Latest news with #GeorgiaOConnor
The Sun
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Ellie Scotney reveals promise she made to late friend Georgia O'Connor before emotional world title win
ELLIE SCOTNEY took a step closer to becoming undisputed world champion - while keeping her promise to the late Georgia O'Connor. Scotney and O'Connor came up through the amateur ranks together and formed an inseparable bond boxing across the globe. 3 3 But tragically O'Connor - aged 25 and three fights into her professional career - passed away after bravely battling cancer. The devastating news came only two weeks after she married and two months before Scotney's unification bout against Yamileth Mercado. The WBC, IBF and WBO super-bantamweight champion accompanied O'Connor at her wedding and vowed to fight on in her name. And Scotney, 27, told SunSport: "I always say it as much as I can, I'll make sure her name and her story is remembered. "The fight she fought she was endless with it and the way she battled with it and the that was just so much bigger than whatever we do in the ring. She showed me that in her ways." Scotney - promoted by YouTube star-turned boxer Jake Paul - even walked to the ring with O'Connor's father John before her points win over Mercado. She added: "To have her dad there, I felt her there every step of the way." Scotney had to endure an emotional training preparation and revealed: "I was crying in sessions. "I was in a bad place, a very bad place and I didn't enjoy this camp at all. "And people said, what's been your hardest sacrifice? And it's been emotion in the sense that I wasn't allowed to grieve. Georgia O'Connor dead aged 25: Tributes pour in as Brit boxer dies following cancer battle 2 weeks after getting married "But I had to put that to a side and that was hard. She said to my mum, 'I know she's in camp but I more or less need to say bye.' "But it weren't like that, it was like, 'I'll see you soon.' And as I left, she kissed every one of my knuckles. "She was like, 'You're gonna get the knockout!' Obviously I did get the knockout but I got the win and I know she would have been shuffling up there." Scotney now just has the WBA belt - held by Mayelli Flores Rosquero - left to win in honour of her Nan Eileen who died aged 99. She said: "I'm literally one fight away from completing collection. My Nan always said, 'Finish the collection.' "To know I'm one fight and one step away and we're there." 3
The Sun
12-07-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
Ellie Scotney dedicates MSG world title win to tragic Georgia O'Connor after her death aged 25 following cancer battle
ELLIE SCOTNEY dedicated her unified world title victory to her late friend Georgia O'Connor - who passed away aged just 25. Scotney and O'Connor became best friends after growing up together on the amateur boxing circuit. 3 3 3 O'Connor was diagnosed with cancer in January and tragically passed away just five months later. Scotney was left devastated but vowed to fight on in her best friend's honour. And the Queen of Catford stayed true to her word by beating Yamileth Mercado to add the WBC super-bantamweight title to her collection. Now the unified WBC, IBF and WBO champion, Scotney, 27, said: "First and foremost, all glory to God. "It's been real testing the past few months as everyone knows, I lost my dear friend Georgia. "Tonight was for her. Her dad's over here. I'd like everyone to give her a round of applause, she was 25 years old. "She was a fighter and she lost her battle with cancer. "But tonight I made sure her name was remembered in Madison Square Garden and that sums up my night." On the undercard in New York, Chantelle Cameron also defeated Jessica Camara via unanimous decision.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
World champion Harper calls out Dubois after routine win
England's world lightweight champion Terri Harper cruised past the overmatched Natalie Zimmermann to defend her WBO title in front of a spirited home crowd in Doncaster. The 28-year-old dominated from the opening bell, picking her opponent apart without ever really threatening the stoppage. German Zimmermann, 42, became a sitting target and ended the fight badly bloodied because of a clash of heads at the Eco-Power Stadium. All three judges scored it 99-91 as three-weight world champion Harper extended her record to 16 wins, with two defeats and two losses. Afterwards, Doncaster's Harper called for a unification fight with fellow Briton and WBC lightweight champion Caroline Dubois. "That gets my fire burning. I said it the other day in the press conference, she rubs me up the wrong way," Harper said. With the boxing world in mourning this week, there was a poignant moment when those in attendance applauded a 10-bell salute in memory of boxer Georgia O'Connor, who died aged 25 on Thursday. O'Connor lost her battle with cancer and was a hugely popular figure among her fellow fighters. The event was hosted by relative newcomers GBM, in what was the promotional outfit's first stadium card and world-title headliner. After each fight on the main undercard went to points, Harper made her ring walk at the late time of 23:10 BST. Nicknamed 'Belter', she entered to Gerry Cinnamon's folk song with the same title. Several fans had already left, but those who remained gave her a hero's welcome. The gulf in class was apparent as early as the first minute when a left hook from Harper drew chants of "Yorkshire" from the crowd. The former super-featherweight and light-middleweight champion pinned Zimmermann on the ropes and was landing to the head and body. Hamburg's Zimmermann had won all 13 professional bouts, having only started boxing aged 37, but in Harper she faced someone who had gone toe-to-toe with world-class operators such as Natasha Jonas and Alycia Baumgardner. Zimmermann's will to win did not match her talent as she rushed in her punches and struggled to make any openings. She did land a solid uppercut in the sixth as a dejected Harper began to cut a frustrated figure. Blood poured down from Zimmermann's head after the accidental head clash in the final round, but Harper - who before the fight said she would be disappointed with a points win - could not find the telling blow. After years of jumping up and down the divisions in search of big fights and accolades, Harper seems comfortable at lightweight and is confident of halting the hype of the unbeaten Dubois. Dubois, 26, has long been considered as the future of women's boxing, and predicted she would make Harper "crumble" in a potential unification fight. "That fight makes sense," Harper said, adding she will now take a short break before pursuing unification fights. If the Dubois bout does not materialise, Harper may target IBF champion Beatriz Ferreira or WBA title-holder Stephanie Han. "I want to go on to fight the other champions and really step up", she said. Boxing schedule and results 2025 Watch every Born to Brawl episode Notifications, social media and more with BBC Sport
