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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Sport
Connor O'Neill

Natasha Jonas becomes unified world champion after stunning Marie-Eve Dicaire victory

Natasha Jonas capped off a year to remember by adding the IBF crown to her name after beating Marie-Eve Dicaire on points at the AO Arena.

Jonas warned Dicaire in the build-up to the fight that she was the more hurtful puncher of the two, and she backed up her words with a dominant display in Manchester.

The 38-year-old realised her dream of becoming a world champion in February by knocking out Chris Namus, before unifying in September with a unanimous points victory over Patricia Berghul.

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Already the WBO and WBC super-welterweight champion, Jonas started the better of the two and rocked Diciare on a number of occasions in the opening rounds before taking control during the middle stages of the bout.

The Liverpool-born fighter caught her opponent with a number of right-hands and uppercuts to the body during the 20 minutes of championship boxing. The blood that was streaming down the nose of Dicaire at the end told the story.

The victory continues what has been an incredible year for the 38-year-old, who wondered whether a world title would ever arrive after turning professional. Now, she heads home with a third to her name and a potenital super-fight with Claressa Shields to come.

"As a boxer you're never fully happy with your performance, it's why you keep developing, go back to camp and are getting better. But I won, she was No 1 in the division and I've firmly established myself as a welterweight champion," she said post-fight.

"I knew she was tough, I trained for it to be tough and trained with some of the best southpaws in the game."

Before adding: "Right this second I'm going to go away with my little girl, have a good holiday, go and watch my stable mate Paul Butler (against Naoya Inoue) in Japan and hopefully he can bring a belt home as well and then me, Joe and Ben will go into the New Year and see what happens.

"I haven't had a break since last year so I think I deserve a good break, then I'll come back and discuss my options."

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