THE 10-YEAR prison sentence of Stefy Bull has almost pushed Raven Chapman between a rock and a hard place, forcing her to go searching for a new manager.
It was revealed at the beginning of last month that Bull, whose real name is Andrew Bulcroft, has been put behind bars for conspiracy to supply cocaine.
The Doncaster trainer and manager was convicted of the crime, along with co-defendant Benjamin Williams, by a jury at Sheffield Crown Court in February.
Despite his initial claims of innocence, evidence showed that Bull had operated under the alias of ‘Yummycub’, using an encrypted phone network in pursuit of purchasing large amounts of the class A drug.
Later, the Yorkshireman pleaded guilty while, at the same time, citing financial struggles during the Covid-19 pandemic as the primary motivation behind his actions.
That, of course, did not exactly wash with Judge Peter Hampton, who ultimately determined that both Bull and Willaims were motivated by “financial greed”.
In any case, the outcome of a 10-year sentence has now put Chapman, 9-2 (2 KOs), who was previously managed by Bull, in a rather difficult situation.
The 31-year-old would often train alongside Terri Harper, a three-division world champion, while the pair enjoyed plenty of success through their relationship with Bull.
But now, Chapman has been forced to consider alternative options from a management perspective, hoping to make the right choice for her career moving forward.
“We’ll see what happens,” she told Boxing News. “There’s a lot that’s gone on with my old manager [Bull], so it’s just about finding the right route for this next part of my career.
“It’s hard for me, because I owe a lot of my career to Stefy. He got me in with Frank Warren, introduced me to the right people and got me the fights that I got.
“So, for me, I’m absolutely gutted. I wanted to do my whole career with my team and my manager – they’re like family to me.
“I know that he’s absolutely gutted and feels like he’s let me down. That’s so heartbreaking to see, because I don’t think he’s a bad person.
“He’s paying the price for it, but there’s no hard feelings. S*** happens in life. I know that he’ll always be routing for me, no matter what I do.”
Chapman has not fought since her second professional defeat in March, back when she was dropped and comprehensively outpointed by Olympic bronze medallist Karriss Artingstall.
Prior to that, ‘The Omen’ suffered an equally convincing unanimous decision loss to Skye Nicolson, who handily retained her WBC featherweight title in October 2024.
For Chapman, though, there is a feeling that, especially in her encounter with Artingstall, she was far from the best version of herself.
But before she returns to the ring, hoping to prove that she still has plenty to offer, the former world title challenger must first find a new set of handlers.
“I’ve had a few offers, so it’s just about deciding what’s best for me,” she said. “There’s other people involved [in Bull’s previous management team], but my main relationship was with Stefy.
“A lot of s*** has gone on since March, and I’ve just had to overcome it. Now I’m ready to get back in there and show everyone who the f*** I am.
“I’ll hopefully be out before Christmas or early next year; we’ll see what happens.”
