By: Sean Crose
Natasha Jonas was capable of maintain on to the IBF welterweight title on Saturday when she gained a detailed and fairly controversial break up determination over former American titlist Mikaela Mayer. “I believed I did sufficient to win,” Mayer acknowledged afterward. ” I outpunched her and outworked her, touchdown clear pictures and having her backed up in opposition to the ropes.” Suffice to say Mayer felt a second struggle was so as. “I feel that struggle is value seeing once more. I didn’t have a rematch clause on my facet,” she stated, “however I hope we will get it on once more. It’s disappointing, however what am I going to do? I hope Natasha goes to be the standup champion and provides me a rematch. I consider I warranted the rematch.”
The struggle was thrilling, to make certain. Certainly, each fighters had been prepared to confess as a lot. “I knew from the primary 10 seconds it was going to be a battle and midway by means of I believed that is struggle of the yr,” Mayer stated. “She is within the top-two fighters I’ve confronted,” Jonas acknowledged of Mayer, “and he or she can be devastated with this defeat, however she ought to use it as motivation to turn into a two-weight world champion,” Certain sufficient, Jonas claimed that solely the nice Katie Taylor proved to be a harder foe. Certain sufficient, Taylor stays one of many solely fighters on this planet to formally hand the 15-2-1 Jonas a loss.
Saturday marked the second lack of Mayer’s 19-2 profession, the primary defeat coming from Alycia Baumgardner in 2022. Nonetheless, there was quite a lot of good to be stated in regards to the American’s efficiency. Those that puzzled how the previous junior welterweight might compete at welterweight had their questions answered loudly and clearly. Throw in the truth that Mayer fought in addition to she did in opposition to Jonas in Jonas’ residence city of Liverpool, England, and it’s simple to see why her efficiency was spectacular. It’s additionally simple to see why some will really feel the thirty three yr previous was robbed. That assertion is perhaps hyperbolic, however the level is evident – many cheap individuals thought Mayer ought to have been the one strolling out of the ring with the IBF title in her possession on Saturday.
“We had a rematch clause on her facet, not on my facet,” Mayer stated, “however this can be a warranted rematch. I really feel like I deserve one other shot and I need to go once more.”
