders. I'm not here to fuck around. I don't want to have easy fights. I want to fight. I'm a fighter, give me the hard fights, give me the challenges, win or fucking lose. I want to have good fights. And that's just my mindset, my mentality. You know, I'm not here for an easy road. I don't get excited over easy fights. You know, like I want to, I want to, you know, be inspired when I'm in training. I want to be motivated to train and it is. I've moved over here with tips and I'm training at the moment, no injuries, fucking great. There's no Humpty Dumpty over here. So I mean, we'll knock on wood. We don't get any more injuries, but everything's going really good and I'm really motivated, really excited. And it's just, yeah, it's just honestly, it's a blessing to get that second, second shot at a world title. And I just want to, you know, hopefully win it for the fans. Like for me, it's like, me winning that belt, of course it's for me, but I'm all about the people, man. And for me to have that belt, especially like in leads, you know, my doctor's city, I don't know if you saw me get like, you know, the certificate from the Lord Mayor of Leeds. Officially, you know, I representate, representative of Leeds City, international representative, and I got a big thank you for that. But yeah, to fight in front of the Leeds community, who I, who I'd love dearly. And also, you know, just the people and get that belt just to prove, you know, anything's fucking possible. Five years ago, I wasn't even boxing. Five years ago, I had my debut, my first amateur fight, five years ago. Here I am fighting for my second world title. Anything's possible. I believe dream and chief. Easy work, innit. What about, what's the preparation? Get into this fight and how's Tubbs as a coach? Mate, Tubbs is great. Like, it's so good to be here because every other fight that I've had, I've just set it around the world. So from Australia, I go to Philadelphia, I do my camps in Philly, and then from Philly I come to the UK and it's just been like that. It's so much travelling. But I said, no, I can't do that. I got to do all the 1%. So I got to cut out that shit and I just got to be here. All my sponsors are here. Everything is here. Get settled here. No more time zone adjusting. Just get into it. With Tubbs, it's great. He's such a, he's got so much knowledge. Do you know what I mean? And with Tubbs, it's like two in one because I get Jimmy as well. So I've got, obviously, Mark Tubbs is my main, but then I've got Jimmy's dad. There's history there with experience and so much knowledge between the both of them. So it's great to have both of them helping me out on looking. I'm also in the gym, obviously, with the boys. You've got Johnny Fisher. Johnny's a good guy. Johnny's a fucking legend, but it's great just being there with that environment, with people that are just as hungry, you know what I mean? Even Tubbs, like he likes me. I'm the first girl he's ever trained. It was funny. I heard him say to his dad the other day, he's like, hey dad, who would have thought that I would be ever training a girl? And he would have thought that you would be okay with me training a girl. Like the times have changed, you know what I mean? Jimmy loves me. Like he always comes, like gives me advice. And like, you know, they love having me there and I love being there. And it's really great because they are old school, you know what I mean? And boxing is old school. You do have these, you know, the old school, like the Jimmy Tips, which probably thought never women boxing, like, you know what I mean? But it's just great to see that transition and for me to come into that gym and be like a breath of fresh air, like they've said, and to show, hey, like, you know, women graft hard and we, and improving it. And it's getting them excited as well. They're like, fuck, you know what? Fuck yeah, like let's go, bomber, you know what I mean? So yeah, no, it's great. And I'm absolutely loving it. Do you spy on men? I do spy on men, yeah. I like to spy on men. Here in the UK, I haven't had to because it seems to be a lot more kind of tougher, smaller girls. In Philly, I'm spying on men. A lot of the girls that I spy on are a lot bigger. It's hard for me to find girls my size to kind of stay in the rounds with me. You know, I need the rounds and I could not talk myself up, but, you know, I hit fuck really hard and it's hard to keep them in, you know what I mean? I'll keep them coming back around my weight, you know? So I'm always spying on a lot bigger girls or I'm spying on men. And I love spying on men anyways because go try to show and they keep me in check. You know, sometimes the girls, I can get a little bit complacent, but here it's good. I've got some really good spying partners here. Got Lauren Parker, who's amazing. You know, Stevie Levy, you know, Nicola Hopeall, like they're all really good spying. I think it's really great for women's boxing here and it's a good position for me to have. So. How was that for the students back home when they see their teacher on TV, you proved? Yeah, they love it. They always love it. You know, whenever I go back to Australia, I always go back to school when I go back to Australia. And they always say, oh, we're watching because they'll follow me and they'll bring it up and I'll show them my boxing anyways. I always bribe them with my boxing, you know what I mean? I'm always like, all right, if you're good, I'll show you one of my fights. And I'm like, okay, miss. I actually had one of the kids, you seven, is like, miss, can we have one of your autographs? And I'm like, yeah, you can go online, www.ebonybridges.com, you can buy one for 60 bucks. And they're like, what? Like, you don't even do any work mate. Like, you know, I'm not gonna give you an autograph for free. You can go buy it. And they're like, so if we do our work, like, can we get an autograph from like, yeah, and I'm sitting in my head. I'm literally thinking, I'm gonna be able to get that work done, no way. And then they're like, like they're full on going for it. Like, miss, how long have we got? And I got five minutes and I'm like, is that enough? And I go, no, you haven't done it all. Like, you got to do it all. And like, and then they did it. And they'll come up and like, you know, just give them, I go, you know what? That's gonna be worth so much money because not only is it my autograph, but it's my autograph on schoolwork. You're gonna make millions of that and expect a cut and they'd love it. But you know, like, they're cool. They're inspired because they have someone in the school and like I said, my mom and I teach at a sports school. So they have, you know, a lot of the kids are sporties, they're rugby, football, all that kind of stuff. So they actually have someone in their presence