Natasha Jonas Turns Her Back On Matchup with Claressa Shields
A fight in discussions was a match between current unified women’s junior middleweight champion Natasha Jonas (13-2-1, 8 KOs) and the reigning undisputed middleweight queen Claressa “GWOAT” Shields (13-0, 2 KOs). But alas, the proposed contest is not going to happen. According to Shields’s promoter, Dmitry Salita, Jonas has turned down the fight.
NO DEAL
During an interview on the SLOTHBOXX podcast, Salita discussed the recent development. In his opinion, the deal was more than fair but implied that Jonas got cold feet.
“The only thing I can say is, from what I understand, is that Natasha turned the fight down, and the ball is in her court.
I believe that everything was in it for her to take the fight. She spoke about it, and (her trainer) Joe Gallagher talked about it. When push comes to shove, she didn’t want to explore the possibility . . . I believe she’s found several different ways to say no.”
A CHANGE OF HEART
What’s ironic is that it was Jonas who first talked about facing Shields. The unified 154-pound champion was doing ringside commentary in October 2022 for Shields’s victory over Savannah Marshall to become a two-time undisputed middleweight champion. Afterward, Jonas expressed her desire to fight Shields and was even open to fighting her in the United States.
Whether in the United States or Jonas’s home country of England, it would have been a marquee matchup. Why Jonas is now saying no is anyone’s guess. You can never say never. But right now, this battle potential of world champions is dead in the water. Stay tuned to 3boxing.com for further updates.
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