By Elliot Foster
Natasha Jonas will return to the boxing ring in the near future.
The former footballer and Team GB star amateur, who won gold at the inaugural British championships and was the first female to make it to the GB squad, confirmed on Tuesday to media, at a press conference in Liverpool, that she will make the transition to the professional ranks.
Jonas took a two-year break while pregnant but, after giving birth to a little girl, the 32-year-old will return without a headguard.
Her professional debut is likely to be confirmed within the next two to three weeks, but Jonas will be managed by Steve Goodwin and trained in Bolton by Joe Gallagher, who is also the coach of the Liverpool-born Smith brothers as well as former world champion duo Paul Butler and Anthony Crolla.
“It was all Tom Stalker’s fault [that I’m turning professional],” Jonas, who earned a scholarship to play in America before a knee injury curtailed her football dream, leading to her taking up boxing in 2005, said.
“[It is a pleasure to have] Natasha [join] the team,” Goodwin added, “and she joins the likes of Frank Buglioni, Dereck Chisora and the nine British Board of Control champions we look after.”
Jonas has joined the paid ranks in a time when women’s boxing is on the up.
Six-time European champion Katie Taylor, who also won gold five times as an amateur in the World Championships, is 4-0 since turning over under the promotional guidance of Eddie Hearn and Matchroom Sport last November.
And while two-time gold medal Olympian Nicola Adams and a good friend of Tasha’s, Stacey Copeland, have turned their hands to the paid code, it is understood that the likeable Scouse lightweight is targeting a rematch with Taylor, which would be a repeat of the quarter–final in the lightweight division in the 2012 Games in London.
“After speaking to Tom [Stalker] when I was working [as a pundit for Sky Sports] on Katie’s debut, when he asked me had I thought about it, he planted the seed,” Jonas, who was crowned European Union 60kg champion in 2009, continued, “so I went back home and discussed it with my family, to see if it would work, and they were all supportive so it just snowballed from there.
“I want to be a flagbearer, a shepherd leading the sheep, but I’ve worked hard and everything I’ve asked for I’ve got.
“Throughout my career, I’ve always been breaking down barriers. I’ve always done sports that girls and women didn’t want to do, but I’ve announced that I’m back now and there’s no going back.”
For trainer Gallagher, who was just three days removed from his fighter Liam Smith’s victory at Manchester Arena against Liam Williams, today was a good day.
Today was a good day, as told by his phone, which went off just before he was due to speak to the audience.
“I’ve given [Natasha] a nickname in our gym already,” he said, before confirming that he took Jonas under his wing just over two months ago.
“She messaged me and asked me to train her, so I went to the Rotunda [ABC in Liverpool, where Jonas trained out of as an amateur] and we did a session.
“We then had a meeting and decided after she had been to our gym a few times that we would work together.
“She walks in the gym in her GB tracksuit all the time, so we’ve nicknamed her ‘Miss GB’ and I’m sure she’ll be winning world titles sooner rather than later.”
“The journey starts today for the world title,” Goodwin concluded. “Liverpool has a new star.”
