Natasha Jonas Exercises Speed and Accuracy Edge Over Dicaire!
On November 12, unified junior middleweight champion Natasha Jonas (13-2-1, 8KOs) and two-time IBF champion Marie-Eve Dicaire (18-2, 1KO) staged a three-belt unification. The winner of the battle would enter the race for undisputed honors, going forward.
Dicaire made her debut appearance in the United Kingdom to defend the title. The 36-year-old Canadian’s only defeat came at the hands of three-time undisputed champion Claressa “T-Rex” Shields. She would regain the title by scoring her first career knockout against Cynthia Lozano in 2021. Being the naturally larger fighter gave her a slight advantage going into the contest.
Jonas is at the top of her game and seems to have found a home at junior middleweight. The 38-year-old from Liverpool, England has come a long way from her last defeat by undisputed lightweight champion Katie Taylor in 2021. She has back-to-back major wins over Chris Namus for the vacant WBO title and WBC champion Patricia Berghult in 2022.
SPEED AND ACCURACY
Jonas took control of this fight early with that straight left hand. She took advantage of the IBF champion’s lack of head movement with quick jabs followed by straight left-hand and right-hook combinations. This was the story of the fight into the middle rounds as Jonas’ footwork, accuracy, and quick hands were on point.
In the second half of the contest, Dicaire’s size and pressure begin to turn the tide a little. She looked fresher between the two and found a home for that straight left hand. Moreover, she took advantage of Jonas being pinned against the ropes and landed body shots.
Jonas would mount a small offensive with hard left and right hooks to the body. She adjusted to the pressure of Dicaire by scoring right uppercuts and left hooks to close out the rounds.
JONAS FINISHED STRONG DOWN THE STRETCH
In the championship rounds, the unified champion started pulling away. Jonas was landing with the jab and left hooks to the point of busting the nose of the IBF champion. Furthermore, Jonas stepped up the pressure and laid into her opponent with body shots.
Both champions traded hard shots in the final rounds, and the crowd erupted upon hearing the final bell. The judges scored it 100-90, 98-92, and 97-93 for Jonas, who is now one step closer to undisputed.
In the post-fight interview, the unified champion acknowledged that bouts with Shields, undisputed champion Jessica McCaskill, and Terri Harper are all viable options for 2023.
By: Garrisson Bland
