Shannon Courtenay is maintaining a cool, business-like frame of mind ahead of her vacant WBA bantamweight title fight against unbeaten Australian Ebanie Bridges on Saturday evening.
Bridges has courted publicity with her garrulous nature and penchant for wearing revealing attire for weigh-ins, teasing Courtenay for her more traditional approach. But Watford’s Courtenay says she is calm and focused ahead of the weekend’s high-profile showdown at the Copper Box Arena.
Australian Bridges (5-0, 2 KOs) is an unknown quantity, having beaten mediocre opposition Down Under while cleverly raising her profile outside of the ring. But the Aussie believes she has spotted a vulnerability in Courtenay after her narrow points loss to Rachel Ball last year, believing the Englishwoman panics under pressure.
“If she wants to come flying at me and try and make me panic, that’s fine,” Courtenay (6-1, 3 KOs) told Sky Sports. “I’m cool, I’m calm and collected, and you’re going to see the calm amongst the chaos Saturday night.
“You’ve seen from previous performances that I have power. I might not have all the experience that the likes of Katie Taylor or Savannah Marshall have, but what I lack in experience, I have in power. I hit very hard for a woman and you’ve seen that.
“You don’t often get one-punch knockouts in women’s boxing and I’ve produced quite a few now. But I know that she hits hard as well. Don’t think I’m going in there with a narrow mind, thinking that I’m the only puncher. There’s two of us. But I know I hit harder.”
Main image: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing.