Elle Brooke: 'Influencer boxers like me and Jake Paul are pioneers'
Elle Brooke stepped into the ring for the first time just two years ago. She’s never fought before, or seriously considered boxing in her future, but she’s now one of the biggest names in the sport – and proud to be a ‘pioneer’.
She was already known for having one of the biggest OnlyFans pages in the world and a big name in the adult industry, with reported earnings of more than £60,000 per month from the platforms, and a net worth of up to £2 million from her career to date.
But since taking a call from Kingpyun Boxing and training for her first fight in the summer of 2022, Brooke has risen in status as a fighter and recently put in a strong performance against MMA star Paige VanZant – earning a draw and knocking VanZant down during their fight last month in Houston, Texas.
“I'm really proud of that performance. When I was in the ring, I thought I'd won it,” Brooke told indy100.
“Going forward has taught me that you need to take every round as it comes, and even if you think you're winning, it's not always the case,” the 26-year-old said, reflecting on knocking down VanZant with a big right hand.
“You've got three judges… they're seeing it from a different viewpoint than you are. So every single round, it's not about getting by, it's about winning. So I think that's something valuable that I've learned from that fight.”
A rematch is almost a certainty, and Brooke has big ambitions when it comes to furthering her boxing career and her work as an OnlyFans creator.
“My career going forward is exactly the same, but only bettering myself. I don't want to be the best boxer in the world, or just the best OF page. I want to be the best at everything. I don't want to put all my eggs in one basket.”
She added: “I always consider myself someone who does social media but also boxes. Now I'm like, 'no, I am a professional boxer.'”
Boxing, of course, is changing. One of the most talked-about fights of the year is the (recently postponed) fight between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson. Brooke, too, sees herself as a pioneer as one of the most prominent influencer boxers in the women’s sport.
“I love being a pioneer in something. I think that everything I do is original, and I don't really copy anyone. I got in there early and I was able to pioneer and start something and make it what it is today. If I started influencer boxing today, I'd have been two years late to someone that's already started,” Brooke said. “I'm so happy I got that DM from Kingpyn… That was probably the best thing to ever happen to me.”
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Speaking about the future of the sport, Brooke said: “I think that influencer boxing is here to stay. There's only more exciting fights to be made, whether that's KSI and Jake Paul… there's so many fights to be made so this is only the start.”
Brooke also said that she’s seen a change in the feedback she receives online from boxing fans (“people usually discrediting me, but now they're like, props to you”) and the kinds of people who approach her as a result of her boxing career.
While male fans still dominate when it comes to her OnlyFans page, Brooke said she has been approached by young women inspired to get into boxing because of her.
“I actually have girl fans [now],” she said. “When I did my OFTV episode [of the series Rise & Grind], I was at Billericay gym, and there was a girl that was an amateur, and she literally waited there for me. I was like, ‘Oh, my God’. Compared to my usual audience, the fact that girls look up to me and want to box and get in the ring is inspiring, and it's warming. One of the reasons that I box is for legacy and it feels like people are looking towards me.”
The VanZant rematch looks very likely – and Brooke has her eyes on another opponent too, with Australian professional boxer Ebanie Bridges, who previously held the IBF female bantamweight title, in her sights.
“I take every fight as it comes. I always want to achieve bigger or better. Obviously, in the rematch, I want to smash Paige and prove to everyone that it's not a fluke,” she said.
“One day I'd absolutely love to fight Ebanie even though she's my best friend and there's no beef. I absolutely adore her. I think it would just be such a good story to tell. She used to smash the crap out of me in sparring, so the fact that we'd be able to do it on a big stage, I know that it would be incredible.”
Elle Brooke stars in the OFTV series Rise & Grind, which is available to watch now.
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