Natasha Jonas: Unified light-middleweight champion on an unforgettable year

Natasha Jonas has had an unforgettable year.

Jonas realised her dream of becoming a satellite champion successful February by knocking retired Chris Namus, earlier unifying successful September with a unanimous points victory implicit Patricia Berghult.

"Twelve months ago, I didn't cognize however I was going to beryllium a satellite champion, but I conscionable knew I wanted to beryllium one," she tells BBC Sport.

Huge fights await successful 2023 if Jonas tin proceed her winning streak, whether it's an undisputed combat with newly crowned WBA champion Terri Harper oregon a scrap with unbeaten American Claressa Shields.

But Jonas hasn't ever had specified bully times; much than erstwhile she has travel backmost from the brink successful boxing.

'I didn't privation to extremity my boxing career'

To accidental Jonas has had a turbulent vocation would beryllium an understatement.

The archetypal pistillate boxer to vie for Great Britain, Jonas was besides the archetypal pistillate to combat for Team GB, astatine the Olympic Games successful London successful 2012. But she fell abbreviated successful her quest to triumph a medal, losing to Ireland's Katie Taylor successful the quarter-finals.

And aft turning nonrecreational astatine the property of 32, Jonas was handed a large setback aboriginal successful her vocation erstwhile she mislaid to Viviane Obenauf successful her seventh fight.

But she rebuilt her estimation with 3 consecutive victories, which led to 2 opportunities to go a satellite champion - a arguable gully with Harper for the WBC super-featherweight belt successful August 2020 and a adjacent points decision by undisputed lightweight satellite champion Taylor successful May 2021.

Jonas has doubly suffered heartbreak against Ireland's Taylor

She came distant from those fights knowing determination was unfinished business.

"After losing to Obenauf, I didn't privation to permission it similar that," she says. "I didn't privation to extremity my boxing vocation similar that.

"I knew I had thing much to give. With immoderate of the results not going my way, I was thinking, 'will becoming a satellite champion ever happen?'"

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'I've ne'er turned down a fight'

It did hap - astatine the 3rd clip of asking - erstwhile Jonas scored a ascendant triumph implicit Uruguayan erstwhile satellite champion Namus.

"Relief was the archetypal emotion," she says.

"It was like: 'Finally, I've done it.' Then it was joy, past it was excitement and past conscionable sharing a infinitesimal with everyone, which was special."

A Liverpool homecoming followed, and Jonas outclassed the antecedently undefeated Berghult.

"There were nerves due to the fact that each my household were determination and it's successful Liverpool, but the nighttime went perfectly," she says.

"Everything went good and it was conscionable different wherever I was thinking, 'right, that's done.' I had amusive and I enjoyed myself. Now the unit is off.

"I correspond a full heaps of Jonases, a full heap of Liverpool, a full heap of Scousers, and I don't ever privation to fto them down."

Jonas - who has won 12 of her 15 fights arsenic a nonrecreational - volition present look to implicit a hat-trick of satellite titles erstwhile she takes connected Dicaire for the IBF belt.

The Canadian has a pro grounds of 18-1, with her 1 nonaccomplishment against undisputed world middleweight champion Shields.

This volition beryllium the archetypal clip Jonas has headlined arsenic a nonrecreational astatine a large venue - and she is firmly focused, adjacent though a super-fight with Shields whitethorn beryllium connected the horizon.

"I've ne'er turned down a fight. Ever," she says.

"I cognize it's there, but if I don't absorption connected what's close up of me, close this 2nd - that doesn't happen. Nothing happens."

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