Ebanie Bridges reacts to her former opponent breaking down over fight cancellation

IBF women's bantamweight champion Ebanie Bridges has reacted to her former opponent breaking down over fight cancellation.

Bridges is set to return to the squared circle this weekend to face Miyo Yoshido. 'The Blonde Bomber' was initially supposed to take on Avril Mathie on the undercard of Devin Haney vs. Regis Prograis, but Mathie had to pull out of the fight because of an injury.

Mathie recently took to Instagram and spoke about how she "cried for about a week" when she was told to pull out of the fight. She said:

"Sadly, a few weeks ago I got injured quite badly in training. The doctors told me I will not recover before December 9th and so had to pull out of my fight with @ebanie_bridges for her IBF world title."

She added:

"I cried for about a week when this happened. But now I’m focussed on just making a full recovery as fast as possible [could be a few weeks or months still] so Ebanie and I can make sure this fight still happens sometime next year."

Reacting to Avril Mathie's comments, Ebanie Bridges commented on the post while sharing some words of encouragement. She wrote:

"Gutted we couldn't do the battle of the babes this time but everything happens for a reason. Main thing is u recover and get healthy. Wishing you a speedy recovery."

Ebanie Bridges' comment

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Sparring partner applauds Ebanie Bridges for having a "real champion mentality"

Ebanie Bridges' sparring partner Jasmina Zapotoczna has praised 'The Blonde Bomber' for having the mentality of a real champion. Having won the IBF women's bantamweight championship following a decision win over Maria Cecilia Roman in March 2022, Bridges is considered to be one of the best female boxers in the world.

Speaking about her during an interview with Daily Star Sport, Jasmina Zapotoczna spoke about the impact that Ebanie Bridges has had on her life. Recalling how she met 'The Blonde Bomber' when she wasn't in the best mental condition herself, Zapotoczna said:

"Having the opportunity to spar with one of the best in the world means a lot. I've definitely improved my defense but what was more important to me - when I met Ebanie I wasn't in the best mental condition. But only one little chat with Ebanie was enough to make me stronger and change my mindset again. She has a real champion mentality, spirit, and energy."