Natasha Jonas Named British Boxing Board of Control Fighter of the Year For 2022

Natasha Jonas Named British Boxing Board of Control Fighter of the Year For 2022

It has been a quite remarkable turnaround in the career of Natasha Jonas in recent times. But all the hard work, sacrifice, and perseverance have now paid off. And to reward the best year of her boxing career, Jonas has now been named the British Boxing Board of Control Fighter for 2022, the first female fighter to win the coveted award. Few would argue with their decision.

There were times when her career looked dead in the water. A stunning devastating defeat to Viviane Obenauf in 2018 left Jonas contemplating retirement before giving the sport one last try to find that inner peace a world title would give her.

Jonas fought back. It took time, but the Liverpool fighter found her confidence again with a series of low-key wins. But when Terri Harper made the call to defend her world super-featherweight titles against Jonas in 2020, Miss ‘GB’ was given little chance of victory. Make no mistake, Jonas was there to lose. But Jonas shocked Harper and was desperately unlucky to only come away with a draw. Many, including this observer, had Jonas winning after 10 good hard rounds that were a credit to their sport. The perception of women’s boxing probably changed on that August night.

When hopes of an immediate rematch faded away and contractual woes saw her sitting on the sidelines, the clock was ticking on her career. But when Katie Taylor came calling in 2021, Jonas had what appeared to be her final chance to win a world title. It was another wafer-thin decision that didn’t go the way of Jonas. Taylor edged it, but yet again, Jonas had proved her worth on the world stage.

A rematch with Taylor looked certain, but when Jonas received a better long-term offer, Jonas left the Matchroom bubble to sign with Boxxer. Many questioned that decision, but Jonas told me:

“They think it’s wrong for me, come back in a year and tell me so. If not, just accept I’ve made a decision that’s best for me and my family.”

It was a gamble in many ways for Jonas signing with the new partner of Sky Sports. With all the fighters in her more natural the Matchroom umbrella, Jonas knew she would be frozen out in the short-term at the very least. Almost certainly, it would have been a lot longer. The old partnership did not end well. Probably the understatement of any year.

But Jonas saw opportunities at super-welterweight, and an unlikely scenario played out in some style in 2022.

Jonas started the year with no world titles and ended it with three. Courtesy of wins over Chris Namus, Patricia Berghult, and Marie-Eve Dicaire, Jonas left 2022 with the WBO, WBC, and IBF world titles around her waist. The Ring Magazine belt was added to her resume to crown a truly incredible 12 months for a fighter who has defied the odds on more than one occasion. Even the politics of her sport couldn’t stop her.