On the night of January 20th, a swarm of eyes glued to their TVs as Natasha Jonas valiantly held her ground to keep the IBF World Welterweight Title against Mikaela Mayer, live on Sky Sports.
The showdown was hyped up as the women’s boxing equivalent of ‘Hagler vs Hearns’ and boy, did it live up to the hype. Jonas squeaked by with a split decision win (96-94, 93-97, 96-95), clinging onto her IBF World Title after a toe-to-toe scrap with the ex-IBF and WBO World Super Featherweight Champ, Mayer.
This jaw-dropping rumble, now crowned as one of the finest in the annals of women’s boxing, roped in a peak of 269,000 viewers and an average of 149,000, skyrocketing it to one of the most eyeballed women’s bouts on Sky Sports.
Ben Shalom, the big boss at BOXXER, couldn’t contain his excitement: “Natasha Jonas and Mikaela Mayer went all out, delivering a ringside spectacle that I’m lucky to have witnessed. The buzz in the arena was off the charts and I’m over the moon that a hefty crowd watched live on Sky Sports as these two warriors duked it out for the world title.
“At BOXXER, we’re all about boosting women’s boxing. We’re committed to giving female sluggers a stage to strut their stuff. From last year’s record-shattering women’s event to the recent title scrap, we’re hitting the right notes.
The numbers don’t lie. With 269,000 tuning in to see Natasha defend her title, it’s clear as day that women’s boxing has hit a sweet spot with the fans. I’m revved up for more headline-grabbing brawls featuring our lady fighters.”
But wait, there’s more in the BOXXER lineup. Come February 3rd, undefeated world-ranked light heavyweights Joshua Buatsi and Dan Azeez are set to clash in a WBA World Title Final Eliminator at London’s OVO Arena Wembley. Catch this throwdown live on Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland, and on Peacock in the USA.