Natasha Jonas will put her IBF welterweight title on the line when she faces Mikaela Mayer in Liverpool on Saturday night.
Jonas, a two-weight world champion and Olympic competitor, will take on Mayer in front of a big hometown crowd and the 39-year-old, who won the IBF belt last year off Kandi Wyatt, will be fighting to keep her title for the first time as she takes on her American challenger. Mayer, 33, is a former featherweight titleholder and has held two titles in her weight class and is expected to give Jonas a tough evening.
The American currently holds the WBC interim lightweight title but is now moving up in weight to take on the Toxteth-born fighter in what is the first major women's boxing matchup of 2024. Mayer held two titles in that division until her loss to Alycia Baumgardner in 2022, however, she fought back with a victory at lightweight in 2023, before advancing a division again.
Jonas has been in a confident mood ahead of the bout and told Sky Sports: "It's just excitement. I think I'm experienced enough, I've been through a lot of fights of this magnitude and at this level.
"It's a big fight. But it's just another fight. Everything I've done in these 10 weeks I've got to go and put it together and make it right on the night."
Natasha Jonas will take on Mikaela Mayer on Saturday, January 20 at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool. The event is due to begin at 7pm.
The fight will be live on Sky Sports Arena. You can
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