Natasha Jonas retains IBF welterweight world title against Mikaela Mayer

Natasha Jonas regained her IBF welterweight championship in a dramatic fight against Mikaela Mayer on Saturday, defeating her opponent by split decision in Liverpool.

Fighting in front of a local crowd, Jonas had to dig deep against Mayer, who was making her division debut. In the early rounds, Mayer, a former super-featherweight champion, was pursuing Jonas, who was winning because to his intelligent shot selection and natural power.

However, as the fight went, the American challenger began to find her footing, diversifying her offence and supporting Jonas, 39. Mayer, 33, appeared to be gaining ahead, leaving Jonas having to win the remaining few rounds to retain her title status.

Jonas emerged as the speedier fighter, with amazing turn of speed with both hands and feet. For the first few rounds, Mayer appeared sluggish and lethargic. But when Mayer’s powerful strokes began to take their toll, Jonas slowed and Mayer gained pace.

At the midway mark, it appeared that Mikaela Mayer would go off with it. And then, as with all great stories, there came a twist. Natasha Jonas began to get her feet, countering some of those powerful swings with strong punches of her own. She gradually clawed her way back into the battle.

What ensued was an intriguing sequence of rounds in which each fighter brutalised the other to the body, with the outcome uncertain. Jonas won by split decision, with scores of 96-94, 93-97, and 96-95 in favour of the two-weight champion.

Jonas went professional in 2017. She has faced some of the finest in the sport, contending for gold in a variety of levels. She fought Terri Harper to a draw for super featherweight gold in 2020 and will face Katie Taylor for lightweight gold in 2021. Jonas competed at super welterweight, defeating Chris Namus in 2022 for WBO gold. She also defeated Patricia Berghult and Marie-Eve Dicaire for the IBF and WBC crowns. Her most recent fight was a July TKO victory against Kandi Wyatt for the IBF welterweight title.

Mayer, a National Golden Gloves champion, made his professional debut in 2017. She defeated Ewa Brodnicka for the WBO super featherweight title in 2020. Mayer defeated Maiva Hamadouche in 2021 to capture the IBF and Ring belts. Mayer lost the titles to competitor Alycia Baumgardner in 2022, but has since won two fights at lightweight and super lightweight.

“I know Mikaela Mayer will be gutted,” Jonas stated immediately after her win. “She is in the top two people who I have fought. Please use this as motivation to get the title you deserve and become a two-weight world champion.”

The contest was the conflagration that many onlookers expected, with both boxers landing heavy blows. Mayer was the busier boxer, landing 181 punches more than Jonas. However, Jonas was more precise. Mayer outlanded her by 149 to 125. That made it impossible to distinguish between the two on the scoreboards.

Since losing on points to her long-time opponent Katie Taylor in May 2021, the 39-year-old has won six consecutive fights, becoming a unified world light-middleweight title before going down to reign at 147 pounds. A rematch with an opponent six years her junior, a former unified world super-featherweight champion competing at welterweight for the first time on Saturday night, would undoubtedly be welcomed. Mayer, who suffered her second defeat in 21 fights, wants a chance to get revenge on Jonas.

She explained: “I thought I did enough to win. I would have given her the first round or two but after that, I feel like I out-punched her and landed the cleaner shots. I think that fight is worth seeing again. I just hope Natasha will be the stand-up champ that she is and give me another shot at the belt – I feel like I deserve it.”

Jonas has shown a desire to pursue legacy battles and may now aim unification matches at welterweight. – Briton Sandy Ryan is the WBO champion, while American Jessica McCaskill owns the IBF, WBC, and WBA titles. An all-British bout versus Wales’ Olympic gold medalist Lauren Price, also promoted by Boxxer, might be a possibility. When asked what comes next, Jonas did not name names, instead telling her adoring fans: “Unfortunately, I can’t be around forever – and this is probably my last year in boxing.”