Jonas Achieves Her Dream of Winning a World Title
An intriguing battle took place at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England, as Natasha Jonas (11-2-1, 7 KOs) fought Chris Namus (25-7, 8 KOs) for the vacant WBO female junior middleweight title.
Jonas is one of England’s more prominent women’s fighters, going back to her amateur days when she became the country’s first women’s boxer at the 2012 London Olympics.
But as a pro, she was defined by her shortcomings. In August 2020, Jonas lost by disputed split decision to then-WBC junior lightweight champion Terri Harper. In May of 2021, she lost a close, spirited battle with former amateur rival and current undisputed women’s lightweight champion Katie Taylor.
Making the bold move up to 154 pounds, she fought Namus, a former IBF women’s junior middleweight champ. Namus was a late replacement for Ewa Piatkowska, who withdrew after contracting COVID-19. Extremely popular in her home country of Uruguay, the 32-year-old model, and television personality had tons of experience with multiple world title bouts on her resume.
THAT WAS QUICK
Keeping things at distance, Jonas got off to a fantastic start. Late in round one, she landed with a beautiful left-hand/right hook combination that put Namus flat on her behind. Seventeen seconds into round two, a southpaw left from Jonas hurt and put the woman from Uruguay down for a second time. At that point, the referee had seen enough and waved a halt to the contest.
In truth, the stoppage seemed a bit early. However, it doesn’t take away from what was an astonishing performance from the victor. There were questions about whether Jonas could carry the power from 130 and 135 pounds. She answered those doubts in an emphatic fashion to win the vacant WBO title. This is surely the best and sweetest win of her career.
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By: Michael Wilson Jr.
