Promoter Ben Shalom believes IBF welterweight world champion Natasha Jonas has earned icon status in her home city of Liverpool following her entertaining split decision win at the M&S Bank Arena.
Jonas (15-2-1) defended her IBF title for the first time against former IBF super-featherweight champion Mikaela Mayer, who produced arguably the best performance of her career in defeat.
The decision was narrow, with Jonas getting the nod on the scorecards by totals of 96-95 and 94-94, with Mayer claiming a score of 97-93. Mayer called for a rematch, believing she had done enough and social media reactions supported her claims.
Shalom spoke in glowing terms at the post-fight press conference, having signed the former Olympian to a promotional deal with his Boxxer promotional company two years ago.
“I think she was one of the unluckiest fighters I have seen in the professional game,” Shalom said. “She had done so much for the sport and not to have achieved a world title, to have decisions go against her and not getting the right fights she deserved.”
“Boxing is a crazy game, and there are a lot of things which you have got to deal with, and I said that to her today. These things and these stories make it all worth it. To see her change her life and her family’s life and see her achieve everything she wants professionally, have a legacy night like this in Liverpool to top it all off is what the sport is all about.”
“There is a lot of tragedy in boxing, there are also a lot of amazing moments in boxing, and this night is the proudest achievement in my career in boxing.”
Shalom reiterated that 2024 will be Jonas’s last professional year but the promoter believes Jonas is now an icon in her home town of Liverpool.
“Tasha has always been big here [in Liverpool] but is now an icon. She has got a huge, huge fan base behind her,” Shalom continued.
“Where do we go next with her? It is her last year [as a pro] pro in boxing. We want to deliver the biggest fights and the biggest names for her. What more could we achieve other than those big nights?
“Katie Taylor? If we can deliver that fight, Jessica McCaskill? Or more titles at welterweight.”
“There are some fights there, and I hope we can have one more of those nights to finish it [Jonas’s career] off”.
