Natasha Jonas (born 18 June 1984) is a British professional boxer is a two weight world champion who has held the unified WBC, and WBO female light-middleweight titles since 2022. As an amateur, she won a bronze medal in the light-welterweight division at the 2011 European Championships; bronze in the lightweight division at the 2012 AIBA World Championships; and silver in the light-welterweight division at the 2014 European Championships.
Natasha Jonas | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 18 June 1984 Liverpool, England | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight(s) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (173 cm) [1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stance | Southpaw | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Boxing record | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total fights | 19 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wins | 16 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wins by KO | 9 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Losses | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Draws | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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| Website | natashajonas | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Amateur career
editJonas took up boxing in 2005 and by 2010 she had won five ABA Championships in the 64 kg Division for Liverpool club Rotunda ABC.[2] In 2009 she became the first female boxer to compete for GB Boxing.[3] In the same year she claimed gold in the 64 kg division at the 2009 Women's European Union Amateur Boxing Championships in Pazardzhik, Bulgaria, after she overcame Csilla Csejtei of Hungary in the final. Jonas another gold medal in the inaugural GB Amateur Boxing Championships in 2010, when she pipped rival Amanda Coulson by one point in an exciting bout in front of her home fans at Liverpool's Echo Arena.
2012 AIBA Women's World Amateur Boxing Championships
editJonas made history in Qinhuangdao, China in May 2012, when she reached the semi-finals of the 2012 AIBA Women's World Boxing Championships to become the first ever female British boxer to qualify for an Olympic Games, she then went on to take the bronze medal and a place in the 2012 London Olympics back to Liverpool with her.
2012 Olympic Games
editJonas became the first ever British female boxer to compete at an Olympic Games. Jonas faced Quanitta Underwood of the United States in the round of 16, Jonas emphatically beat Underwood, 21:13 winning three of the four rounds boxed.[4] Her wins set up a quarter-final bout with four-time World Champion, and Ireland's flag-bearer at the Opening Ceremony, Katie Taylor.[4] Jonas lost heavily to Taylor 26:15.[5]
Professional career
editJonas made her professional boxing debut against Monika Antonik at the Walker Activity Dome in Newcastle, England, on 23 June 2017, winning by stoppage just 92 seconds into the first round.[6][7]
In her 11th pro-fight, she challenged WBC and IBO female super-featherweight champion Terri Harper at Matchroom Headquarters in Brentwood, England, on 7 August 2020, with the bout ending in a split draw. One ringside judge scored the contest 96-94 for Harper, one had it 96-95 for Jonas and the third gave it as a 95-95 tie.[8][9]
Switching weights, Jonas took on unified female lightweight champion Katie Taylor in her next outing at the AO Arena in Manchester, England, on 1 May 2021, losing by unanimous decision with two of the ringside judges giving the fight to her opponent 96-95 and the third seeing the contest as 96-94.[10][11]
Again changing weight divisions, she won her first professional world title at her third attempt by stopping Chris Namús in round two of their fight for the vacant WBO female super-welterweight championship at Echo Arena in Liverpool, England, on 19 February 2022.[12][13]
In her next bout, and at the same venue, Jonas became a unified world champion by defeating WBC female super-welterweight title holder Patricia Berghult via unanimous decision on 3 September 2022.[14][15]
She added the IBF and The Ring female super-welterweight titles to her collection with a unanimous decision win over Marie-Eve Dicaire at the AO Arena in Manchester on 12 November 2022.[16][17]
Jonas was named the British Boxing Board of Control's British Boxer of the Year for 2022, becoming the first woman to win the accolade.[18]
She became a two-weight world champion on 1 July 2023, when she stopped Kandi Wyatt in round eight of their fight at the AO Arena in Manchester, England, to claim the vacant IBF female welterweight belt.[19][20]
Back at Liverpool's Echo Arena, Jonas retained her title with a split decision win over Mikaela Mayer on 20 January 2024. Two of the ringside judges gave her the bout 96-94, 96-95 respectively, with the other scoring it 97-93 to her opponent.[21][22]
