Ellie Scotney made boxing history – now Jake Paul owes her a car

For Ellie Scotney, it all started with a Mars bar and a Ribena. As a “child of God”, Scotney now avoids temptation at all costs, but her nine-year-old self was somewhat less disciplined. In the long run, it was for the best; the allure of a sugar rush brought her to her first boxing gym, fuelling her journey to the present day, where she has just become Britain’s youngest-ever undisputed champion .

“I first walked into a gym at nine, because my brother boxed,” Scotney tells The Independent , “and I always mess around and tell the story that he came home with a Mars bar and a Ribena – and I was like: ‘I want that! ’ He wouldn’t let me go with him, but my cousin ended up taking me. I stopped because women’s boxing wasn’t a thing; I was the only female, I couldn’t get fights.

I only did it for a year. ” It’s strange to think this could have been the end of Scotney’s journey. But eight years later, the Catford local returned to the gym, and to the sport.

At that time, women’s boxing may not have been the “thing” it is now, but Scotney is part of a new generation of role models, who have driven the sport through all predicted barriers. Ellie Scotney looks to the sky after winning undisputed status at super-bantamweight (PA) “I walk in the gym now, and there’s probably as many girls as boys, and the girls are really good,” Scotney says with a smile – but then she always seems to be smiling. “I wish I was that good at that age!