Natasha Jonas: “I’m confident the Mikaela Mayer fight will happen.”

Natasha Jonas: “I’m confident the Mikaela Mayer fight will happen.”

As the boxer career of Natasha Jonas winds down, although the fighting obituary of ‘Miss GB’ has been prematurely written many times previously and still she continues to rewrite the record books, Jonas has begun a new phase in her boxing life. The Liverpool fighter recently became the first black British female to obtain a manager’s licence from the British Boxing Board of Control.

Former amateur star Mikie Tallon will be the first fighter to benefit from the extensive knowledge and experiences of Jonas. Tallon got his professional career up and running on Saturday night in Manchester. The young flyweight won his professional debut with a comfortable 40-36 points victory over Sean Jackson. In many ways, it was a new experience for Jonas. In the ring, you have some element of control over what happens. As a manager, you have none.

“Watching any of the lads is horrible. When you are watching, it is different. It was probably the one time I got what other people go through when they are watching me,” Jonas told me over Zoom. As the career of Tallon advances, Jonas understands that feeling will only get worse.

But Tallon has real pedigree. And talent. Despite being only 18, the young prospect already has 10 years in the game. Tallon wasn’t even into double figures when he first walked into a boxing gym. With Joe Gallagher at the helm in the gym and Jonas guiding the young prodigy from the outside, it does seem that Tallon is in safe hands and he will make a quick return to action when he returns on November 24th for his second professional fight.

“I have got big hopes for Mikie, but it’s tough. I have already got other people saying, “Would I think about taking them on?” But I ask what they want to do, and they tell me to be a world champion. But you have to be realistic,” Jonas tells me. A woman already very much in demand in her new position. But while the Jonas managerial stable will undoubtedly grow, for now, Tallon is the primary focus. “Mikie is different. One he has got a lot of time on his hands, he’s only 18. But it’s being in the know enough to know about opponents. So, I am going to have to start watching prospective opponents for Mikie. To be fair to me, I did find the opponent on Saturday night. Mikie is someone who can be moved quickly because of the weight division that he is in. But we have to move him where he is getting experience and learning his trade because he never had a senior fight as an amateur. It’s being able to progress him and make those step-ups at the right time.”

Jonas has one eye on the future, but she is also very much in the present. A fight with the American Mikaela Mayer is in the works. Mayer told FightPost last week that she has agreed on her side of the deal and is just awaiting confirmation of a firm fight date. And Jonas seems to be on the same page.

“I’m confident the Mikaela Mayer fight will happen,” an optimistic Jonas tells me. The two-weight world champion is more than hopeful that a fight with the former unified world super-featherweight champion will happen early in the new year. For Jonas, there are a couple of issues to resolve. FightPost is of the understanding that those outstanding issues are not of a financial nature. They are centred around what happens after the fight with Mayer.

Mayer was respectful when I asked for her thoughts on her possible next opponent, and Jonas reciprocated that respect.

“I think she is a good fighter,” Jonas says. “I had Mikaela beating Baumgardner. It was a close fight, but I think she edged it. She’s got a good amateur pedigree, and she’s a good all-round fighter with decent feet and good hands, and she is long and rangy with a good shot selection.”

It does seem like a fight that can’t fail to hit the mark. And one that will please virtually everyone.

“It will be a good fight. I say it all the time. There are certain fights that the fans want, what Sky wants, and what Boxxer wants. And what I want. There are not many fights that please everyone, but Mikaela Mayer does that. Everyone thinks it is a good fight. She is internationally known and respected. It is a fight that the fans want to see, and it is a fight that I want. I think everyone is happy with that fight.”

Jonas has previously stated that everything she achieves now will be a bonus for her. With three world titles and the Ring Magazine belt at super-welterweight, and now the current IBF welterweight champion, you can understand that sentiment. A victory over Mayer will give a little more tinsel to the resume of Natasha Jonas. It would also be her best win.

Jonas has had an incredible Indian summer in her career after so many early disappointments. But the former 2012 Olympian isn’t done yet, with big targets in mind should she turn back the challenge of Mayer. Jonas sees a win over Mayer as a gateway to a fight with the winner of the upcoming rematch between Katie Taylor and Chantelle Cameron. A fight with Taylor looks remote, but Cameron has already shown an interest in a fight with Jonas. Mayer will also have Cameron in her sights, and the undisputed super-welterweight champion has also expressed an interest in fighting Mayer. At some point in 2024, the winner of Jonas/Mayer could very easily be facing Chantelle Cameron.

The American told me last week the importance of her fight with Jonas, even using words like career-defining and even career-ending if Jonas inflicted the second defeat on her professional resume. But Jonas is in a similar position herself. Any loss, especially the manner of such a defeat, could very easily mean the final bell will chime on her incredible and trailblazing career. But Jonas believes even a defeat would lead to a rematch with Mayer and not an immediate retirement call. But it is a fight that Jonas firmly believes she will win.

“A loss would lead to a rematch, but I don’t train to lose. If I lost, it would be what it was, but if I lost the rematch, then it would be over. But it is a fight I think I will win. I’m not going to say too much, but I think I can win.”  

A fight between Natasha Jonas and Mikaela Mayer looks very close to being signed sealed and delivered. FightPost is of the understanding that the outstanding issues are relatively minor and shouldn’t result in the fight not being made. Mayer has agreed terms, and Jonas is close to doing so. Only what potentially lies ahead for Jonas will scupper the fight. Make no mistake, Jonas and Mayer only want to fight each other. What potentially could be next for Jonas shouldn’t cost us this fight. All parties should concentrate on the here and now. Jonas vs. Mayer is far too good a fight to be lost.