Natasha Jonas: 147 & Beyond

Natasha Jonas: 147 & Beyond

If Natasha Jonas defeats the Canadian Kandi Wyatt on July 1st in Manchester and claims the vacant IBF welterweight title, it will almost certainly close the door to her stay in the super-welterweight division. Jonas will keep her options open, but FightPost understands that her days at 154 are already over.

There is a tentative plan in place, in boxing, tentative is all you have. With so many moving parts and those dastardly rematch clauses, even a Plan B isn’t enough. Jonas knows that better than anybody.

Wyatt will be the first step on those plans. A victory moves her on to the closing stages of her long and illustrious career. The end is near, but Jonas is in no mood to go quietly. There is a legacy to cement.

There were attempts to fight Jessica McCaskill instead of Wyatt, but McCaskill has decided to take a multi-fight offer from Matchroom and will defend her remaining welterweight baubles against the WBO champion Sandy Ryan in a big unification fight in the next few months. Jonas could face the winner, but there are complications. I’m not convinced there is enough money on the table for that to happen. History tells us that. But things change. We live in hope. It is a fight Jonas hasn’t ruled out. But from the outside, it looks unlikely.

But a McCaskill win will only give us a rematch with Ryan in all likelihood. For all those who are throwing shades at Jonas for not wanting the undisputed fight with Terri Harper, hopefully, they will have the same energy for a McCaskill/Jonas fight rather than another tiresome promotional-friendly mandated rematch if McCaskill upsets the odds against the British fighter.

But regardless of unifications and more at 147, Jonas will have options if she indeed wakes up on July 2nd, as a two-weight world champion. Another fight at welterweight will likely close her year out. The opponent in mind will disappoint nobody. An easy fight to make. Another victory and Jonas will be in reach of her legacy fight.

Jonas has mentioned Katie Taylor and Chantelle Cameron as her desired opponents. Taylor and Cameron will renew hostilities in November, Jonas has already said she will target the winner. And why shouldn’t she?

Cameron is far more likely to fight Jonas. They are friends, but there is still a willingness to fight each other. If Taylor hadn’t called Cameron out when the rematch with Amanda Serrano fell away, they might already have fought. Some might say Eddie Hearn won’t allow it because Jonas won’t play ball elsewhere, but they don’t consider what Chantelle Cameron wants. They should. If Cameron repeats over Taylor, don’t rule out a fight early next year with Jonas. Cameron has been open about wanting to win belts at different weights. Jonas will have something that Cameron wants. If Cameron wants to fight Jonas, she should be allowed to do so. And ‘Miss GB’ might well fancy trying for a world title in three different weight categories. A legacy fight for both. Don’t be surprised if other fighters edge a little closer to the action. Jonas will have options. And a queue.

Jonas has her principles. Turning down the Claressa Shields fight earlier this year seems a strange move to some. But, Jonas felt it was right to do so. Contrary to what some may tell you, this wasn’t about Jonas wanting retirement money, just a number to reflect the risk and commercial value of the fight. The fight was desperately close to being made, and make no mistake, it was a fight Jonas badly wanted.

The rejection of a three-fight Matchroom deal after the Harper fight was a brave move. A gamble in many ways. But with the numbers involved in the ‘take it or leave it’ offer, it was the right move. The aftermath of the Harper fight left a bitter taste in many areas. How the Matchroom partnership ended towards the end of 2021 only added to her resentment of certain matters. It didn’t end well. Still, it is a story not fully told. As I said earlier, there are outstanding complications. Those complications stopped the Harper rematch from happening at 154. No amount of money could tempt Jonas. It wasn’t about avoidance, it was about principles. Treat people right on their way out of the door, you may need them again down the road. Sometimes you realise that too late.

Jonas was thrown under the bus on her way out of the door. While the ‘new media’ with cameras and microphones in hand, counted their clicks there was little thought of pushing back and thinking there might be more to the story. Trust me, there was. A couple of the media outlets, to their credit, did try and push a different narrative. Sadly, far too many didn’t.

It is very much a story of perseverance. Jonas has seemingly been on the brink many times in her career. She was supposedly done after Viviane Obenauf stopped her in 2018. The perceived sacrificial lamb for Terri Harper two years later. Even Taylor was supposed to stop her and send Jonas into a permanent retirement in 2021. There were times Jonas has been frozen out. The Liverpool fighter has been swimming against the tide for much of the last few years. There was a reason for this. High risk, low reward. Her move to Boxxer was another roll of the dice, but it has handsomely paid off. The elusive world title finally came and with it the pay cheques Jonas felt she was always worth. ‘Miss GB’ was paid more for her win over Chris Namus last February than she was for her fights with Harper and Taylor combined.

The fighting obituary of Natasha Jonas has been written many times, but she will hope that her retirement, whenever it may come, is on her terms. It is the least that she deserves. Jonas returned to boxing because she felt her career was unfinished business. That business will soon be completed.