Natasha Jonas insists winning the vacant WBO Super Welter Title will be enough to cement her boxing legacy.
The Liverpool-born brawler hopes to bring home the gold tonight (February 19) after unsuccessfully contending twice for World Titles.
2021 saw Jonas beaten via unanimous decision to Ireland’s Katie Taylor and in 2020, a draw with Terri Harper.
Legacy fight
With undisputed champ Taylor set for a pay-per-view showdown with Cuban Amanda Serrano, ‘Tasha’ needed to look elsewhere for her opportunity.
‘Miss GB’ now steps up two weight divisions for a third opportunity at glory, while the lightweight titles remain engaged.
“My thing is, when I’m on Sky, the banner always pops up and says ‘Natasha Jonas, former Olympian’ or ‘Natasha Jonas, former World Title Challenger’,” said Jonas, speaking to Merseysportlive.
“There’s always that asterisk next to your name, I don’t want this. Before I hang up the gloves, it needs to say ‘Natasha, former World Champion’. That’s what I’m all about.”
Weighing it up
With scarce options at lightweight, the 37-year-old regrets nothing as she concedes size advantage against natural super-welterweight, Chris Namus.
“They wanted to match me with someone higher in the lightweight rankings, but no one wanted to box,” said Great Britain’s first-ever female Olympian.
“I was really delighted to fight for the title at light-middle because it was that or not box at all! I’ve got nothing to lose.”
Unfinished business
Although insisting she isn’t looking past Saturday’s clash, she admits a World Title could open doors down the line.
With a WBO belt as leverage, victory could fuel interest for a rematch with Taylor.
“At the moment, I haven’t got a title and fighters don’t wanna risk fighting me for nothing,” she added.
“With a title, I’ll have more of a bargaining tool.
“I wanna keep boxing at a world level, but with Katie (Taylor) holding all the belts at lightweight […], the earliest I could be expected to fight her would be around October to early December.”
(Featured image with permission from Natasha Jonas)
