Natasha Jonas: “I took the risk to fight Mikaela as a voluntary defence because I wanted to test myself, even though she was very high risk. But I am not scared to take that risk again.”  

Natasha Jonas: “I took the risk to fight Mikaela as a voluntary defence because I wanted to test myself, even though she was very high risk. But I am not scared to take that risk again.”  

The fight was everything it was set up to be. Two former Olympians who knew the importance of a win for their immediate fighting futures. Natasha Jonas successfully defended her IBF world welterweight title by a highly controversial split decision against the former unified world super-featherweight champion Mikaela Mayer in Liverpool on Saturday night.

It was another night that served up a demonstration of just how good the sport can be. Free from all the politics that deny us the fights we crave. Jonas and Mayer only had eyes for each other. In many ways, the money men had their hands forced.

We got ten ridiculously savage rounds in that old iconic arena that has many a story to tell. The two fighters fought to a standstill. Neither had nothing left to give. They couldn’t have given anything more.

Less than 48 hours after her signature win, I caught up with Jonas over Zoom.

“I was under no illusion that it would be an easy fight. I knew it would be hard,” Jonas told me. “I rate what Mikaela brings to the table. That’s why I had that fear factor. I knew she was that good. I do sometimes mentally switch off, so I knew anytime I did that, she would be on me, and she was. I was shocked at how good she could take a shot as well.”

Jonas had fought at the higher weights before. Three fights at super-welterweight. Three world titles, before a move back down to welterweight last year and a fourth world title. Mayer only had a couple of low-key wins since leaving the ranks of super-featherweight behind last year. All the doubts were firmly at the Mayer door. Could she fight effectively at 147 at world level? Despite losing to Jonas by that agonisingly wafer-thin margin that ended her latest visit to the UK on a low, Mayer proved that she still has a big future at the weight.

“She was strong,” Jonas says. “But I still think she had more about her footwork-wise at super-featherweight. I do think the weight has slowed her feet down, and it was only when I slowed my feet down that we ended up going to war. If I had stayed on my toes, I don’t know if she would have been able to keep up with that. There were certain times when I let her unload, and Joe went mental at me. You could probably hear him shouting no, no, no.”

The scoring was controversial. The Mayer team was incensed at the scoring. This observer had it dead level at the conclusion of a fight that won’t be forgotten by anyone lucky enough to witness it close up. But Jonas, unaware of what was to come, always felt she was up on the cards. Her loyal trainer Joe Gallagher had Jonas up 3-1 after four rounds, and the trusted voice in her ear was a constant verbal scorecard throughout the fight.

“Hand on heart, I always believe what Joe says. When I am down, he will tell me. He basically gives me a kick up the arse. So I believe everything he says. When I am in a fight, I find scoring a fight a lot harder to do. It’s not just that fight it’s every single fight. You will see me going back to the corner asking if I won the round. I just can’t score a round if I am in it.”

There is plenty of online fury that has plagued social media since the very moment the fight ended. Jonas has noted it but understands the nature of the beast. She has been here before in her fights with Terri Harper and Katie Taylor.

“It puts a little dent in my pride, I suppose. But I have been in three close fights. One I lost. One I drew and one I won.” The scoring shouldn’t overshadow what we saw on Saturday night. It was in truth, an exceptionally close fight that could have legitimately gone either way.

Jonas took the educated risk to fight Mayer. Being true to her word that with only a handful of fights left, Jonas only wants the big fights that will close out her career in the manner that it deserves. Mayer brought plenty to the table. A former elite amateur and former unified world champion, the importance of the win isn’t lost on the Liverpool fighter.

“100% Mikaela was my best win, and I said that it would be from the beginning,” Jonas told FightPost. “Is she the best fighter I have fought? No, Katie is. But I do think she is the second-best opponent that I have fought. I said it after the fight that she would beat most people in the division. She would probably stop Terri Harper, and I think she beats Sandy Ryan. A fight with Lauren Price would be a great fight, but I think she beats Lauren.”

Boxxer is planning another all-female card at the end of April, and Jonas, who missed out on the history-making extravaganza in October 2022, wants to be on the return card despite the quick turnaround. “Of course, I want to be on that card and have a really big fight on that card as well.”

Jonas has made no secret of who she wants next.

“For me, it has to be Katie Taylor, Jessica McCaskill, or Mayer. I know there are a lot of variables about what will happen with certain fighters.”

There are plenty of moving parts that could mean Jonas will not get what she wants next, specifically McCaskill or Taylor. But there are plenty of other options out there. Boxxer will undoubtedly push Lauren Price. But Jonas will likely push for someone else and that could potentially open the door for a lucrative rematch with Mikaela Mayer.

“If Katie or McCaskill are not available, then I will fight Mikaela again. I’m not scared to fight anyone. I took the risk to fight Mikaela as a voluntary defence because I wanted to test myself, even though she was very high risk. But I am not scared to take that risk again.”  

But whoever is next, Jonas has already mapped out her dream career climax. Katie Taylor and Chantelle Cameron look set to have their trilogy fight in May, and ‘Miss GB’ is already targeting the winner and the chance to become a three-weight world champion.

“Fighting the winner of Katie and Chantelle would be the perfect ending.”

The Natasha Jonas story is one of perseverance and resilience. An incredible fairytale comeback from the depths of despair. At 39, the clock is very much ticking. But the ambition remains. That story still has a little life left in yet.

Photo Credit: Lawrence LustigBoxxer