Natasha Jonas has no doubt that she is at the fighting weight where she belongs.
The two-division and reigning IBF welterweight titlist is equally confident that she will one day truly rule the roost at her current address.
“Undisputed champion for sure,” Jonas told BoxingScene.com of where she sees herself a year from now. “By this time next year, you will be talking to the undisputed welterweight champion.”
Next step on the road to that goal is a dangerous title defense versus former unified junior lightweight titlist Mikaela Mayer (19-1, 5KOs). Their scheduled ten-round bout will air live on Sky Sports in the U.K. and ESPN+ in the U.S. from M&S Bank Arena in Jonas’ hometown of Liverpool, England.
Jonas (14-2-1, 9KOs) was one belt shy of accomplishing that goal at junior middleweight. A three-division weight jump saw the 2012 Olympian and previous two-time title challenger capture the WBO, WBC and IBF belts in three straight fights during a 2022 Fighter of the Year-level campaign.
An inability to secure a rematch with then-WBA junior middleweight titlist Terri Harper—with whom Jonas drew in their August 2020 WBC junior lightweight title fight slugfest—prompted a drop down to welterweight. Jonas won the IBF welterweight title last July 1, her fourth straight fight where she added a belt to her collection.
With the other welterweight belts tied up for the moment, Jonas embraced the tough showdown versus Mayer, a fellow weight jumper who bids to become a two-division titlist this weekend.
A rematch clause is in place only if Jonas loses on Saturday. A victory will leave the ageless Jonas (who actually turns 40 in June) free to pursue the other title claimants.
Jessica McCaskill holds the lineal, WBC and WBA crown and Sandy Ryan holds the WBO belt. The two fought to a draw last September and could potentially meet again later this year. Jonas could jump in and face both herself or wait out the winner. Either way, she plans to be at this weight long enough to collect all the hardware.
“I am right where I belong,” Jonas confirmed. “The move to [junior middleweight] was a business decision. The opportunities in boxing are few and far between. In 2022, Mayer and Baumgardner were on course to fight each other. Last year, Chantelle was fighting Katie. McCaskill was busy.
“The only opportunity for me to become world champion was to jump all the way up. That’s why I never weighed more than my body needed to, even if meant giving away a few pounds to my opponent. Now I’m at my best weight and plan to fully unify the division.”
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox