Natasha Jonas will be defending her WBO belt for the first time in her home city of Liverpool tonight.
Jonas is facing undefeated WBC holder Patricia Berghult in a unification bout being held at the M&S Bank Arena.
“For me personally there is no place like home, and I have never been there as a champion,” Jonas revealed to Boxing Social.
Jonas became the first ever British woman to box at the Olympics in London 2012, and has been known as Miss GB ever since. However, she didn’t manage to medal after dancing to the distance but being outpointed by Katie Taylor in the quarterfinals.
In February of this year, her dedication to the sport finally paid off as she stepped up three weight classes and managed to knock out Chis Namus in the second round to be crowned WBO champion of the World at the AO Arena in Manchester.
This time out could be seen as Jonas’s homecoming swansong as she has made the Daily Mail aware that 2022 could be her final year in the game.
“I just don’t think there’s going to be many options for long enough to keep me going,” she said. “Your body can do anything it wants; I can keep doing this. But mentally can I keep putting myself through camps?”
“Do I want to spend the next two, or three years putting myself through camps. The answer is probably no. So, I want a big 2022, where possibly I can get three fights. Then I’ll be able to see after that.”
The Swedish Patricia Berghult will be a solid obstacle for Jonas to tackle as the Swede is undefeated in fifteen outings and also carries a golden strap around her waist going into this fight. Bookies have Berghult as the heavy favourite, but Jonas has her partisan fans will surely tip the scales somewhat. Jonas fighting in the twilight of her career as the clear underdog is a gargantuan test of fate.
Jonas told Sky Sports in a recent interview: “When you’ve got the edge of danger, that’s when I’m at my best.”
Jonas is hungry to achieve in front of her home city and is believing in the power of now. It seems as if she wishes to solidify her career as a unified world champion, as her birth right as a proud Liverpudlian.
