'It will only get worse' - Ditcheva on social media abuse
'People are only brave when they can hide'
Obsessive and dangerous messages are not something new for female athletes. Tennis star Katie Boulter spoke to BBC Sport about abuse and death threats she has received online.Ditcheva's mother Lisa Howarth is a former fighter herself and was a multiple-time kickboxing world champion. Ditcheva's brother is often seen at her side at fights.Last month, PFL fighter Ditcheva travelled to South Africa where she beat Sumiko Inaba to stay undefeated, despite fracturing her hand in the bout.After fights is usually when Ditcheva switches off from social media, but she says a complete detox is not something she can afford to do.Several of the Lionesses stepped away from social media during their triumphant Euro 2025 campaign, including Jess Carter who revealed she had been the target of racial abuse."Us fighters struggle with [switching off]. If we don't keep posting, keep our accounts engaged, then promotions don't want us and we don't build our name," Ditcheva says."It would make a lot of difference for fighters if they didn't have to stay active in that crucial [fight] week."As athletes continue to speak out about the abuse and the government committed to exploring further safety measures, Ditcheva echoed calls from Boulter and others to introduce identity verification."Verification and having to upload your passport or things like that would make it safer, it would change everything," Ditcheva says."People are only brave when they can hide behind weird accounts, and when they have to put their name to something it would automatically shut them up straight away."
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