Natasha Jonas. The Queen of Liverpool. Poised to take centre stage in front of her hometown fans for what could be the final time. But her journey may not end there.
The city will bow to its own boxing royalty on Saturday night when Jonas headlines against Ivana Habazin at the Liverpool Exhibition Centre knowing it likely represents one of her final steps and final tests before hanging up her title-glittered gloves.
A career built on unwavering resilience through hardship and patience through setbacks has culminated in a legacy as one of Britain’s greatest female fighters and a chief flag bearer for the explosion of women’s boxing.
Local undercard fighter Frankie Stringer insisted this week he wished to emulate the influence of Jonas in Liverpool, while Mikie Tallon hailed her as an inspiration. Thousands of fans will accompany them this weekend in showing their gratitude for Jonas’ role in bringing boxing silverware back to Merseyside.
“It’s great to be back here potentially for one last time, it’s special,” Jonas told Sky Sports. “And yeah, when the fights get hard, when they get tough, a little bit sore and you’re a little bit tired, you get charged off the energy from the crowd and it spurs you on, it’s really special.
“There’s no place like home.”
She had to wait. How she had to wait. Jonas, the first British female Olympic boxer ever, shrugged off an early career defeat to Viviane Obenauf in 2018 before later overcoming a divisive draw with Terri Harper and a gut-wrenching defeat to Katie Taylor to continue her hunt for a world title.
The wait was then finally over in February 2022 when she knocked out Chris Namús in the second round at the age of 37, a victory that would prove a catalyst for further success as she clinched three more world titles over the next year.
She will seek to add to her collection in the form of Habazin’s WBC belt on Saturday, while it is no secret by now that a win would also seemingly pencil in an all-British clash with former Olympic champion Price.
Does that present added motivation? “Nobody wants to lose!” she says.
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Highlights from a huge IBF welterweight title clash between Natasha Jonas and Mikaela Mayer in Liverpool
“We have these fights like Fury vs AJ, Eubank vs Benn, Amir Khan and Kell Brook, and you have these moments where everybody has to pick a side.
“To be one of the first females to have that fight, yes Chantelle (Cameron) and Katie (Taylor) had their fight but it was in Ireland, to have that here in the UK would be huge.
“It’s a big fight but if you don’t win on Saturday it doesn’t happen so you have to focus on the fight in front of you.”
Both Jonas and Price have been flawless in their mental approach to the weekend, willing to acknowledge the likelihood of an eventual showdown while also insistent both face capable hurdles in Habazin and Mateus, neither of whom must be overlooked. For the most part, it has been outsiders looking in responsible for teeing up a blockbuster matchup for women’s boxing.
The build-up took a fascinating turn on Thursday when a fired-up Habazin herself sought to remind onlookers of her credentials as anything but a gimme for Jonas. She labelled consistent talk over a 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 Bexcy Mateus, and if the Colombian has similar tactics to Jessica McCaskill then she will lose as well
“I found myself agreeing with Ivana yesterday,” said Boxxer CEO and promoter Ben Shalom. “It’s Collision Course for a reason, they’ve both signed to fight the winner – if Mateus wins, if Habazin wins, they are the ones who will be fighting.
“When you have three world champions they all think they should be prioritised. Natasha is the queen, Lauren is the gold medallist and world champion, but Ivana is an established world champion and they all want the best.
“Okay, let’s stick everybody together, have a road to undisputed and it’s winner stays on.”
Jonas is 15-2-1 upon her return to the ring for the first time since beating Mikaela Mayer via split decision to retain her IBF world title in Liverpool back in January. Habazin enters 23-5 on the back of April’s unanimous decision victory against Kinga Magyar, among her five losses being the likes of Terri Harper and Claressa Shields.
“This is a serious fight, the main event is a 50/50 fight,” Shalom added.
“Every time Natasha fights I wonder if we’ll see signs of her slowing down, so far no. It was a fantastic performance in a very close fight against Mayer.
“If we see a 10 or 15 per cent drop off Ivana Habazin will be there to take advantage. It’s going to be an amazing atmosphere, but it really is 50/50.”
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Opponents Stephen McKenna and Lee Cutler exchanged some sharp words yet again as they faced each other at their final press conference ahead of their super-welterweight clash
Should all go to plan on Saturday night, Price seemingly awaits in 2025. The Welsh woman continues to ascend swiftly as one of the most technically gifted fighters in female boxing, trending towards both dominance and greatness having already chalked up a maiden world title.
Jonas knows it presents one of the toughest challenges of her career. Though in some ways, she deems the prospect of a history headline event as added impetus heading into her clash with Habazin.
“When all odds are stacked against me, that’s when you get the best version of me and I think that (a fight with Price) will be one of them.”
But first, the dangerous Habazin. Regardless of what awaits in the new year, there is the feeling this could be the final time Jonas takes centre stage in the ring in her beloved Liverpool.
While she won’t let the occasion get to her, she will also not be allowing it to pass by.
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Jonas has sent out a warning to Lauren Price, saying ‘be careful what you wish for’
“I think every time that I box now, I soak up the atmosphere because you never know what’s gonna happen,” said Jonas.
“One of the things that I really regret about the Olympics experience is that I didn’t savour the moment, I’m so focused on the result that I didn’t take in the experience and I wish I’d done that a little bit more.
“So now I live a little bit more in the moment.”
Jonas vs Habazin live on Sky Sports
Watch Natasha Jonas vs Ivana Habazin and Lauren Price vs Bexcy Mateus on December 14, live on Sky Sports+ from 7pm 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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