Natasha Jonas. Queen of Liverpool. Ready to take center stage in front of his hometown fans for what may be the last time, but his journey may not end there.
The city will bow to its own boxing royalty on Saturday night as Jonas headlines Ivana Habazin at the Liverpool Exhibition Centre, knowing it is likely to represent one of his last moves and final tests before hanging up the shiny gloves with the title.
A career built on unwavering resilience through adversity and patience through setbacks has culminated in a legacy as one of Britain’s greatest female fighters and the flagship of the explosion in women’s boxing.
Flawless local fighter Frankie Stringer this week insisted he wanted to emulate Jonas’ influence in Liverpool, while Mickey Talon hailed him as an inspiration.Thousands of fans will join them this weekend to show their appreciation for Jonas’ role in bringing boxing silverware back to Merseyside.
“It’s great to potentially be back here for the last time, it’s special,” Jonas told Sky Sports. me, you get charged up by the energy of the crowd and it gets you going, it’s really special.
“There is no place like home.”
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WBC welterweight champion Ivana Habazin has been displeased with deliberate talk about her opponent Natasha Jonas potentially fighting Lauren Price, with Habazin claiming the talk was “disrespectful”.
She had to wait. As she had to wait. Jonas, the first-ever British boxer, bounced back from an early career loss to Vivian Obenauf before later overcoming a split draw with Terry Harper and a crushing loss to Katie Taylor to continue her the hunt for the world title.
The wait finally ended in February 2022 when he knocked out Chris Namus in the second round at the age of 37, a victory that would be the catalyst for further success as he won three more world titles over the next year.
He’ll be looking to add to his collection in the form of Habazine’s WBC belt on Saturday, while it’s no secret by now that victory would also seemingly pencil in an all-British clash with former Olympic champion Price.
Does it add motivation? “Nobody wants to lose.” he says
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Highlights from the massive IBF middleweight title clash between Natasha Jonas and Michaela Mayer in Liverpool
“We have fights like Fury vs. AJ, Eubank vs. Ben, Amir Khan vs. Kell Brook, and you have these moments where everyone has to pick a side.
“To be one of the first women to have that fight, yes Chantel (Cameron) and Katie (Taylor) had a fight, but it was in Ireland, here in the UK, that would be massive.
“It’s a big fight, but if you don’t win on Saturday, it’s not going to happen, so you have to focus on the fight in front of you.”
Both Jonas and Price have been flawless in their mental approach over the weekend, ready to accept the possibility of a final showdown, while insisting both face capable obstacles in Habazine and Mateusz, neither of whom should be overlooked in a blockbuster matchup for women’s boxing the responsibility for organizing was largely from outsiders.
On Thursday, when the fired Habazin himself tried to remind about his credentials as nothing more than a trick for Jonas. He described the ongoing rumors surrounding the Jonas-Price fight as “disrespectful” and vowed to rip up the script.
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Lauren Price says she has the boxing skills to tame Bexy Matthews and if the Columbian has the same tactics as Jessica McCaskill, she will lose too.
“Yesterday I found myself agreeing with Ivana,” said Boxxer CEO and promoter Ben Shalom. “It’s Collision Course for a reason, they both signed to fight the winner; if Matheus wins, if Habazine wins, they are the ones to fight.
“When you have three world champions, they all think they have to be prioritized. Natasha is the queen, Lauren is the gold medalist and world champion, but Ivana is the established world champion and they all want the best.
“Okay, let’s all stick together, have a path to undisputed, and the winner will remain.”
Jonas is 15-2-1 in his first return to the ring since defeating Mikaela Mayer by split decision to retain his IBF world title in Liverpool in January. Habazine enters at 23-5 with an April unanimous decision victory over Kinga Magyar. after whose five defeats include the likes of Terry Harper and Claressa Shields.
“This is a serious fight, the main event is a 50/50 fight,” added Shalom.
“Every time Natasha fights I wonder if we’ll see any signs of her slowing down, not yet. It was a fantastic performance against Mayer in a very close fight.
“If we see a 10 or 15 percent drop, Ivana Habazine will take advantage. It will be an amazing atmosphere, but it’s really 50/50.”
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Rivals Stephen McKenna and Lee Cutler traded sharp words again as they faced each other in their final press conference ahead of their heavyweight clash.
If all goes to plan on Saturday night, Price looks to be looking forward to 2025. The Welshwoman continues her rapid rise as one of the most technically gifted fighters in women’s boxing, aiming for dominance and greatness, having already won her first world title.
Jonas knows it’s one of the toughest challenges of his career, though in some ways he sees the prospect of a history-making title event as an added boost heading into his clash with Habazine.
“When all the odds are stacked against me, that’s when you get the best of me, and I think (the fight with Price) is going to be one of them.”
But first, the dangerous Habazine. Regardless of what the new year holds, it feels like this could be the last time Jonas takes center stage in his beloved Liverpool ring.
While she won’t let the opportunity get to her, she won’t let it pass her by either.
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Jonas sent a warning to Lauren Price, telling her to “be careful what you wish for.”
“I think every time I box now, I soak up the atmosphere because you never know what’s going to happen,” Jonas said.
“One of the things I really regret about the Olympic Games experience is that I didn’t enjoy the moment, I was so focused on the result that I didn’t use the experience and I wish I had done it a little bit more.
“So now I live a little more in the moment.”
Jonas vs Habazin live on Sky Sports
Watch Natasha Jonas vs. Ivana Habazin and Lauren Price vs. Bex Matthews live on December 14th Sky Sports+ from 19:00 and Sky Sports’ main event from 8.30pm or follow updates via our dedicated live blog on the Sky Sports website and app.
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