“I will never watch that fight back,” Natasha Jonas told Boxing News over Zoom. “It took me a good 10 years to watch my fight with Katie Taylor in the Olympics. So the chances of me ever watching that fight back are very slim.”
That fight, of course, is the night Jonas suffered her first defeat in nearly four years. Lauren Price beat Jonas at the Royal Albert Hall on the Boxxer all-female show, and, in the process, Jonas surrendered her world welterweight baubles to the former Olympic champion.
Price defeated Jonas on points, with all three judges giving it to the victor by a wide margin. Scores of 98-93, 100-90, and 98-92 reflected a fight that started to go against the Liverpool fighter from the very early stages.
“The tactics weren’t wrong,” a reflective Jonas told me. “I just didn’t expect her to be as strong as she was. I don’t think there was anything in her performances that showed me that before. I knew she would be fast, but she was faster than I expected as well.
“When I jabbed, she was replying with three punches. I was just overwhelmed. I was so hesitant to throw combinations because I was getting so many counters back when I threw single shots.”
At 40, the suggestion was that it was a fight where her age finally caught up with her. But Jonas doesn’t see it that way. “I definitely don’t think it was one fight too many. I think it was more about her style. Maybe it was just good timing for Lauren and bad timing for me. Lauren was certainly better than I thought she was.”
The logical next fight for Lauren Price would be an undisputed showdown with the WBO title holder Mikaela Mayer. Jonas has shared 10 hard rounds with Mayer and thinks the American could have the style to trouble the unbeaten Price.
“Mikaela would have to be quick with her feet to stop her moving, which I don’t think I was,” Jonas told me. “I think Mikaela could outwork Lauren because she is quite lazy. But Mikaela will have to pin her down because Lauren will just keep moving. I think Mikaela could put it on her because her work rate is better than mine.”
It was another moment in time for women’s boxing. A night that truly delivered for the female side of the sport. Even in defeat, Jonas knows the importance of that night. “It does spoil it a little bit, but I can still appreciate the occasion for what it was.”
It is the obvious question. The somewhat one-sided nature of her defeat left many questioning if that was the end for the two-weight world champion. But Jonas still hasn’t reached a definitive decision on her boxing future.
“I think I am going to wait for a few results. Joe (Gallagher) has mentioned going back up to 154 and potentially facing Mary Spencer or Cecilia Brækhus, or even fighting Mikaela again. Personally, I think the two biggest fights out there would be either Katie Taylor or the rematch with Mikaela. They are probably the only two fights that would get me up for training again.”
“Pride, ego, to go out with a win and leave the sport on my own terms,” Jonas adds when I ask what would make her fight again. “I am out of contract with Boxxer, so I am free to do what I want.”
“The lack of opportunities to get the big fights that I really want,” Jonas says of what could lead her to walk away from her sport. “If I fight again, it has to mean something.”
You sense that if the right offer does come along, Jonas will indeed fight on. For many reasons, the chances of fighting Katie Taylor again seem remote. But a rematch with Mikaela Mayer is far more likely. Initial contact from the Mayer camp has been made.
If the ongoing discussions with Lauren Price end without reward, Mayer could easily fight Jonas again. Without any contractual obligations, it is undoubtedly the easiest fight to make.
But outside of another date with Mayer, there seems to be little else out there that would satisfy Jonas. In many ways, Natasha Jonas can walk away from boxing with no regrets and a future outside of boxing that has plenty going for her. Retirement holds no fears for the five-time world champion.
“I’ve immersed myself in so many different things,” Jonas told me. Wise investments in property. Multiple ongoing paid positions. You sense ‘Miss GB’ won’t struggle once the gloves are retired for good.
Jonas, who has just turned 41, will surely walk into the Hall of Fame when her name first appears on the ballot to do . A resume that will stand the test of time, and Jonas says she is incredibly satisfied with her time in her sport of choice.
“I’ve always said that everything I did after beating Chris Namus on the Amir Khan Kell Brook show would be a bonus,” Jonas relayed to Boxing News. “I am proud of what I have achieved. People only remember the good times, but sports are full of ups and downs, and I have been doing that all my career. Even before boxing, it was football and getting injured. It’s the downs that help you grow and develop. I don’t think that is talked about enough.”
