Two-division world champion Natasha Jonas has long called to be involved in the biggest fights possible and after a potential Claressa Shields clash went cold in March, she’ll be defending her IBF welterweight title on home soil against another American instead in what both hope will kick off a successful 2024 for their respective careers. Who will come out on top in Liverpool?
Jonas, Mayer agree this matchup is their toughest test yet
- Natasha Jonas thought Mikaela Mayer beat undisputed super-featherweight champion Alycia Baumgardner in last October’s grudge match, and praised the 33-year-old: “Good jab, footwork, IQ, well-schooled from the Olympic ranks… I just think I’m better at everything.”
- BOXXER chief, Jonas’ promoter Ben Shalom calls Mayer a US icon keen for another fierce away challenge: “To come back from a controversial defeat and be Jonas’ dance partner in her hometown… we saw Katie Taylor in Ireland, it’ll be the same on January 20 – a huge fight for boxing.”
- Mayer acknowledges champion’s privilege and accomplishments warrant Jonas’ Liverpool homecoming, but believes the conditions will spur her onto a career-best showing: “It’s a fight we both wanted, what’s the difference [in location]? A bit rougher to walk in but that kinda excites me, it’ll challenge me and I usually rise to the occasion, it’ll be fun.”
- “I wanted to make it more strategic, feel like I’m outgrowing 10×2-minute rounds,” Mayer implies team Jonas rejected approach for ten three-minute rounds during negotiations, defending champion says she wasn’t aware but open to the change – though Shalom suggests it’s unlikely
Natasha Jonas (c) vs. Mikaela Mayer for IBF welterweight championship
January 20 from Liverpool’s M&S Bank Arena in Jonas’ latest homecoming
Jack Cullen vs. Zak Chelli for British, Commonwealth super-middleweight titles
Rest of the undercard information to be announced at a later date
Natasha Jonas’ journey with Ben Shalom and Sky has been well-documented in recent years, and it’s about to step up a few notches in little over seven weeks time.
Kay Koroma and Al Mitchell vs. Joe Gallagher has been billed as a meeting of highly-esteemed trainers, but their tactical gameplans are only another subplot in a matchup of two world champions with seemingly nowhere else to go right now.
Of course, Jonas (14-2-1, 9 KOs) could satisfy her IBF mandatory and rack up another comfy title defence – four championship fights in 21 months largely against unheralded opposition – though that doesn’t excite a legacy-enhancing trailblazer.
She scored an eighth-round TKO win over Kandi Wyatt on July 1 to win the vacant IBF strap, having previously won and defended unified titles at light-middleweight.
Mikaela Mayer, and all that comes with a decisive win over the former unified super-featherweight champion, is both a risky proposition and has a higher reward.
“Manchester’s not too far away and been good to me but there’s no place like home. She’s going to come into the lion’s den, I respect her for that and we’ll have a good night of boxing. We’ve got a lot of Irish blood in Liverpool – not dissimilar to the weekend – a great occasion and the fans will appreciate that. Most definitely [my toughest test], I’ll prepare myself well.
“Is it rewarding to stay the course? Definitely. There are very few fights the fans, promoters, TV platforms and fighters are happy with – very hard to satisfy but this fight does that, in Liverpool, I think it’s something I deserve.”
Mayer has been chin checked a few times before, namely by Maiva Hamadouche and Baumgardner, but never been dropped or stopped. On whether the Scouser can change that to start 2024 given her own punch power, Jonas wasn’t fussed.
“I train for 12 rounds, only do 10… if I get them out early, so be it. I don’t rely on my punch power, anyone can go down at the right place, right time. Everyone can be hurt, it takes a little bit of time to adapt carrying weight around, boxing heavier people, I realised against Dicaire the physical difference.”
Mayer happier and enjoying training camps again
Mayer, six years younger and more experienced both as a professional (19-1, 5 KOs) and during an eight-year amateur career with 87 bouts, has been gradually getting used to an increase in weight preparing for this opportunity.
“It’s a fight we both wanted, easy to make, even when [her manager] George came back to me about topics of negotiation… this just proves it can happen when both want it. Everything she has accomplished, she deserves a home fight in Liverpool and I had no problem giving it to them.”
Ultimately, any crowd hostility will quickly disappear once the bell rings and the pair find themselves involved in a competitive fight as expected.
The old adage booed to the ring, cheered out of it isn’t an impossibility here, especially if she produces a career-best showing as promised during the presser.
On how she has found the weight jump, having boxed at 130lbs little over twelve months ago and this contest being scheduled for 147lbs – neither are natural welterweights – she revealed not having to deal with calorie deficits has helped her enjoy training camps again and that’s a good sign for how it’ll translate on fight night.
“It sucked before. I was fine with hard work and assumed it was, but forgot how much I loved the sport because I was so exhausted over a 10-week camp on a calorie deficit. I’m having fun again, able to think more, my [boxing] IQ has gone up, not just so tired and surviving weeks. This year has been a big year of growth, taken a lot of steps to better training and my position as a fighter.
“It’s my first fight at 147lbs feeling full and healthy, hopefully that comes through on the 20th. These are the fights I want to be a part of, need the leverage and that [IBF world title] belt will give me it.
On paper she’s the best I will have faced, both been in a handful of world title fights, only a few in our generation have big names and we are two of them. This sport is so unforgiving, can’t afford another setback.”
Pictures my own unless stated otherwise, quotes bold are mine – rest via Sky’s presser
Mo and Sports 