Unfinished business. That is what has driven on birthday girl Natasha Jonas as she counts down to her world championship challenge.
Liverpool’s 2012 Olympian will take part in a Battle of Britain with Terri Harper at a date still to be announced in August for the Yorkshire girl’s WBC super-featherweight title.
It will form part of one of Eddie Hearn’s first boxing shows since the corona virus lockdown with the promoter staging a series of events from Matchroom’s grounds in Essex, live on Sky Sports.
And it looks an intriguing contest between a bright, young talent and a fighter still determined to add a professional world title to an array of amateur successes, including European and World podium places.
That few are giving Jonas scant chance would be an understatement.
Form goes against the Scouser, they say, as does age, while the odds are incredible for a ‘two-horse race’, Paddy Power has Terri 1-12 and Natasha 6-1. At this juncture, your writer must remind people that other bookmakers are out there.
“Throughout my whole life I’ve always given it everything and if it works it works and if it doesn’t it doesn’t,” Jonas told punch-lines. “I’ve always given it a go.
“As good as my career looks on paper, the things I’ve won and the places I’ve been to, there are still things in boxing I haven’t achieved yet that I want to.”
Standing in the way of that dream is Harper, who became Britain’s second pro female world champ with an excellent a victory over Finland’s Eva Wahlstrom in Sheffield in February.
Jonas is respectful of the 23-year-old from Denaby, South Yorkshire, though not fearful.
“I wasn’t at her world title win but I watched it and I was there when she beat Viviane Obenauf,” said Natasha who turned 36 today (Thursday June 18).
“She’s good, she’s young, she’s hungry, she speaks well and is a talent.
“She’s not been in the game a long time, she’s only had 10 fights, but she’s been around long enough.
“She’s proved she can get people out of there and she’s proved she can do the rounds.
“But, personally, I don’t think there is anything she does that’s better than me.”
Both have fought Obenauf in recent times with mixed results.
Jonas lost badly to the Brazilian-born Swiss boxer in August 2018, put down four times before being stropped in round four while in late 2019, Harper convincingly outpointed Viviane to win the IBO’s version of the super-feather title.
Natasha does not gloss over her sole paid defeat or make any excuses.
“It did hurt, not the fact I lost, in the amateurs you lose week-in, week-out, it was the way I lost,” said the Joe Gallagher-trained southpaw who has come back with three straight wins, all in her beloved Liverpool.
“But if she thinks that’s the way to beat me then we’ll see.”
Words: Roy Kelly Picture: Mark Robinson/ Matchroom
