Boxing: Mea Motu takes short-notice bout against Shannon O’Connell in Sydney after Ellie Scotney pulls out of title fight

Mea Motu will fight Shannon O'Connell in Sydney on October 4. Photo / Photosport

World title fights have been a source of frustration for the Peach Boxing team in the past few months.

After locking in a super bantamweight world title unification bout against IBF and WBO champion Ellie Scotney in late October, the timeline has shifted for Kiwi Mea Motu.

Scotney has been forced out of the bout due to injury, with IBO world champion Motu instead taking a fight against Australian Shannon O’Connell on the undercard of teammate Andrei Mikhailovich’s world title bout against Janibek Alimkhanuly in Sydney on October 4.

“Honestly, this boxing world is like a movie,” Peach Boxing coach Isaac Peach said.

“It’s a rollercoaster, all the things that happen behind the scenes. But we are ready, we’re always ready, and we’re going to show what Kiwis can do on a global stage.”

Mikhailovich was initially supposed to challenge Alimkhanuly for his WBO and IBF world middleweight titles in July, only to have the fight called off a day out as Alimkhanuly was hospitalised after fainting during his weight cut.

A few months on, and it’s Motu who has had the biggest fight of her career pushed back.

“It’s very frustrating and I’m gutted, but it just gives me more time to keep training and keep preparing for when the fight does come,” Motu told Newstalk ZB of Scotney’s withdrawal.

“We’ve got to see what’s happening with her and how long the delay is, depending on her injury.

“Really, we’ve just got to wait and it will happen, definitely, but we just don’t know when. It could be at the end of the year. It could be next year. It depends on her injury and how bad it is.”

Motu’s bout against O’Connell, a former world title challenger with a 24-win, seven-loss record with one draw, will be contested at a catchweight of 56.85kg due to the short notice, with the super bantamweight class usually contested at a limit of 55.3kg.

“I’m gutted that Scotney has pulled out, but this only gives me more time to improve while she works through whatever is going on for her. She can delay the inevitable, but I’m still coming to take those belts off her and bring them home to NZ,” Motu said.

“I’m so grateful and excited that my team and No Limit could organise this last-minute fight against Shannon O’Connell. She’s a legend in her own right, and I’m thankful she agreed to it.

“But at the same time, I’m going to make her regret that decision. I’m going to remind the world next week why I’m the number one contender for the belts.”