Now the fully-fledged pride of Liverpool, Natasha Jonas's never says die attitude, finally paid off as her dream of becoming a boxing world champion manifested into a reality.
From Toxteth, Jonas first fell into boxing when she became aware of female-only nights at Rotunda Gym, north Liverpool. But she received little encouragement apart from other female fighters and coaches.
"Many people do still have a dated attitude, but they are going to have to deal with it. I have heard a few horror stories from some of the other girls, but Liverpool being the fighting town it is, I have been supported here," Jonas told The Mirror 2012.
Jonas had initially hoped to become a professional footballer after she left school and won a scholarship to St Peters College in New Jersey in America. But her dreams of becoming a football star were dashed when she suffered a knee injury.
On her homecoming from stateside to Liverpool, she felt like a failure as she was the first member of her family to attend university and felt as if she had let her entire family down.
"When I came home, and it hadn't happened, I was properly disappointed, and I felt I had let everyone down," she explained at the time.
Finding herself at a personal crossroads in her life with no direction, Jonas was in and out of jobs, she had no motivation, was unsure of herself and felt lost without any light at the end of the tunnel for a brighter future.
"I didn't have any direction, and I was in and out of jobs. I didn't know where I was going, I didn't know what I wanted to do, and I didn't care," she said.
But as the tide turned for Jonas in the darkness, she began to see the light.
Indeed, she found her purpose, her calling in life was to put her heart, body and soul into boxing. Female boxing trainer Sylvia Singleton mentioned visiting Rotunda Gym in north Liverpool, so she decided to go in 2005.
She said: "I was only at the gym as a fitness thing, although I've been involved in some contact sport – kick-boxing and karate – since I was young. But when Sylvia asked me, I went along, and it just steamrollered from there. Before I knew it, I was eight bouts, eight knockouts, and I quickly got chosen for the England team."
Jonas became the first female boxer to represent Team GB. Since then, she has been known as Miss GB. In the amateurs, Jonas won five ABA Championships for Rotunda ABC. She claimed gold at the European Union Amateur Boxing Championships in 2009. Jonas also won another gold medal at the GB Amateur Boxing Championships in 2010 at Liverpool's Echo Arena.
And she made history when she advanced to the semi-finals of the World Amateur Boxing Championships in Qinhuangdao, China achieving a bronze medal. It meant she was the first-ever female British boxer to qualify for the Olympic Games.
At the 2012 London Olympic Games, Jonas managed to fight her way deep into the tournament until she came across the pound for pound boxer in the world Katie Taylor. Taylor was the flagbearer for Ireland at the opening ceremony and already was a four-time world champion. Jonas lost heavily to Taylor in this bout.
"It was hell losing in the Olympics to Katie Taylor," she'd later admit.
"Snapping my toe in the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, to Australia's Shelly Watts, led me to lose the fight."
Jonas went on to take two years out of the sport and had a baby. Her child was now in a nursery, so she decided nothing was stopping her from turning professional under the tutelage of Joe Gallagher. In 2017 Jonas was invited to commentate on a Katie Taylor show for Sky Sports. This was the catalyst to re-ignite her passion for boxing.
"The decision to leave boxing was a harder choice. The decision to go back was a lot easier," Jonas told Sky Sports News, 2017.
In the professional ranks, Jonas was fast-tracked because of her Olympic pedigree taking a solid initial resume of nine wins and one loss to Vivienne Obenauf of Brazil.
Then the golden gates had finally opened for Natasha Jonas as she was now to enter the big leagues, which the upper echelon of boxers only ever manages to make. A world title shot against Terri Harper at Matchroom Headquarters during the rife of the pandemic.
Jonas spoke to Adam Smith of Sky Sports before the fight: "As you say, I had a great amateur career, but there are so many things that I didn't achieve that I wanted to, having the pro start I did. Just getting that WBC belt would draw a line in the sand. I could think to myself, I have done it now."
Unfortunately, Jonas failed to make the grade on this outing as the judges scored the bout in a split draw, which meant Harper retained her titles.
Many believed that Jonas's sole impetus for turning professional was to meet her old foe, Taylor, from the London 2012 Games. Despite being close to a world title and losing, Jonas was unfazed by this and made her hunger for success even more potent. Unfinished business with Katie Taylor was now upon the horizon.
Jonas was billed on 21st May 2021 to go toe to toe with the pound for pound female boxer Taylor at the AO Arena in Manchester for the WBA, WBC, IBF, and the Ring female lightweight titles of the world.
Once again, Jonas fell short as she lost on a unanimous decision to Taylor, a hard-fought affair and gutsy performance from both pugilists. Luck was not going Jonas's way as she seemed to be destined never to capture her dream.
After the contest, Jonas explained to BBC Sport: "I feel I belong at this level, and I want to win belts and be a champion.
"There were rounds I thought I had her, but it's all learning."
If Jonas was ever to fulfil her destiny, changes had to be made to pave the way for her final shot at the title. Jonas always felt like an away fighter with Matchroom Boxing, so when the opportunity arose to be taken on by the new up and coming promotional company BOXXER, she grabbed the chance with both hands.
Jonas said to the promoter of BOXXER Ben Shalom when signing for the multi-fight deal: "Make me a world champion."
And Shalom delivered his promise by billing Jonas on the chief supporting act of the long-awaited mega-fight between bitter rivals Amir Khan and Kell Brook at the AO Arena on 19th February 2022.
Ben Shalom's announcement of BOXXER signing Jonas: "Natasha Jonas has made a significant impact for women's boxing in this country and has achieved such huge things for her sport, her city and her country."
Jonas was due to fight Ewa Piatkowska but contracted covid-19 and had to pull out of the fight. At late notice, Chris Namus of Uruguay stepped up to the plate to take on Jonas. Jonas was prepared to go up three weight divisions for her last shot at the title at the age of 37 years.
Jonas had nothing to lose as she fully well knew this was her final time to shine.
She clinically destroyed Namus in two rounds to finally realise her dream at the third time of asking.
Jonas finally reached her glory of being crowned a world champion graduating from Miss GB to Queen GB in this epoch of time which she now brings back to her home, the city of Liverpool.
