Boxing: Mea Motu to fight Ellie Scotney in world super bantamweight title unification bout

Mea Motu has her sights set on a world title unification bout against Ellie Scotney in October. Photo / Photosport

Mea Motu is getting her shot to add to her world title collection.

The reigning IBO super bantamweight boxing champion will travel to England in October to take on IBF, WBO and Ring Magazine champion Ellie Scotney, with a chance to bring all the belts back home to New Zealand.

It’s a fight Motu (19-0; seven KO) and her team at Peach Boxing have been calling for some time, after the 34-year-old won the vacant IBO title back in April 2023 and successfully defended it twice since. She also holds the ranking as the No 1 contender with the IBF, making her the clear opponent for Scotney’s next defence.

“We’ve been chasing that for a year and a half now, or close to,” Peach Boxing coach Isaac Peach told Newstalk ZB’s Clay Wilson.

“It was Mea’s dream to unify the belts and she’s getting very close. She needs to win this fight, then we’re really close.”

Scotney has had 10 fewer professional bouts than Motu, with a 9-0 record and all nine fights going the distance, but she hasn’t wasted time in establishing herself as the one to beat.

Scotney claimed the IBF world title in June 2023 when she out-pointed Tauranga-born Cherneka Johnson and successfully defended the belt three months later, before adding the WBO title in a unification bout against then-champion Segolene Lefebvre of France.

“Ellie’s got all the advantages by being based in England with all the great sparring and all the facilities and all the advantages everyone has by not being in New Zealand. But I think Mea’s advantage is that she’s an old Māori girl from New Zealand with everything to gain, nothing to lose - and Mea Motu can really fight.

“We’re going to go there and upset the world. We’re going to make Eddie Hearn cry. That’s what we want.

“It’s just fun for us. That’s what it’s got to be; it’s got to be focused fun. And for Mea, this is an amazing story. There should be a movie made about her, and this is the last chapter to the big time.”

Peach said there had been talk about the two fighting for an interim world title over a year ago, but negotiations didn’t go well. Peach felt Scotney’s camp didn’t want the fight, but with Motu now the mandatory challenger to the IBF bout they had to take it.

“There’s always going to be tension when it comes to us. We come in there as the B-Side and we’re there to upset the world. We’re going to come in with our own mojo and there will be tension for sure. We’re going to try put her off her game. Mea’s a beast, and we’re going to make her even more of a beast for this one.

“It’s a huge fight, man. It’s a really big fight.”

Motu is currently in training for the bout, with a venture to Australia for sparring in the coming weeks in the works.

Peach said it would be a big step up for both boxers.

“Mea and Ellie are by far the two best. Ellie hasn’t fought anyone as good as Mea, and Mea hasn’t fought anyone as good as Ellie.

“This is a huge fight with the exceptionally good woman fighters, so it’s the same for both. Mea’s goal the whole time has been this fight, so we’re just really happy and excited we’ve got this opportunity.”

The bout will take place at Co-op Live in Manchester on October 27 (NZT) as part of the Matchroom Boxing card headlined by highly ranked super lightweights Jack Catterall and Regis Prograis.

Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.