TRAINER Joe Gallagher has told Boxing News he would like Natasha Jonas to retire from boxing after her fight against Mikaela Mayer on Saturday (January 20), but says it would be a shame if the public never got to see a rematch between Jonas and Katie Taylor.
On Saturday night at Liverpool’s Echo Arena local girl Jonas makes the first defence of her IBF welterweight strap against Mayer, an experienced American who previously won two belts at super-featherweight between 2020 and 2021. A win for Jonas would be the biggest of a career which includes defeats to Viviane Obenauf and Taylor (with a draw against Terri Harper in between).
Since the Taylor loss in May 2021, Jonas has gone unbeaten in five, winning the IBF, WBC and WBO belts at super-welterweight before dropping back down to welterweight last July to defeat the overmatched Kandi Wyatt and pick up a WBO bauble.
“After Natasha wins on Saturday night I’d like her to retire,” Gallagher, Jonas’ coach, told BN. “I just think she’s done everything she’s wanted to do but the fire still burns bright with her and you’re a long time retired.
“Katie Taylor, that’s the fight that makes sense. Both girls started the journey [in] 2012 at the Olympics, that massive fight, and then they had a great fight behind closed doors. It’ll be a shame for them not to have another fight and [for] everyone to come see it. They’re both the ideal dance partner for each other to have that last dance – whether that’s at Croke Park, Liverpool, Dublin, wherever. The two of them came into the game after a big fight and both of them could walk out old rivals together and that’s the end of that era really. A Katie Taylor fight in the summer would be ideal for me in the ideal world.”
Gallagher knows, however, that defeat to Mayer would make getting back into the picture for fights against big names like Katie Taylor very difficult for Jonas.
“She’s [Jonas] won four world titles in her last four fights,” he said. “She knows that if she loses the doors will be shut and it’ll be very hard to get them open again. I don’t think many people will want to give Natasha a break again. She’s got to make sure she keeps hold of her title Saturday night.”
