Smith vs Eggington: Katie Taylor backs 'fantastic' Natasha Jonas to returning to winning ways
Natasha Jonas and Feriche Mashauri fight on the Smith-Eggington undercard, from 7pm on Saturday on Sky Sports Action
Thursday 7 November 2019 13:48, UK
Katie Taylor has backed Natasha Jonas to bounce back from her first professional defeat and believes the pair could again share a ring together.
Jonas returns to action on the Liam Smith-Sam Eggington bill in Liverpool on Saturday night, live on Sky Sports, in her first fight since a shock stoppage defeat to Viviane Obenauf at Cardiff's Ice Arena in August.
Live Fight Night
The Liverpudlian, who lost her WBA international super featherweight title to Obenauf, takes on Tanzanian Feriche Mashauri at lightweight - a division in which her former amateur rival Taylor currently rules.
Taylor secured a points win over Jonas when they fought in the amateur ranks in the quarter-finals of London 2012, and the three-belt champion is not ruling out a rematch in the paid ranks.
"Natasha is fantastic fighter regardless what happened in her last fight," Taylor told Sky Sports.
"I think she has got the character and the strength to come back from that and she obviously needs a few nice wins on her belt and then people are going be interested in that fight again.
"She's a great person Natasha and it was really hard to watch that last fight, I didn't enjoy watching that at all, she is much better than what she showed that night and obviously, she's going to come back stronger than that."
Taylor is just one belt away from becoming undisputed champion after adding the WBO belt to her WBA and IBF titles with a stoppage win over Rose Volante earlier this month.
Plans are in place for the 32-year-old to face WBC champion Delphine Persoon on the Anthony Joshua-Jarrell Miller bill in New York on June 1, live on Sky Sports Box Office, and the 32-year-old believes the unification clash could be announced soon.
"I think it's very close," added Taylor. "The contract has been passed over to their side, so we're just waiting for them to sign. It is very, very close to actually being signed. I know Eddie [Hearn] got a verbal agreement from them. So I'm hoping news of that fight can be confirmed soon.
"Fighting for the undisputed title itself is an absolute honour. This is something I've wanted since I turned pro, it's been a dream for me and to fight and Madison Square Garden, the mecca of boxing, is an absolute dream really. And an Anthony Joshua undercard as well, it can't get much bigger than that."
