The FightPost Interviews: Natasha Jonas

The FightPost Interviews: Natasha Jonas 

Natasha Jonas has been on my interview bucket list for quite some time. I actually requested an interview some time ago, but heard nothing back and then completely out of the blue Natasha replied back agreeing to the interview.

I’m currently reading a book about a journalist who fell into his role by chance, a typewriter left in a squat he was residing in at the time started his journey, and I very much did the same, different circumstances but I gradually ended up in the sport I have loved since my earliest days on this planet.

I still sometimes have to stop myself being in awe of the fighters I speak to. I am still very much a fan of the sport, an admiration of the fighters who earn their living by punching people in the face. They are a rare breed and often we don’t appreciate what they go through for our ‘entertainment’ if that is the right word for this particular type of sport.

Natasha also fell into the Nobel Art by accident herself, dreams of a football career ending while on a scholarship in America. One tackle, the serious knee injury that followed and any potential football career was dead in the water.

I wanted to know how the transition from football to boxing happened:

“Because of the knee injury I hadn’t done any physical activity for a year as I had to wear a knee brace, and as a result, I had put on weight and lost a bit of confidence. So once my brace came off I started going to my uncle’s karate gym just to start doing something again and being active. A female boxing coach who lived across the road saw me and invited me to come to the local boxing gym. I was 21 and thought my sporting days were gone, I always needed a target, something to train for, so I was sort put off and didn’t want to box. I put her off for a while, saying I’d come next week. It went on for a bit, but because she was doing my head in I went just to shut her up. But I went and that was 14 years ago, and they never got rid of me after that.”

Natasha started in boxing 2005, the following year she was boxing for England and just 7 years later she was boxing in the Olympics in London as well as winning a bronze medal at the 2012 World Amateur Boxing Championships. Many boxers have to fit their careers around work, Natasha being no different.

“I was working until I got on the GB squad, we got fully funded in 2010 so I could then train full time. Before that, I had around 7 jobs, but because I needed time off to enter tournaments etc, it was hard getting time off and holding down a job.”

Natasha competed in the 2012 London Olympics, becoming the first GB female fighter to box in an Olympic games, losing to Katie Taylor a lightweight quarter-final bout, therefore missing out on a medal. Natasha has said previously that this is her biggest regret not winning a medal at those games.

“It’s the biggest ever achievement just to get there, especially as I’d told my mother when I was a kid I wanted to be at the Olympics, so there is a little story there. Then when I got there I knew I was top 8 in the world, I knew I could do it, which I suppose is where the regret comes from. When I first started, England were viewed as an easy draw, but not in 2012.”  

In 2015 aged just 30 Natasha announced her retirement from boxing.

“In the Commonwealth Games I fell funny and snapped two ligaments in my toe. I had two choices, either leave it, box and suffer in later life. Or I could have it operated on and miss the qualifiers for the 2016 Olympics. As much as I love boxing I need my toe for the rest of my life. So I decided to have the operation, and because of the 4-year cycle I knew I wouldn’t be around for the next Olympics in 2020, so I thought what’s the point in carrying on.”  

Women’s boxing while never going away suddenly started getting more mainstream attention again and Natasha announced her return to the sport, but this time in the paid ranks turning professional with Eddie Hearn and his Matchroom stable.

“The opportunity was there, it never had been there before. Also in the amateur game, I don’t think I ever realised my full potential and I still had things I felt I could achieve in boxing. On paper even though my amateur achievements were amazing, and they are, but I never got to achieve what I wanted to do, and it burnt inside me, and it was kind of eating me up a little bit, and I thought I could do it as a professional.”

Natasha turned pro in 2017 and quickly had amassed an unbeaten start going 6-0 before taking on Viviane Obenauf in August of last year. Prior to the fight, there was talk of world title fights and a rematch with Katie Taylor. Natasha suffered a shock stoppage defeat to Obenauf. I asked if Natasha not had noticed anything wrong in camp or that all the pre-fight talk had taken away any of the usual focus on the hear and now.

“I got caught up in all the hype, and I know better than to do that. There was nothing in training I could put my finger on it, I just got caught and never recovered from the initial shot, I was mentally there I just didn’t physically recover, it was just one of those things.”   

I wanted to know if retirement was considered following the defeat.

“Yes, I think it wasn’t the defeat it was the manner of it, I had never been stopped before, it was a pride, ego thing, I was hurting. But that was what drove me to return.”

Natasha returned in March this year with a points win over Feriche Mashauri in her home city of Liverpool, a performance Natasha got a little bit of criticism for.

“I’m a little smarter now, but I got some stick for being a little over cautious, but it was just to prove I could do when I am on it.” 

Boxing isn’t the only thing Natasha does, she is currently in the 5STAR drama called Clink, I asked how did this come about.

“Tony Bellew messaged me asking if I wanted to do a bit of acting, I said I have never done any acting before. I was told I had to go for an audition like anyone else, I went and I got it. When I got the the call I was like a big kid, mumbling sounding like a right idiot. I went for the reading, and then in filming, I was a background character at first with one line, but now as the episodes go on I am getting more lines. I was so out of my comfort zone but I am up for trying new things.”

Once their careers are over, many boxers don’t have plans for the future, which is why a lot of them struggle post boxing. I had no doubt that Natasha would have thought about what lies ahead.

“I’d love to do more acting work, commentary work but I am driven to help people through sport or motivational speaking. Boxing is such a massive part of my life I can’t ever see myself not being involved in it in some capacity.” 

I asked Natasha what is the best advice she has ever received, and what irritates her the most.

“It’s not advice its a quote somebody said to me, there are three aims in life, one you are given, one you inherit and one you make yourself. What irritates me the most is deceitful people, liars there is just no need for it.”

I always close my interviews with the same question, and one I never get the same answer to. I asked Natasha what one thing in boxing would she change.

“Accountability for judges, they can affect a boxers future careers, especially in the amateurs. Callum Smith missed out on a place in the Olympics because of a bad call. It can be the difference in going to an Olympics or not, and lessens your bargaining power with a potential promoter. When a judge calls it like nobody else has seen it, that’s not a mistake. They are messing with peoples lives and careers and they are never ever held accountable.”    

Natasha will return to action in Liverpool in July on a MTK show and then possibly in late summer on a Matchroom show again potentially in Liverpool.