Jordan Barker-Porter: “I just want to have some fun, ideally win a title, and ultimately, just be happy.”

Jordan Barker-Porter: “I just want to have some fun, ideally win a title, and ultimately, just be happy.”

By Matt Elliott

2024 was a busy year for Jordan Barker-Porter. As well as fighting on three occasions, she opened a new gym, launched a 12-week fitness journal, and even found time to grow her social media audience as her highly engaging TikTok account surpassed 100,000 subscribers.

Despite all of that, she has also had to endure several frustrations and knockbacks along the way, with potential Commonwealth, European and English title opportunities all failing to materialise, resulting in her taking to Instagram a couple of weeks ago to proclaim that she ‘just wants to fight.’

I caught up with Barker-Porter this past week via Zoom, and despite the setbacks, I found her in an upbeat mood. Some of the optimism was undoubtedly the result of a new management direction, which she alluded to during our chat but was, understandably, reluctant to fully divulge until the finer points were agreed. That announcement became public knowledge over the weekend when she announced she was linking up with former two-weight world champion Natasha Jonas, who obtained her manager’s license in late 2023.

Barker-Porter will hope that Jonas, with all the experience and contacts she has across the sport, will be the ideal person to deliver her the opportunities that have alluded her of late. I started our conversation by asking her to expand on the fights that failed to materialise and just how difficult it’s been to remain motivated.

“The last few months have been a nightmare. To be honest, it’s been one thing after another. I was due to fight for the Commonwealth title at 135lbs in November, but they wanted eight grand, and I wasn’t in a position where I could fork that out myself. I could sell tickets but not to that level, and my sponsors are great, but they already support me, so I couldn’t lean on them for more. I’ve put my hand in my pocket before to cover an opponent’s costs but when the invoice came through they wanted us to pay for hotel and food costs, travel, the judges, the fight purse etc. and I was just thinking, are they taking the piss out of me?

“I already work full-time, and I thought enough is enough. Know your worth. So we made a collective decision not to go ahead with it. Then, just before Christmas, I got a call from the board saying I’d been made mandatory for the full European and a rematch against Pamela [Noutcho Sawa]. We then got offered a place on the Boxxer card at the Albert Hall, probably the biggest money she would’ve got, certainly in her career so far, but then we got told they wouldn’t fight outside of Italy. It went to purse bids, and she withdrew and is now fighting someone else, so that was another blow.”

The setbacks didn’t end there. A potential shot at the English title and then a rematch against Mikaela Lauren, whom she’d faced in October, both appeared to be done, only for them to fall away at the last minute.

“The English fight was due to be against Jade Grierson, which would have been up at 140lbs. I decided to step up from 135lbs, as unless I was making big money, it was not worth risking my health for. So, the fight was offered and due to be on the 22nd March, but she pulled out on the day it was due to be announced, and there was no one else to step in. The board tried, but the top girls were already tied up with fights, so it couldn’t go ahead. Then I got offered the rematch with Mikaela back over in Sweden. There was only me left to sign the contracts as I’d been away, and then she pulled out. I just can’t seem to get a fight, and it’s hard to take.”

Two of the fights that fell away against Pamela Noutcho Sawa and Mikaela Lauren would have been rematches. The original fights both took place overseas, with the Sawa clash for the EBU European Silver Lightweight belt. It’s a fight that Barker-Porter lost on points, and while she has no complaints about the decision, her preparations weren’t ideal with a change of coach during the buildup.

“The whole experience was amazing; they treated us well, and we were in a nice hotel. The venue was beautiful, and I never expected the national anthem to be played in the ring, so that was a very surreal experience. I think the main issue I faced was the weight, with fighting abroad for the first time and building that into the cut but also changing my coach in such a short space of time. My previous coach said he couldn’t come, so I moved across to Jordan Williams, but we only had around seven weeks to work together, and it just wasn’t enough time.

“When I look back on the fight, the first six or seven rounds I just reverted to type and boxed on the back foot. It wasn’t until the last few rounds that I think she was looking for a stoppage that I just bit down on my gumshield and started pushing her back and had my most success. It was too little, too late at that point, though. So, I was buzzing when I got the call about the rematch, but it just wasn’t to be.”  

Having fought outside of the UK for the first time as a professional, Barker-Porter didn’t have to wait long for her next opportunity. After the Sawa defeat, she returned to winning ways with victory over Katherine Quintana in July, and then the opportunity to face Mikaela Lauren, a former two-weight world champion, in her hometown of Sweden, presented itself. It was a fight taken at short notice, and it ended in a controversial draw, but there was another factor that meant the build-up was far from perfect. A couple of days before the fight, the Twins Academy, where Barker-Porter trains, suffered a devastating fire that burnt it to the ground. There could have been no complaints had she opted to withdraw, but she admits trainer and gym owner, Jordan Williams, was quick to signal that the fight must go ahead.

