Headline NewsOpponent Watch

Katie Taylor v Natasha Jonas planned for early 2019


Natasha Jonas [6(5)-0] will move up in weight and fight Katie Taylor in early 2019 according to her coach and manager Joe Gallagher.

Team Taylor have recently called for all potential ‘big’ fight opponents to step up to the plate and face the unified lightweight champ it seems the Liverpool fighter is ready to answer the call.

Jonas helped Taylor complete her quest to put female fighting on the map when the pair produced a brilliant four rounds in front of a crowd that broke noise records back at the London Olympics 2012 – and a rematch has been talked about since the English fighter joined the Olympic gold medal winner in the pro ranks. 

The popular 34-year-old’s move down to super feather – and mooted further drop to featherweight – seemed to put a return in the pros on the back burner and other names have been more prevalent on the lips Taylor and her team of late.

Tomorrow night the Scouser continues her journey, defending her WBA International rankings belt versus Swiss-Brazilian Viviane Obenaauf – whom Taylor defeated in her second fight – at the Ice Arena in Cardiff.

While she is currently unranked despite holding the ‘Interntional’ trinket, a win against Obenauf could strengthen Jonas’s claim for a world title shot – with the WBA belt at 130lbs currently being held by North Korean Hyun Mi Choi [16(4)-0-1]

However, once the Gallagher-trained fighter wins a world title – something she hopes to do on the Anthony Joshua v Alexander Povetkin undercard at Wembley in September- she will move in weight and fight the Bray sensation.

“That’s a fight we would all love to see,” Gallagher told the Sky Sports Toe2Toe Podcast.

“The main priority for us is Nathasa Jonas winning this Saturday night and doing so in style and then after that getting Eddie Hearn, Barney Francis and Adam Smith to get the cheque books out and start getting the world champions over here for Natasha Jonas to fight.”

“Natasha is wanting a world title opportunity and it would be great for her if she could fight on the Joshua undercard at Wembley.”

In terms of Taylor, Gallagher does not plan on hanging around at 130lbs and envisions a move up in weight for a lightweight title fight in the new year.

The trainer of strong Sligo stock outlined how “ideally. I would love the pair of them to fight early next year, February-March time.”

“If Natasha wins this weekend and then wins a world title, both of them may want an outing before the end of the year, then we will step up in weight and fight Katie Taylor.”

Taylor [10(5)-0] is currently enjoying a short break after defending her WBA and IBF titles versus overmatched mandatory Kimberly Connor and she will soon return to camp to prepare for her next fight which will come in October versus Puerto Rican Cindy Serrano

dpg

logo may

irishboxing

Integral part of the Irish boxing community for over 13 years

x