In the heart of Liverpool, at the M&S Bank Arena, Natasha Jonas, the reigning queen of the welterweight division, clung to her IBF welterweight crown in a fight as close as a whisper. She squared up against the former junior lightweight champion, the tough Mikaela Mayer (19-2, 5 KOs), in a split decision that had the crowd biting their nails down to nubs.
The scorecards were a jigsaw puzzle – two judges tipping their hats to Jonas with 96-94 and 96-95, while a third favoring Mayer at 97-93.
From the opening bell, Jonas was a whirlwind of speed, her hands and feet dancing a frenetic ballet, landing punches with the precision of a surgeon. Yet, Mayer, looming with her size and strength, started to tip the scales in her favor, hammering right hands and pinning Jonas against the ropes like a prized painting.
The middle rounds? Oh, they were a symphony of violence. Jonas and Mayer stood toe-to-toe, in the ring’s heart, exchanging body blows like they were trading secrets. Mayer turned up the heat in the final act, barreling forward with the ferocity of a storm, while Jonas, nimble and quick, snapped back with counters.
Jonas, ever the philosopher in gloves, mused, “I came out swinging, my punches hitting harder, cleaner. Sure, she might have outworked me a smidge. I’ll tip my hat to her for a few rounds. But I rallied at the end. Mayer’s gutted, I get it – been there, felt the world crumble. She’s top-notch, one of my toughest bouts. Her time’s not up – she’s got the chops to scale the division again.”
Mayer, with a shrug and a hint of defiance, countered, “I thought I had it in the bag. Gave her a round or two, but then? I was the ringmaster. My punches? Cleaner, sharper. This fight deserves a sequel. It was one of her hardest, she admits it. No rematch clause for me, but fingers crossed, we lock horns again. It’s a bummer, but hey, what can you do? I’m eyeing that belt, and I hope Jonas plays the champion’s part and throws me another shot. This fight’s got ‘rematch’ written all over it.”
In other action:
Super Middleweight: Zak Chelli (15-2-1, 7 KOs) UD 12 Jack Cullen (22-5-1, 10 KOs), Scores: 116-113, 115-114, and 116-112. Chelli won Cullen’s British and Commonwealth Titles.
Featherweight: Karriss Artingstall (6-0, 1 KO) UD 8 Lila dos Santos Furtado (9-2, 1 KO), Score: 77-75.
Middleweight: Ste Clarke (1-0, 1 KO) TKO 3 Vasif Mamedov (3-47-5), 1:53.
Super Middleweight: Aaron McKenna (18-0, 9 KOs) TKO 6 Mickey Ellison (14-7, 5 KOs), 2:21.
