“She’s one of the greats, you could say.”
Terri Harper took a moment to consider what she had just said. Harper might be the pre-fight favourite, but she has a lot of respect for her opponent in Dublin on Saturday, Norway’s Cecilia Braekhus. They meet on the huge 3Arena show topped by Katie Taylor against Chantelle Cameron who fight in their eagerly-anticipated clash of undisputed champions.
Harper continued: “She’s been there and done everything, she’s worn the T-shirt, she’s been undisputed, she’s been in with some great champions and yeah, someone I have a lot of respect for, look up to and I’m just grateful that she’s given me the opportunity to share the ring with her.”
Things could have been different. While Harper was initially excited to land the Braekhus fight, it was nearly taken away because the veteran was then offered a fight with a previous Harper foe but still very much a Harper rival in Natasha Jonas.
Harper was almost humbled that Braekhus turned down Jonas and kept her word to fight.
“I’ve a lot of respect for that and in the back of my mind,” said Harper, the WBA super-welterweight champion, “I’m kind of thinking, does she [Braekhus] see something that she thinks she can beat me with? But I’m just grateful for the opportunity on such a great occasion and great card and [it’s] my first time fighting out of the UK as a pro so there’ll be a few boxes being ticked for myself and some great experience under my belt.”
It is a pivotal contest for Harper. She still wants to fight Jonas, who has gone on to win three world titles, herself. Harper and Jonas drew the first time around, now Harper wants Jonas again and the professional bad blood has manifested since they boxed to a thrilling draw in a war in 2020.
“Yeah, so after the fight with Tash we signed a three-fight contract with Matchroom right away and in that deal there was a rematch with Jonas in there so I guess I signed my end of the deal and it’s whatever Jonas and Joe [Gallagher, Tasha’s coach]… I think they’ve either got a bee in their bonnet with either Andrew [Stefy Bully, Harper’s trainer] or Eddie [Hearn, Harper’s promoter], so I’ve done everything I can and accepted the rematch but this is on their half. You’ve just got to let it unfold and see if it materialises or not.”
Of course, a little bit of spice goes a long way at the box office and the rematch is more marketable than the first fight, when both were comparatively inexperienced and which took place behind closed doors during the pandemic.
“It's a massive fight,’ Harper admitted of the possible rematch. “I feel it would sell out an arena, definitely, and I know it’s not just something I want, it’s a fight the fans want and I think it would be one of the best female domestic fights in the UK. It just makes sense for it to happen. Both of us get paid well, it was a great fight first time around, nominated Fight of the Year, a lot of controversy. People thought Tash won, people thought I won, so it’s got all the ingredients for a great fight.”
But Harper is also full of praise for what Jonas has gone on to achieve. Stefy Bull’s star admits that what Jonas has subsequently done “is amazing.”
“She was always likely to be a world champion and she’s gone on and done that and she’s got the chance to be undisputed if she gets her act together and she sorts it out but obviously I’m focused on the job I’ve got to do this weekend,” said Harper. “And it would be silly if that fight never happened but we’ll just wait and see.”
