LONDON – Rob McCracken has dismissed suggestions that his knowledge of Natasha Jonas as her former trainer presents Lauren Price with an advantage entering Friday’s fight.
Price and Jonas, at London’s Royal Albert Hall, contest the IBF, WBA and WBC welterweight titles, and do so having both been guided by McCracken to Olympic Games.
It was at London 2012 where Jonas became Britain’s first ever female boxer at an Olympics, and Tokyo 2020 where Price won gold. As a professional Price has continued to work under McCracken, but 13 years on Jonas is trained by Joe Gallagher, and a combination of that, the passage of time and the evolution of amateur boxing since then means that McCracken at least claims that he doesn’t believe that his experience of working with her is of use.
In November, the respected trainer also oversaw Galal Yafai’s career-transforming victory over Sunny Edwards – who also once worked with him as an amateur – but for all of Yafai’s status as an Olympic champion and inexperienced professional against someone proven towards at top of his weight division, McCracken told BoxingScene: “Olympic boxing, when Tasha was on the programme, was more like scoring points. Whereas it’s now evolved into, like, pro scoring and professional, three three-minute rounds. It’s very similar to the professional style of fighting than way back when Natasha was on the programme.
“Natasha would have been an out-and-out boxer when she was on the programme ‘cause it was all about scoring points. But [on Friday] they’ve both got puzzles to solve, and I think that it’s going to be really interesting, the first two or three rounds, but what Lauren has to do to win the fight is use her feet and use her movement and keep her flow; keep her rhythm.
“It’s funny, isn’t it? ‘Cause they’re [Yafai and Price] both around 30, and everyone thinks, ‘It’s a bit early’, which is a fair point. But at the same time, if you’re 30 you should be challenging yourself. You should be pushing on. Time and time again kids win world titles at 23, 24, so you’re at the peak of your powers and you’ve got to go for it while you’re motivated as well – to be a boxer and go and test yourself and fight people and put lots of pressure on yourself. If you’re already that good, why wouldn’t you take on people of a similar standard?
“It was nice to see [at the launch press conference Jonas], first of all, because I hadn’t seen her for a bit. There’s nothing personal – it’s boxing, and she’s a tremendous fighter. Lauren, I feel, is a tremendous fighter. The best should fight the best – you should challenge yourself in professional boxing – Lauren’s not 22, she’s 30 years old, so she’s at the peak of her powers physically and mentally, so you have to go for it when you’re this age. As you’ve seen recently with Galal, if you don’t challenge yourself, time will pass you by.”
Price, the WBA champion, is 11 years Jonas’ junior. McCracken, regardless, insists that he considers both to be at their peaks; Friday’s is an all-female promotion that also features the WBC lightweight title fight between the champion Caroline Dubois and South Korea’s Bo Mi Re Shin. It also takes place on the eve of International Women’s Day, but in a strictly boxing context it will establish the finest welterweight in the world.
“You look at what Lauren’s achieved – world champion in the amateurs; European champion; Olympic champion; Commonwealth champion, and winning it all around the world as well, and boxing at 75kilos when, really, she’s a 66-kilo boxer.” McCracken continued. “So physically, she’s got it. Speed-wise, she’s got it, and technique and ability she’s got it. She’s a brilliant talent – a real talent in female boxing.
“Natasha’s at the peak of her powers and she’s achieved world titles and been brilliant as a professional boxer. If you look at Jonas now, I think she’s in the best form that she’s been in. She hasn’t lost for [four years, when matched with Katie Taylor]; she’s beaten a big name in Mikaela Mayer, in the last 12 or 13 months, and made mincemeat of all the other girls she’s boxed. You could argue that it’s the best form of her career.
“[Jonas has] quick hands; uses the back hand really well; she’s quite quick; deceptively quick with the right hook when she’s up close, and she has a really good uppercut as well. She uses her jab to get around you all the time, and try to time you. She’s really experienced. Lots of moves and lots of skill, and good power as well, so she does lots of things good.
“She maybe doesn’t have the movement that Lauren has – most of her success is made off her movement. Then it’s just fighting in spaces, and how Lauren goes about that and how she does it. If you’ve got good feet and you can fight in each space – mid range; long range; short range – then you’re a real difficult puzzle to solve and I think that’s what Lauren’s gonna do.
“You have to answer back then, and you have to answer everything that Lauren’s doing, and that’s where it becomes difficult. In answer to your question, smart pressure from Lauren; use her feet; being able to come in and out quickly. That’s what will be the difference.”
