"We want the fight and are very keen on making it happen early next year"; American star Claressa Shields has welcomed a massive world title fight against Britain's unified champion Natasha Jonas early next year
Friday 16 December 2022 07:04, UK
Claressa Shields and her team have expressed their desire for a fight against Natasha Jonas and are ready to initiate talks for a huge world title clash.
The American star could be set to face Britain's unified world super-welterweight champion after her promoter Dmitriy Salita confirmed Shields has welcomed the prospect of a fight against Jonas early next year.
Shields regained her status as the undisputed middleweight champion with a masterful points win over Savannah Marshall in October, but is considering a return to the 154lb division where she previously held all four titles.
"Our goal has always been to make the biggest fights," Salita told Sky Sports.
"The Jonas fight would be another mega event for women's sport.
"We want the fight and are very keen on making it happen early next year."
Jonas added the IBF belt to her WBC and WBO titles with a dominant unanimous decision victory over Marie-Eve Dicaire last month.
The Liverpudlian would relish a showdown with Shields or a rematch with Katie Taylor, two elite champions in women's boxing.
Jonas told Sky Sports: "There's no pressure on me, all the pressure's on Katie or Claressa. And I can say I've been in with the top two and I can choose who the GWOAT [Greatest Woman of All-Time] is!
"It's no secret that I'm not a big 154lbs. So I definitely wouldn't be going up to 160lbs. She [Shields] has made 154lbs. She has said that she would come back down and she wants the Ring belt title back.
"That's one of the more fruitful options. She's a very good champion. We've seen her against Savannah [Marshall] in a brilliant fight and probably one of her career-best performances in my opinion. But I'm not Savannah."
Marshall has also declared she wants a rematch against Shields, which would give her the opportunity to avenge the only loss on her professional record.
Watch Chris Billam-Smith return on an exciting Boxxer bill in Bournemouth on Saturday, live on Sky Sports from 7pm.
