Ebanie Bridges still remembers what she was paid for her first shot at the bantamweight title. It is a figure that still defines where she stands today. Three years after she lost her belt to Miyo Yoshida, Bridges returned to the ring early this January, looking to reset her career. That move brought her to Jake Paul’s promotions.

The move, however, did not produce the result she wanted. Her MVP debut, on a card headlined by Amanda Serrano vs. Reina Tellez, ended in a loss to Alexis Mones, putting her back to square one. Now, with her next fight set for April 18, Bridges is looking back at the payouts that shaped her path heading into her first title shot.

“I got offered two grand to fight for a world title,” Bridges told a reporter. “I mean, only what, in 2020 or 2021, 2020? I got offered a world title fight for four grand in 2020, Australian, so two grand British pounds. So this was only five years ago or six years ago.”

She was likely referring to the fight that took place on April 10, 2021. She faced former champion Shannon Courtenay for the vacant bantamweight title at London’s Copper Box Arena.

“Women were only getting paid five grand max, probably for a world title, if they’re lucky,” she added. “I got offered two grand to fight for a world title. So there was no money in it.”

To make ends meet, Bridges explained, she continued working as a teacher. She is qualified to teach math and previously worked at a school in New South Wales. That changed when she was based in England, where a growing fan base led to more lucrative deals and sponsorships, boosting her confidence and shifting her focus fully to boxing.

Ebanie Bridges mirrors the shift in women’s boxing

“And it just made sense to, and I knew that I could be a world champion,” Bridges added. “I want to be a world champion. And I just knew it made sense to just kind of pack the teaching up and chase my dreams and just give it a shot. It’s the worst that can happen. You fail and you go back. Do you know what I mean? But I didn’t; I succeeded, and here we are.”

That belief has carried into her latest comeback, which came shortly after she gave birth to her son with partner, former champion Kell Brook, this past February.

The loss in January may not have gone her way, but Bridges is already looking ahead. On April 18, she features on the main card of an event set up by VIP Promotions at the Rainton Meadows Arena in Houghton-le-Spring, Tyne and Wear, where she faces West Midlands’ Ebonie Cotton.

Her comments also highlight how women’s boxing has evolved over the years.

If her claim about receiving just over $2,000 for her first title shot holds, it points to how different the landscape once was. Amanda Serrano, widely regarded as one of the faces of women’s boxing, earned a reported $1,200 for her professional debut in 2009 – a sharp contrast to the millions she earns today.

Bridges and Serrano are just two examples, but they reflect a broader shift in the sport. Boxing has always been a business. But for years, that business did not always work in favor of its fighters. Now, that balance is starting to change, and fighters like Bridges are stepping into a very different financial reality.