in real life that is actually being successful in sport. And they see the graph that I do and I'm constantly instilling it in their minds as well. You know, I'm pushing my mindset onto them as well. And they see it and it's possible. They believe in it because, wow, actually it's possible. You know what I mean? I told them about where I come from a little bit. You know, like, I wasn't always, you know, where I am. And, you know, I take them work to get here. You know, and it's good to have them. It's because I know, and no offense to teachers, but you just fucking know who you are. Teachers that have absolutely no fucking motivation to teach. They just go there and they just go through the motions. They can't wait for Friday. They say that Friday is the worst day. The kids are horrible on Friday. That's because you're fucking horrible because you can't wait to get out of fucking school and they can feel that energy. That energy that you put of not wanting to be there and not think it's Friday, finally it's Friday. The kids are feeling exactly the same because you're projecting that on them. That my classroom's not like that. You know what I mean? The kids love to be in the classroom with me because I'm fucking, I love teaching them. They know that and they can feel that energy so they want to learn and they want to do good for me as well, you know? And I just, you know, I just feel like it's that energy is such a big thing for them. And if they, for them to have a teacher that's truly motivating and wants to be there, I think inspires them, you know? So, yeah, I knew this would be true. A lot of teachers, they leave school, then they go to school and then they go back to school. They haven't really done much in their life. They don't really have anything outside of school and teaching and that's okay. You don't have to, everyone doesn't have to be have any fucking bridges, do you know what I mean? But it's hard to teach this mindset if you don't have it. It's hard to push that onto the kids if you don't doing anything, you know? And that's okay. But, you know, like you got to understand like, you know, it is hard and when you do get a teacher like me, I suppose, then it's a good thing. You don't seem to be slowing down anytime soon, but how many feats do you think you have left? Well, I've got four fights left on my contract with my dream. And then, I don't know, maybe two years, I don't know how many fights, but, you know, I'm 36 this year. I don't have a family. I really want to have kids, you know? So, it just all depends. But again, I'm just taking it as it goes. I have a bit of a plan. If my body can hold out, every camp I have is like, okay, I'm going to make it through camp to fight because of just, I am older, you know? And I put myself through fucking hell in my 20s with bodybuilding, you know? Where I didn't give a fuck about stretching, mobility. What's that? No way, I'm too tough. Just fucking smash weights and fucking, you know? But now it's like, okay, I'm older and I've got to be careful. So yeah, as long as I can keep fighting and it's not detrimental to my health, then I'll be doing it, you know? And obviously, like I said, wanting to put some kids in there somewhere. But yeah, at the moment, I'm just riding the wave and focused on winning this world title. Give them a production for the world title. It's going to be so fucking exciting. You know what? I think I can stop her. She hasn't been stopped. But I think of me and Tibbs, you know, we've got a plan and I'm not going out there for a look, a knockout, but I'm just getting better and better. And I really believe that she's going to be in for a bit of a shock when she gets hit by me like they all are, you know, they all get in there. They all tell me they're come forward, aggressive fighters. Next minute, they're all on the back foot and they're running from me. So I think I do believe that I will be able to I can get that knockout. But no matter what, I'm winning that and my my hands being raised because it's my time now. And I really believe that I really believe that, you know, that that world title needs to be around my waist. For anybody that's watching, it's maybe stuck in a dark place. You've been there, you've come out at what advice would you have for them? Man, just, you know what? Tough times don't last, but tough people do. Like just keep pushing through. There's always there is always light at the tunnel. You just got to sometimes you got to look a little bit harder for it, you know, but don't ever give up. You can't give up on yourself. That's the main thing, not giving up on yourself. You know, don't give up on things that you've set out, you know, and like I said earlier, you know, gratitude is huge. You know, it's all mindset, everything in life. Your mind is the most powerful tool that you have. And if you can practice things like positive self-affirmation or even just gratitude or just speaking out. And it's and it's it's like a it's a skill, not a skill, but it's something you got to practice because we don't naturally think positive, you know. So you got to dedicate yourself and you got to say, I'm going to do this for five minutes a day, you know, and you need to build a habit and it's like a habit. And then it becomes natural. It's like what I do with the kids, you know what I mean? Like it's it's it's it's it's programming them. You've got to program yourself and it takes discipline and it takes effort because it's not easy to constantly change your mind into positive thinking. It isn't hard and you've also got to accept that there is bad days and it is going to be some bad days and it's okay to feel down and it's okay to feel, you know, have a bad day or, or, you know, bad things happen, but you just got to remember you've got to pick yourself up, you know, because there's nothing, you're not going to get anything from staying down there, you know, it's not going to help you from being down there. So find a way out and just keep pushing through. Where can people get hold of your social media platforms? Watch your links. Yeah. So on Instagram, it's ebniiebniie, underscore bridges or Blonde Bomber. And then Twitter ebnii bridges. I've got TikTok as well. I think ebnii bridges official or something like that. But we will leave the links in the description area. But I think we people watching today, it's not just about all tits and ass with yourself. You're not just a great fighter in the ring, but also outside that to come from where you've come from, to what you're achieving now. Second world title fight that is amazing what you're achieving. I'm proud of you. Thank you. Good luck with the fight coming up and for coming on today and telling your story. Thank you. I've really enjoyed that and I wish you all the best. Thank you. Appreciate it.