Beyond The Ropes: Natasha Jonas

Beyond The Ropes: Natasha Jonas

You have to be balanced whenever you say or write something. Boxxer and Ben Shalom have delivered for Natasha Jonas. They rescued her from the wilderness. They delivered world title after world title. A dream realised. Jonas, after being more than lost in the mix elsewhere, was finally treated as a priority. But it does appear that in some ways, maybe in many ways that ‘Miss GB’ is right back where she started. Her priority status is seemingly lost. At a time in her career, when it is needed the most.

Despite coming off her best-ever win. That thrilling hometown victory over Mikaela Mayer in January. Jonas has now seemingly been put in cold storage. Having recently turned forty, the Liverpool fighter can’t afford to be kept on ice. 2023 was a similar story. One fight. One year of frustration. 2024 looks like it is heading in the exact same direction. In truth, it already has.

There have been promises of fights. A rematch with Mayer looked locked in on numerous occasions. Both fighters did everything they could to secure the rematch. They worked in unison, exploring every available option. They tried to make the fight on a Top Rank show in America. They tried to make it work on a Frank Warren show in London. But nothing could get over the line. Both fighters desperately wanted to run it back. But the usual boxing politics got in the way. Very much a missed opportunity.

Both, as a consequence, had to move on without each other. Mayer moved on to Sandy Ryan. A little dance at Madison Square Garden in September that earned Mayer the WBO world welterweight title. Meanwhile, Jonas is still playing the waiting game. Mayer still wants another fight with Jonas. It makes even more sense now. But when did common sense mean anything in boxing?

The IBF world welterweight champion has been waiting for the definitive call that never seems to come. A possible unification fight with the WBC welterweight title holder Ivana Habazin has been mooted. But a possible date on August 31st didn’t materialise. There was talk of a potential date in October in London. As was a potential fight night in November. Now Jonas hears it could be in December. But the wait still goes on. And the clock keeps on ticking. The worry is that December will now roll into next year. Jonas can’t afford a near-year-long absence away from the ring. But that appears to be her reality.

Jonas has been beyond patient. But time is running out. She wanted this to be her last year in the sport. She wanted to go out with a bang. She deserves to go out in a blaze of glory. But not for the first time, boxing has failed her.

There was a desired hit list. Jessica McCaskill, Katie Taylor, Chantelle Cameron, and that on-off second fight with Mikaela Mayer. But nothing has happened. The priority status has seemingly gone elsewhere. The Boxxer involvement in the Saudi-backed shows seems to be the current main focus. Sadly, to the detriment of the in-house UK product. Or so it would appear.

After all the fanfare of that truly wonderful 2022. A year that finally saw Jonas land her first world title at the third attempt, quickly followed by two more. But Jonas is again on the outside looking in. Not for the first time, Natasha Jonas deserves better from a sport that she has graced for over a decade. But maybe this time, it cuts a little deeper.

Jonas is one of the great Boxxer success stories. It should now be a swansong of celebration. Creating the final memories to sign out in style. Time is very much against her. You’d hope that Boxxer and Shalom realise this. It’s another great boxing mystery why Jonas hasn’t yet got a fight locked in. She isn’t alone in waiting for a firm date. But time is against her. Others have a little more time to play with.

It would be a real shame if, after all the good work since the Boxxer/Jonas hook-up in 2021, their story ends on a sour note surrounded by bitterness and more. Time is running out on many things.

Photo Credit: Boxxer