BBC News
23-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
World champion Harper calls out Dubois after routine win
England's world lightweight champion Terri Harper cruised past the overmatched Natalie Zimmermann to defend her WBO title in front of a spirited home 28-year-old dominated from the opening bell, picking her opponent apart without ever really threatening the Zimmermann, 42, became a sitting target and ended the fight bloodied because of a clash of heads at the Eco-Power three judges scored it 99-91 as three-weight world champion Harper extended her record to 16 wins, with two defeats and two Doncaster's Harper called for a unification fight with fellow Briton and WBC lightweight champion Caroline Dubois."That gets my fire burning. I said it the other day in the press conference, she rubs me up the wrong way," Harper said. Routine win for Harper but no KO as predicted With the boxing world in mourning this week, there was a poignant moment when those in attendance applauded a 10-bell salute in memory of boxer Georgia O'Connor, who died aged 25 on Thursday.O'Connor lost her battle with cancer and was a hugely popular figure among her fellow event was hosted by relative newcomers GBM, in what was the promotional outfit's first stadium card and world-title each fight on the main undercard went to points, Harper made her ring walk at the late time 23:10 'Belter', she entered to Gerry Cinnamon's folk song with the same title. Several fans had already left, but those who remained gave her a hero's gulf in class was apparent as early as the first minute when a left hook from Harper drew chants of "Yorkshire" from the former super-featherweight and light-middleweight champion pinned Zimmermann on the ropes and was landing to head and Zimmermann had won all 13 professional bouts, having only started boxing aged 37, but in Harper she faced someone who had gone toe-to-toe with world-class operators such as Natasha Jonas and Alycia Baumgardner. Zimmermann's will to win did not match her talent as she rushed in her punches. She did land a solid uppercut in the sixth as a dejected Harper began to cut a frustrated poured down from Zimmermann's head after the accidental head clash in the final round, but Harper - who before the fight said she would be disappointed with a points win - could not find the telling blow. Harper targets all-British unification fight against Dubois After years of jumping up and down the divisions in search of big fights and accolades, Harper seems comfortable at lightweight and is confident of halting the hype of the unbeaten 26, has long been considered as the future of women's boxing, and predicted she would make Harper "crumble" in a potential unification fight."That fight makes sense," Harper said, adding she will now take a short break before pursuing unification the Dubois bout does not materialise, Harper may target IBF champion Beatriz Ferreira or WBA title-holder Stephanie Han."I want to go on to fight the other champions and really step up", she said.
National Post
23-05-2025
- Health
- National Post
Boxer dies at 25 after battling for months with doctors over diagnosis
British boxer Georgia O'Connor fought to the very end, ultimately losing her battle with a 'rare and aggressive' form of cancer that she said doctors ignored for months. Article content She was 25 years old. Article content O'Connor, a medal-winning boxer from Durham, England, shared her diagnosis earlier this year while tearing into the English medical system (NHS) and the doctors who overlooked her concerns. Article content In an Instagram post, she shared that she had been diagnosed with cancer after weeks of debilitating pain, and claimed her concerns went ignored by doctors for four months. Article content 'For 17 weeks since the start of October, I've been in constant pain, going back and forth between Durham and Newcastle RVI A&E knowing deep down something was seriously wrong,' O'Connor wrote on Jan. 31. 'I said from the start I felt it was cancer. I KNEW the risks. I have colitis and PSC, two diseases that dramatically increase the chances of getting it. I KNOW how high my risk is and they do too. They always did. Article content View this post on Instagram A post shared by Georgia Cardinali (@georgiaoconnor_1) Article content Article content 'But not one doctor f***ing listened to me. Not one doctor took me seriously. Not one doctor did the scans or blood tests I begged for whilst crying on the floor in agony. Instead, they dismissed me. They gaslit me, told me it was nothing, made me feel like I was overreacting. They refused to scan me. They refused to investigate. They REFUSED to listen. One even told me that it's 'all in my head.' And now? Now the cancer has spread.' Article content Article content 'And if that wasn't enough, throughout this whole time there's been BLOOD CLOTS all over my lungs. That ALONE could have killed me instantly. Article content 'They could have done something before it got to this stage. But they didn't. Because this is the state of the NHS — a broken system that fails young people like me over and over again. A system that makes people suffer, that sends them home in agony, that lets cancer spread whilst the thick, stupid, mindless 'doctors' shrug their shoulders.'
