Unified champion Natasha Jonas has outclassed Marie-Eve Dicaire in Manchester to add the IBF title to her WBC and WBO light middleweight belts.
The 38-year-old Liverpudlian won her first world title in February then unified the division in September.
And she capped a momentous year for herself and women’s boxing by winning her third world title in nine months.
Jonas picked up a unanimous points win to condemn 36-year-old Canadian Dicaire to just her second professional loss.
The judges scored the fight 100-90, 98-92 and 97-93 in favor of Jonas.
“It was very tough, I knew it would be tough,” Jonas told BBC 5 Live after the fight.
“It was by far my best year in boxing and to say at one point it was almost over and I almost walked away from boxing.
“Now, 12 months later, I’m here as a unified champion with three belts and a Ring (Magazine) belt.”
Britain’s first Olympic boxer has now won 13 fights since turning professional in 2017, with two defeats and a draw, while Dicaire, whose only previous loss was to Claressa Shields last year, slips to a record of 18-2.
Jonas ends an unforgettable year with another high
It now seems hard to believe Jonas had to banish the thought of ending his career prematurely after suffering his first professional loss to Viviane Obenauf in August 2018.
And even after rebuilding her career and not being able to enjoy her first two world title shots, she says that just 12 months ago she did not know how she was going to become world champion.
But she realized her dream in February by knocking out Chris Namus, before unifying the division in September with a unanimous victory on points on Patricia Berghult.
It earned Jonas the chance to headline at a major venue for the first time as a professional and put on the latest show in an exciting time for women’s boxing.
A short drive down the M62 from the Merseyside home, Jonas received a rousing welcome at the AO Arena in Manchester, and she responded by landing two punches in quick succession in the opening round.
And Jonas continued to land the most accurate shots throughout, although Dicaire occasionally opted for a more agricultural approach in a bid to throw the Briton off her game.
A scrappy second round saw Jonas catch Dicaire with a left hook, and although the Canadian tried to force the pace in the third, she walked on some solid lefts from Jonas.
Jonas’ jab helped keep Dicaire at bay before the pair traded blows in a more expansive fifth round, with the Canadian perhaps getting the upper hand.
But Jonas started unloading in the sixth, throwing more combinations and landing an uppercut as well as a right hook.
Several body shots in the seventh kept Jonas firmly on top and as Dicaire continued to push forward, Jonas continued to pick her to finish an unforgettable year on another vertex.
What’s next for Jonas?
After such a busy and eventful year, Jonas could be forgiven for talking more about taking a break than potential future opponents.
But setting the record straight with Terri Harper might just be on her list of New Year’s resolutions.
Jonas shared a controversial draw with his fellow Brit in 2020 among super featherweight and Harper defeated Hannah Rankin in September to become the new WBA light middleweight champion.
“I’ve had a tough year, I’m going to take a vacation and then we’ll discuss the best options in 2023,” Jonas said.
“I have to win to keep all my options open and alive and I did that tonight.”
Jonas could also face light welterweight Chantelle Cameron, who became the UK’s first undisputed champion with her victory over Jessica McCaskill last weekend.
A rematch with undisputed Irish lightweight champion Katie Taylor would be attractive after Loss of tight points from Jonas in May 2021, also at the AO Arena in Manchester.
And then, of course, there is “the GWOAT”, the undefeated American Claressa Shields.
After her thrilling win over Savannah Marshall to become the undisputed middleweight champion in October, Shields said she would be willing to return to light middleweight, where she was previously undisputed champion, to face Jonas in either the UK or the US.
And speaking ahead of Saturday’s win, Jonas’ promoter Ben Shalom said a fight with Shields in 2023 is “a definite possibility”.