“It was heartbreaking news when I saw the images of what had happened to the gym. It was the day before we were due to fly out, and I texted Jordan and said, “We can call it off and fight another day,” but his response was literally that the show must go on. So, there was a bit of pressure as I felt like I was carrying the weight of the full gym on my shoulders, but at the same time, I was determined to do it for Twins and Jordan as well. It was another good experience, and I got probably the best treatment I’ve had on any show to be fair. The promoter, Armand Krajnc, has been in the game himself, and the experience reflected that.

“As for the fight, they gave us a draw, which was frustrating as I thought I’d done enough to win. Afterwards, there were loads of Swedish people coming up to me and saying they thought I’d won. The Swedish president even shook my hand and said he thought I’d won. So, it was a bit of a kick in the teeth, as a win against an opponent of her standing could’ve elevated me, but to get a draw is better than being completely robbed and coming away with a defeat.”

Despite everything that she’s had to face over the last few months, there is a chink of light at the end of a long tunnel. While Natasha Jonas’ name was not disclosed when we spoke, it was clear that Barker-Porter was excited by the prospect of confirming their agreement, with a potentially big fight on the horizon.

“I’ve got a meeting next week, which is really exciting. I’m not going to say anything just yet, but it involves new management and a total change of scenery. I feel this person can bring out the best in me and push me on. They are a very big figure in boxing and there’s a little bit of female empowerment as well. There is then the prospect of a big fight, which I’m going to try and get. It’s a fight I wanted previously, but someone else got there in front of me. I’m looking for fights beyond six rounds as well. I was prepared to take the Lauren rematch over six because we couldn’t get it for a title, but I’m in a position where I want to be pushing on and fighting for a title.”

As well as confirming her management, Barker-Porter is now settled under trainer Jordan Williams, having been with him for over 12 months. The Twins Academy relocated to a new site next door to where they were, and the culture in the gym is one where the fighters are not afraid to take on a challenge, something that is refreshing to see. Barker-Porter seems content in her surroundings.

“Working under Jordan has been really good. I feel like my confidence is fully restored as it had dipped a little bit before I made the switch, but now that spark is back. Everything has just clicked and I feel like I understand why I am doing certain things in the ring and I feel a lot stronger as well. You’re not protected here as well. You fight who’s out there and what’s in front of you. Of course, there’s an appreciation of when a fight might be a bit out of your league, so not all options are progressed, but we all just want to box. The Floyd Mayweather days of ending your career unbeaten are largely gone, so we are all willing to challenge ourselves and hopefully, we can collect some titles this year.”

Outside of the ring, Barker-Porter makes her living as a Personal Trainer, and in January of last year, she opened up Levels Gym which offers a bit of everything but looks to create an inclusive environment. Unfortunately, the gym would also suffer a setback, as Storm Ėowyn would cause irreparable damage at the beginning of this year, however, in typical Barker-Porter fashion, a new site was found and the gym relocated in a matter of weeks. Then, as a bonus, her wife Amy became part of the Levels team, meaning it’s now a family affair.

“Yes, we’ve got Amy involved now as well, which is great. Things have changed significantly in our lives and we’ve got childcare to think about and things like that and I’ve told her to do it for years, so she’s finally taken the plunge and officially starts in April. It means I’m watering my own plants as well. I’ve spent too long watering other people’s and being stabbed in the back. I could offer more to my clients, but with the boxing, I’ve got to fit in training as well, so I’ve often recommended clients to someone else, but with Amy involved I can now just send them her way.

“We’ve been really fortunate with the gym, though. It was just starting to rocket after twelve months, and then for it to be damaged to the extent it was, and with me having no fights scheduled it was a bit worrying time from a financial perspective. Thankfully though, these new premises became available and they were virtually ready to move into, and is number twenty-two as well, which is a special number for us, so it’s almost as if it was destined to be. We managed to turn it around in four weeks, and we are ready to push on.”

With the gym sorted, a new management team in place, and things starting to look more positive, what does Barker-Porter hope to achieve for the remainder of 2025?

“I want to be out three times this year. I want to stay active because the last time I fought was October and it’s just no good being out of the ring for that long as you do feel rusty when you’re getting back in and restarting again. So, despite not having been able to fight, I’ve tried to keep camp ongoing in the background. Not full throttle to the point where I could crash and burn, but doing some sparring and the technical work, so that if something does crop up at short notice, I’m ready to jump in. I’m not getting any younger, though, and with the decision to move up to 140lbs, I just want to have some fun, ideally win a title, and, ultimately, just be happy.”