She became a unified world champion for a second time by defeating WBC female welterweight title holder Ivana Habazin via unanimous decision at the Exhibition Centre, Liverpool, England, on 14 December 2024.[23][24][25]
Jonas is scheduled to face WBA, IBO and The Ring female welterweight champion Lauren Price at the Royal Albert Hall in London, England, on 7 March 2025.[26][27]
Professional boxing record
edit| 19 fights | 16 wins | 2 losses |
|---|---|---|
| By knockout | 9 | 1 |
| By decision | 7 | 1 |
| By disqualification | 0 | 0 |
| Draws | 1 | |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 | Win | 16–2–1 | Ivana Habazin | UD | 10 | 14 Dec 2024 | Exhibition Centre, Liverpool, England | Retained IBF female welterweight title and won WBC female welterweight title |
| 18 | Win | 15–2–1 | Mikaela Mayer | SD | 10 | 20 Jan 2024 | Echo Arena, Liverpool, England | Retained IBF female welterweight title |
| 17 | Win | 14–2–1 | Kandi Wyatt | TKO | 8 (10) | 1 July 2023 | AO Arena, Manchester, England | Won vacant IBF female welterweight title |
| 16 | Win | 13–2–1 | Marie-Eve Dicaire | UD | 10 | 12 Nov 2022 | AO Arena, Manchester, England | Retained WBC and WBO female light middleweight titles Won IBF, and The Ring female light middleweight titles |
| 15 | Win | 12–2–1 | Patricia Berghult | UD | 10 | 3 Sep 2022 | Echo Arena, Liverpool, England | Retained WBO female junior-middleweight title; Won WBC female super-welterweight title |
| 14 | Win | 11–2–1 | Chris Namús | TKO | 2 (10), 0:28 | 19 Feb 2022 | AO Arena, Manchester, England | Won vacant WBO female junior-middleweight title |
| 13 | Win | 10–2–1 | Vaida Masiokaite | UD | 6 | 20 Nov 2021 | Wembley Arena, Wembley, England | |
| 12 | Loss | 9–2–1 | Katie Taylor | UD | 10 | 1 May 2021 | AO Arena, Manchester, England | For WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO, and The Ring female lightweight titles |
| 11 | Draw | 9–1–1 | Terri Harper | SD | 10 | 7 Aug 2020 | Matchroom Headquarters, Brentwood, England | For WBC and IBO female super-featherweight titles |
| 10 | Win | 9–1 | Bianka Majlath | TKO | 2 (6), 0:30 | 15 Nov 2019 | Liverpool Olympia, Liverpool, England | |
| 9 | Win | 8–1 | Bec Connolly | TKO | 4 (6), 1:07 | 12 Jul 2019 | Liverpool Olympia, Liverpool, England | |
| 8 | Win | 7–1 | Feriche Mashauri | PTS | 6 | 30 Mar 2019 | Echo Arena, Liverpool, England | |
| 7 | Loss | 6–1 | Viviane Obenauf | TKO | 4 (10), 1:42 | 4 Aug 2018 | Ice Arena Wales, Cardiff, Wales | Lost WBA International female super-featherweight title |
| 6 | Win | 6–0 | Taoussy L'Hadji | TKO | 7 (10), 1:44 | 21 Apr 2018 | Echo Arena, Liverpool, England | Won vacant WBA International female super-featherweight title |
| 5 | Win | 5–0 | Karina Kopinska | PTS | 6 | 25 Feb 2018 | Victoria Warehouse Hotel, Manchester, England | |
| 4 | Win | 4–0 | Katarina Vistica | TKO | 2 (6), 1:21 | 16 Dec 2017 | Leisure Centre, Oldham, England | |
| 3 | Win | 3–0 | Marianna Gulyas | TKO | 3 (6), 1:23 | 13 Oct 2017 | York Hall, London, England | |
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Bojana Libiszewska | TKO | 4 (4), 1:17 | 30 Sep 2017 | Echo Arena, Liverpool, England | |
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Monika Antonik | TKO | 1 (4), 1:32 | 23 Jun 2017 | Walker Activity Dome, Newcastle, England |
Manager
editIn 2023, Jonas became the first black woman to receive a manager's license from the British Boxing Board of Control.[28][29]
Personal life
editInitially intending to be a footballer, Jonas spent eighteen months at St. Peter's College in the United States on a football scholarship.[30] After suffering an injury that ended her football career,[31] she returned to the United Kingdom and studied media studies at Edge Hill University, Lancashire.[32] She was employed for five years by Liverpool City Council and was a mentor for the Youth Sport Trust for four years, helping to promote sport and healthy lifestyles to school-age children.[33]
Jonas is an older sister of footballer Nikita Parris.[34]
In the media
editIn July 2012, Jonas appeared alongside Tom Stalker and James Dickens in Channel 4 documentary, Knockout Scousers, which followed her to Czech Republic and China on her pursuit for Olympic qualification, a production which she also narrated. In August 2023, Jonas during her tour in Tanzania she appeared in Azam TV, where she shared her experience and motivated female local amateur boxers to encounter challenges they face in their careers towards substantial achievements in the sport.[35][36]
A mural of her is in Liverpool, on Elwy Street off High Park Street, near the home she lived in as a child.[37]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8d/Google_logo_(2010-2013).svg.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ "Commonwealth Games Biography – Natasha Jonas". 8 August 2014. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
- ^ "Jonas targets third world title bid". BBC Sport.
