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Tony Bellew believes Natasha Jonas is one of Liverpool’s best ever fighters.
Callum Smith, Liam Smith, Shea Neary, John Conteh, and Bellew himself are just a few of the great boxers who have come out of Merseyside over the years.
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However, ‘The Bomber’ thinks Jonas is potentially better than them all ahead of her fight against Mikaela Mayer at Liverpool’s M&S Bank Arena on Saturday night – live on talkSPORT.
“Natasha Jonas is just going to be world champion once again,” Bellew told talkSPORT’s White & Jordan on Monday.
“She’s absolutely amazing. She’s just a perfect role model for young ladies out there.
“You know, she had a couple of setbacks but, you know what, she bounces back, she goes again. She’s just a brilliant fighter.
“Listen, she’s got a claim as the greatest fighter my city has ever produced.
“I don’t care what anybody thinks about that comment, she’s done and won enough to hold her own with anyone from our city.
“The great John Conteh, and whoever else you guys wanna put in front of her.”
Jonas enjoyed a decorated amateur career that saw her make history by becoming the first British female to qualify and compete at the Olympics in 2012.
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In the same year, she won a bronze medal at the World Championships in Qinhuangdao, China.
The 39-year-old subsequently turned pro and quickly racked up six consecutive wins before an upset knockout loss to Viviane Obenauf seemingly derailed her career in August 2018.
Jonas won three comeback bouts before shocking the world by pushing Terri Harper, the unbeaten WBC featherweight champion, to a controversial draw in August 2020.
A decision defeat against boxing superstar Katie Taylor followed before Jonas picked up five straight victories and a bunch of world titles to become one of Britain’s most decorated fighters.
The 17-2-1 star won the British Boxing Board of Control’s 2022 British Boxer of the Year award, making her the first woman to claim the prestigious prize.
Jonas is the current unified WBC, WBO and IBF light middleweight champion.
The scouser also holds the IBF welterweight title after knocking out Kandi Wyatt last July – now she is set to defend the belt against former unified super featherweight champion Mayer.
Bellew’s assertions about Jonas and her standing in Liverpool’s boxing history books will be hard to argue with if she picks up a career-best win this weekend.
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