HEAD COACH Shane McGuigan believes that Ellie Scotney, who was forced to pull out of her undisputed clash with a back injury, should be primed to return to action in January or February.
The 27-year-old was supposed to face WBA world super-bantamweight champion Mayelli Flores on November 14, featuring on the undercard of Jake Paul’s exhibition match with Gervonta Davis.
But while she will no longer be fighting at the Kaseya Center, Miami, live on Netflix, Scotney, 11-0, is nonetheless expected to secure her undisputed championship opportunity soon enough.
The unified champion claimed her third major title at 122lbs, a shiny WBC prize, after producing a masterful performance to outpoint and dethrone Yamileth Mercado in July.
Flores, 13-1-1 (4 KOs), meanwhile, edged a split decision against Nazarena Romero, the then-WBA champion, in May, before inking a deal to lock horns with Scotney next month.
But since then, a back injury to the Catford technician, which emerged earlier this month, has meant that undisputed bantamweight champion Cherneka Johnson, who is gearing up to face Amanda Galle, will instead appear on the Paul-Davis undercard.
As for Scotney’s recovery, it would seem that she could be hitting the pads with head trainer McGuigan sooner than expected, meaning that her matchup with Flores might even be rescheduled for early next year.
But either way, with manager Jake McGuigan remaining in constant communication with Nakisa Bidarian, the co-founder of Paul’s MVP Promotions, it is only a matter of time before Scotney fights for all four major belts.
“She’s out the gym at the moment, doing her rehab and getting her treatment, so hopefully, she’ll be back punching in a week or two,” Shane McGuigan told Boxing News.
“If that’s the case, then we should be able to get [the undisputed fight] rescheduled for January or February time.
“Nakisa’s always on the phone to Jake [McGuigan], so hopefully we’ll get it done soon.
“It’s frustrating, but there’s a lot of things that go on in your back – you rotate through it, and can still train [with a back injury], but only at around 30 or 40 per cent [of your full potential].
“Going into an undisputed fight, you need to be 100 per cent, or at least somewhere close to that.”