- ^ a b "Olympic women's boxing: Natasha Jonas wins Britain's first female bout". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
- ^ "Olympic women's boxing: Katie Taylor beats Britain's Natasha Jonas". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
- ^ "Natasha Jonas: British Olympian wins first professional fight in 92 seconds". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
- ^ "Natasha Jonas marks professional debut with stunning stoppage in the first round". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
- ^ "Terri Harper and Natasha Jonas share a thrilling draw in world-title bout at Fight Camp". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
- ^ "Harper vs Jonas: Terri Harper retains WBC title after split decision draw with Natasha Jonas". Sky Sports. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
- ^ "Katie Taylor beats Natasha Jonas in thrilling fight to retain world titles". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
- ^ "Katie Taylor edges Natasha Jonas to defend lightweight titles in thriller". The Independent. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
- ^ "Natasha Jonas beats Christian Namus to become WBO light-middleweight champion". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
- ^ "Natasha Jonas Demolishes Chris Namus in Two, Captures WBO Title". Boxing Scene. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
- ^ "Natasha Jonas: Briton beats Patricia Berghult to become unified super-welterweight world champion". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
- ^ "Natasha Jonas tops Patricia Berghult to become WBC, WBO junior middleweight champion". ESPN. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
- ^ "Natasha Jonas defeats Marie-Eve Dicaire to unify the IBF, WBC and WBO super-welterweight world titles". Sky Sports. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
- ^ "Natasha Jonas beats Marie-Eve Dicaire on points to win IBF light-middleweight title". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
- ^ "Natasha Jonas becomes first woman to win British Boxer of the Year at British Boxing Board of Control awards". Sky Sports.
- ^ "Natasha Jonas: Liverpool fighter becomes two-weight world champion with TKO win against Kandi Wyatt". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
- ^ "Natasha Jonas becomes two-weight world champion with easy stoppage win over Candi Wyatt". TNT Sports. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
- ^ "Natasha Jonas v Mikaela Mayer: Briton retains welterweight world title by split decision". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
- ^ "Natasha Jonas Retains World Title Against Mikaela Mayer". Big Fight Weekend. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
- ^ "Natasha Jonas defeats Ivana Habazin in front of her Liverpool supporters to set up Lauren Price clash". Boxing Scene. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
- ^ "Natasha Jonas beats Ivana Habazin in Liverpool to set up Lauren Price clash in 2025". Sky Sports. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
- ^ "Price & Jonas both win to set up unification bout". BBC Sport. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
- ^ "Natasha Jonas vs Lauren Price confirmed for March 7". Boxing Scene. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
- ^ "Price v Jonas unification fight agreed for March". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
- ^ https://www.si.com/fannation/boxing/natasha-jonas-makes-history-as-first-black-woman-boxing-manager#:~:text=Natasha Jonas has made history,was born in Liverpool, England.
- ^ https://www.itv.com/news/granada/2023-10-16/natasha-jonas-bcomes-first-black-female-to-obtain-boxing-manager-license
- ^ Holt, Oliver (24 July 2012). "Proving her worth: Natasha Jonas is fighting for Team GB, for herself and to demonstrate that women's boxing is here to stay". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
- ^ Television interview with Judy Murray on Driving Force.
- ^ "Natasha Jonas". Educate Magazine. 16 January 2012. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
- ^ "Natasha Jonas hangs up her gloves". gbboxing.org.uk. 7 April 2015. Archived from the original on 11 July 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
- ^ Creighton, Jessica (6 August 2013). "Natasha Jonas: From dinner scraps to Olympic boxing battles". BBC Sport. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
- ^ TV, Azam. "Natasha Jonas, mkali wa ngumi kutoka England atua Tanzania na jambo". AZAM Media. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
- ^ "UK pugilist's tour boosts lady boxers". TSN. Daily News. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
- ^ "A new mural celebrating boxing world champion Natasha Jonas has been unveiled in Toxteth". The Guide Liverpool. 18 January 2024.
External links
edit- Boxing record for Natasha Jonas from BoxRec (registration required)
- Natasha Jonas at Olympedia (archive)
- Natasha Jonas (Official Website) natashajonas.co.uk
- "Natasha Jonas’s weight of expectation", The Times, 16 August 2009
- Natasha's exclusive training diary in the build up to London 2012 for Livefight Archived 13 May 2019 at the Wayback Machine
