ELLIE SCOTNEY has finally swapped decking gardens for opponents by quitting her B&Q job to rake in wages in booming women’s boxing.
The Catford starlet should have made her paid debut in March but the original Covid-19 lockdown canned that O2 bow.
This Saturday her breakthrough will come at the East of England arena in Peterborough against Bec Connolly.
And although her friends and family can’t be ringside to watch, they can still tap Scotney up for cheap DIY essentials.
The 22-year-old told SunSport, who are the only paper ringside for the show: “I left B&Q a couple of weeks ago when I managed to get a sponsor and I half think they were happy to get rid of me!
“I won’t miss the early shifts but I did nick my little orange bucket hat and almost brought it with me for the ring walk.
“And I have still got my friends-and-family discount card so I can milk that for a while until they suss me out.”
In just the two weeks she has been a full-time athlete at the Adam Booth gym, Scotney has already seen a drastic physical change.
“I liked the fact that work gave me a sense of normality and guaranteed income but I am already noticing the difference,” she said.
“In just a couple of weeks I have started looking like a proper fighter and not just a fat, skinny kid.”
Lockdown has had a hugely positive effect on female fighting, thanks to thrilling fights between Shannon Courtney and Rachel Ball, Terri Harper and Natasha Jonas and Katie Taylor and Delfine Persoon getting high-profile attention.
And Scotney is excited to be joining the paid ranks at the exact time it is being rightly seen as so much more than a drinks break.
She said: “In amateur boxing women are treated the same as men, the code is respected just as much and watched at shows.
“In the past I have felt, in the pro game, a women’s fight is just used as a good time to go to the bar. But that is changing.
“Lockdown has been a strange blessing because people have finally started to see that women can really fight.”
Swindon’s Connolly is 14 years older and has ten pro fights under her belt, against the likes of Jonas, Harper and Ball but this South Londoner is not for frightening.
Scotney said: “Am I scared of her? No, I’m from Catford.”
