Natasha Jonas is determined to cap a year like no other with a victory over rival champion Marie-Eve Dicaire. That could set her up for a super-fight with Katie Taylor or Claressa Shields in 2023; Watch Jonas vs Dicaire live on Sky Sports on November 12
Saturday 5 November 2022 11:13, UK
Natasha Jonas’ rise to the top of the super-welterweight division this year has been meteoric.
Twelve months ago, though she'd come through close world title fights with Terri Harper and Katie Taylor, the Liverpudlian had won neither of them and was running short of options at super-feather or lightweight.
Now, after an abrupt move up to 154lbs, she is the holder of the WBC and WBO world championships. On Saturday November 12 Jonas is looking to close out her year by beating Canada's Marie-Eve Dicaire and adding the IBF title to her collection.
It would crown a year like no other. "It's been a whirlwind," Jonas said.
"Every time Ben [Shalom, her promoter] has come to me with a plan, we've gone with it and here I am 12 months later, potentially with three belts at the end of the year.
"I couldn't have wished for a better year of boxing I don't think. I don't think there's been a year like that in boxing that I can remember."
Jonas knows that beating Dicaire would open up the possibility of a super-fight next year. The Liverpudlian met Katie Taylor in a thrilling Olympic quarter-final at London 2012. They boxed again in a professional title fight in 2021 but without a crowd due to Covid restrictions. It was such a close contest that a rematch in front of a packed arena, or even in a stadium, would be fully justified.
"She's never turned down a fight in her life. I've never turned down one either. So if that can happen, let it happen," Jonas said of Taylor.
Claressa Shields, now the undisputed middleweight champion after beating Savannah Marshall, was formerly the undisputed champion down at super-welter. The American has already been linked to a potential contest with Jonas, if the latter were to be victorious against Dicaire.
"[In boxing] you've got these opportunities to grasp at the time. Would I take the Claressa fight? 100 per cent, but I've got to get this fight first right. If I don't win then none of the other opportunities happen," Jonas said.
"So it's all about this fight," Jonas continued. "I'll reassess then. [Shields] is definitely a part of a plan, Katie's definitely part of a plan, [Jessica] McCaskill's definitely part of a plan. So we'll see. We'll reassess once the fight's happened and I've had some time off. We'll go into the new year and we'll see what Ben can produce. He hasn't done me wrong so far."
She's already ticked off so many of her goals, but Jonas still dreams of super-fights at New York's Madison Square Garden, or in Las Vegas, or at Liverpool's football ground.
"They're the dreams. The fights are what they are. If I can get them, I can get them. If I can't, I can't," she said.
Marie-Eve Dicaire is the next barrier between her and those dreams. They fight November 12, the next chapter in the fairytale of Natasha Jonas' year so far.
