Boxing-After becoming Britain's youngest undisputed champion, Scotney eager to start from scratch

Ellie Scotney is moving up to the featherweight division after vacating her undisputed 122-pound titles, seeking new challenges and opportunities to showcase her skills.

Ellie Scotney is relishing the prospect of building from the ground up and showing her best at ​featherweight, after having won everything there was to win at 122 pounds.

The 28-year-old ​became Britain's youngest undisputed champion in the four-belt era when ‌she ​beat Mayelli Flores by unanimous decision in April, after which she quickly vacated her belts and announced she would be moving up a division. "It was a weird one because before I even went into that fight I knew that as soon as that was done, ‌I would be moving up," Scotney told Reuters by video call.

"Holding on to 122 pounds was hard but it was for the sole purpose of being undisputed. The fact that I had to go champion to champion to champion to champion, it was like 'once I've done that, what else was there to chase?' "I've always been a person that prides themselves on integrity and challenges themselves... ‌I just knew as soon as I stepped out of that ring that it's time to start all over again. That feeling excites me just as much as becoming ‌undisputed."

Scotney said making the weight at 122 pounds had become an increasingly gruelling ordeal, even getting to a point where she required an emergency haircut. "It should always be hard to make the weight but this time was probably the hardest," she added.

"It came to the last bit where I had to cut my hair. I used to have long hair which got cut, and I'd end up a skinhead if I stayed there I reckon. "Now I'm ⁠stepping up to ​featherweight, I believe that will be where you ⁠will see the best of me, for sure."

SERRANO IN HER SIGHTS Scotney's first assignment at featherweight is set to come against American Tiara Brown, who defended her WBC title against Hannah Rapp last month.

Pressed on who she might ⁠target down the line, Scotney had no hesitation in naming WBA and WBO champion Amanda Serrano — her Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) stable-mate and a central figure in the trilogy of bouts that helped to propel women's ​boxing into the mainstream. "All my focus is on Tiara but of course Amanda Serrano is the name of the division," Scotney said.

"That's someone I would love to share ⁠the ring with because of who she is. Not just in the ring of course, she's accomplished so much, but she's changed the sport of women's boxing. "To share the ring with someone like that, it's about creating legacy, and ⁠those ​are the fights that do that."

WORKING WITH MVP Scotney, who signed with Jake Paul's MVP in April last year, said the move had restored her self-belief following a testing few years.

"I was told women's boxing is not what it is, and that made me look at getting a job," she said. "I went from being in that place, to meeting MVP, chatting with (co-founder) ⁠Nakisa Bidarian, Jake and realising that no, this is my journey."

Paul, the social media star turned prize-fighter and promoter, even pledged to buy Scotney a car should she see off ⁠Flores — a promise he honoured. "I said about getting ⁠two trains, a tube and a bus to training and that's just one way," she said.

"I do that twice a day, and he's like 'why can't you drive'? He said if you win, I'll buy you a car, so the whole fight week no one was talking ‌about winning undisputed, they were talking ‌about winning the car. "I've got the car but the licence is still to come."