“No one wants to say it” – Jonas coach claims Katie Taylor is past her best

Ever outspoken Joe Gallagher claims Katie Taylor is past her peak.

The manager and coach believes his charge, Natasha Jonas, faces a fading star on the slide on the Derek Chisora versus Joseph Parker undercard tomorrow night.

The Manchester-based coach with strong connections to Sligo has been keen to point out the trailblazer is fallible and human throughout the build-up – and when both teams met on Thursday’s press conference he ramped it up further.

The man who manned the corner for Matthew Macklin’s European title win wrapped the verbal bomb in praise but managed to let loose under a ‘no-one wants to say it’ guise.

Gallagher claims hard fights and miles on the clock have taken their toll on a fighter, who is two years Jonas’s junior, and a boxer he suggests started to slide when she was an amateur.

“Katie Taylor had an extensive amateur career,” said Gallagher.

“Near the backend of her amateur career, she had a few losses that Katie Taylor three or four years [before] wouldn’t have lost them fights.

“She’s turned professional. In the last few years, you can argue that everybody – apart from a number of people – thought that she lost in New York [to Delfine Persoon].

“She’s come back and done the rematch with Delfine Persoon. It was a lot closer than what people were saying it was.”

“Katie has had an awful lot of hard fights of late-distance fights,” continued Gallagher.

Is @KatieTaylor on the slide? 😳😳@JoeG seems to think so! 🍿🍿#TaylorJonas #ChisoraParker pic.twitter.com/X0aLRQ7P3l

— Sky Sports Boxing (@SkySportsBoxing) April 29, 2021

It appears a bold attempt to get under the pound-for-pound stars skins from a coach with stir it up previous, although he claims he is just saying what many people are thinking.

“I’m not talking bad of Katie, because she’s a media darling. If this was a male fighter who people think has gone to the peak and is just beginning to show signs [of dropping off], we’d be saying it. No one wants to say it.

“When you sit and study, you see things. Katie Taylor against Delfine Person, round three, she got busted with a shot. No one picked it up. She got busted in another round against Christina Linardatou.”

“Katie is a great fighter, but we’ve done our homework. Katie has trained like a demon for Natasha, and we’re going to see the best Katie Taylor that we’ve seen for a long while. But, [we’re also] going to see the best Natasha Jonas.”

“The Natasha Jonas now would stop the Natasha Jonas that fought [and drew with] Terri Harper.”

The Taylor support and her team will point to Taylor’s dominance as a pro, her Pound for Pound #1 status, the face she is the undisputed champion, her earning power, and the fact she hasn’t been wrapped up in cotton wool as a retort to Gallagher.

Taylor or her team didn’t react on the day, possibly expecting something from a man Taylor’s manager, Brian Peters, would know well.

Photo credit Dave Thompson Matchroom