We are just over two weeks away from the IBF welterweight title fight between Natasha Jonas and Mikaela Mayer but if things had played out differently, the two might have met a long time ago.
The rise of women’s boxing can be traced back to August 2009 when it was announced that the sport would debut as an Olympic event at London 2012.
Whilst Jonas became the first British female boxer to ever qualify for the Games, Mayer lost to Queen Underwood in the US Trials. Underwood went on to secure her own place London.
Eventually, Jonas and Underwood were drawn against each other in the opening round. Jonas beat the American by decision.
Considering the scale of women’s amateur boxing at the time, it is surprising that the two never entered each other’s orbit but Jonas told BoxingScene.com that Mayer didn’t appear on her radar until much later in her career. Eight years later in fact.
“I don’t really remember. A lot of the people on the boxing circuit – especially in the amateurs – it’s always the same people that you see. I knew Claressa [Shields] when she came through but then they’re the one who’s always on the circuit so you kind of know everyone. Queen Underwood was the one at my weight for a long time,” Jonas said.
“The first time I ever thought we might fight was around the Terri Harper thing [August 2020]. I thought that if I beat Terri, I knew that Mikaela was gonna start shouting for that fight but that’s the first time she’s ever, ever been on my radar.”
Inside and outside the ring, boxing is all about timing and the fight is way bigger now than it would have been then. In the three years since Jonas drew with Harper, both she and Mayer have grown massively in all aspects of the business.
Jonas lost a razor close decision to a peak Katie Taylor at lightweight before making the bold decision jump all the way up to super welterweight where she quickly collected three world title belts. Last July she dropped to welterweight and stopped Kandi Wyatt for the IBF belt. Mayer unified the super featherweight division and lost a close decision to Alycia Baumgardner for the undisputed title but then moved to lightweight and won an interim version of the WBC belt. Both have become regular and popular pundits on Sky Sports.
Jonas has probably already accomplished – maybe even surpassed – any professional goals she ever set herself, but rather than resting on her laurels, she seems to have been able to compartmentalize her career. Jonas sounds intent on spending whatever time she has left in the sport chasing personal goals and taking the scalps that will elevate her to a new level. Mayer is the first name on her list.
“100%. if you’re trying to say that you’re one of the pound-for-pound best, you have to start beating people on the pound-for-pound list,” Jonas said.
“You look at Katie [Taylor] and Chantelle [Cameron], they’ve beaten each other and beaten Jessica McCaskill. I think Delfine Persoon just scrapes the top ten. [Amanda] Serrano has beaten people on the list. Mikaela is on the list and she’s somebody I have to beat to say that, ‘Yes, I was one of the best of that era.’
“A win would be the best win of my career so far.”