Cotton’s bringing grit and glamour to ring!

Ebonie Cotton at Tuesday’s press conference. Picture: Julie Lockley

EBONIE Cotton – the look more Cannes Film Festival than fight press conference – is fashionably late. There’s irony in that.

The Rowley Regis super-bantam wafts into the Coleshill church turned boxing gym scattering breathless apologies, the “sorrys” betraying traces of a past life in Australia.

Her smiling is bright enough to require Ray-Ban protection for those it is aimed at. She is wearing a backless number, her long blonde hair is bundled into a leopard print bandana, her eyes hidden by designer shades.

Cotton is dripping Vogue chic not professional violence.

She is present to beat the drum for her bout on Most Valuable Promotions’ lavish, female stacked bill at Birmingham’s BP Pulse Live Arena on August 29.

The opponent has not yet been announced, yet is rapidly becoming one of the sport’s worst kept secrets. Ebonie, I am told, will face Watford’s former WBA bantamweight boss Shannon Courtenay over six rounds.

It would be an understatement to say Cotton, a former dancer, has caused a stir since joining the pro ranks with scant – if any – amateur experience. She has blended curves and pin-up appeal with the punch-for-pay business, her appearances at televised weigh-ins bordering on the risqué.

Cotton wore orange lingerie for one and suffered an awkward wardrobe malfunction, her assets were barely covered by gaffer tape at another.

That’s her schtick and it’s worked a treat. The 32-year-old – only four fights into her professional journey – has already appeared on major bills.

But it has made Cotton akin to boxing Marmite: you either love the saucy stunts or hate them. Casual fans and old timer traditionalist get hot under the collar for different reasons.

Frankly, Cotton doesn’t give a damn as long as tickets are bought and viewers tune-in. “The opinions other people have about me is none of my business,” she told me, flashing teeth so dazzling they could guide the visually impaired through thick fog. “People judge things in the context of their own worlds. God hasn’t given me the power to judge others.”

Cotton doesn’t look like a fighter, she certainly doesn’t talk like a fighter. The usual cliches - “it’s been a great camp, she’s in big trouble, pressure makes diamonds…” have been placed by  home-made philosophies and sometimes peace and love comments that hark back to the hippy era.

Cotton was drawn to new trainer Malcolm Melvin, Birmingham’s no-nonsense former British title challenger, by his “beautiful soul”. No disrespect to Melvin – a good man, but those two words are not commonly used to describe him. “You know when you think you work hard?” she said. “Well, then you meet Macolm.

“It’s going really well. He is a beautiful soul, he wants the best for me.”

Those who decry the glamour Cotton brings have chosen to ignore one point – she has undeniable grit, she has what they call “bottle”. She has bled and shown it in losing battles with Molly McCann and Ebanie Bridges: there’s a strong argument she should’ve had her hand raised at the end of the latter contest.

She’s also improved immeasurably since her winning debut last year against Kira Carter. I was present, recall Cotton wore pink and had glitter on her body, but her ability didn’t leave a lasting impression. The strides made since have been a surprise.

“Professional boxing was an accident,” she said. “It came unexpectedly into my life, although I believe nothing happens by accident, everything happens for a reason.

“I grew up a professional dancer with that reality of digging deep – it’s always been there. Even as a child I had the experience of big audiences, the noise, the build-up. That’s the dedication people don’t know.”

That has helped Cotton cope with the nerves that come with arena boxing appearances.

“There is no such thing as a ceiling (to what you can achieve) unless you put one there,” she added. “If I can show it’s possible, then that’s my journey. By creating that link in our minds, we improve ourselves.”

That journey continues in front of the cameras on August 29. And the dilemma Cotton has created is already surfacing. She wants to make a statement, she wants to inspire, but already I’ve been asked by fans: “What do you think she’s going to wear at the weigh-in?”