Natasha Jonas column: ‘For the first time in my career, I’m calling the shots’

Boxing analyst and current unified light-middleweight champion writes for BBC Sport about her bid to become a two-weight world champion on Saturday in Manchester.

The Wyatt fight is the first step to securing the legacy fights she wants. Jonas also gives insight about fellow Briton Savannah Marshall, who aims to become the undisputed super-middleweight champion this weekend.

Throughout my career I feel like I’ve been in the away corner. A passenger, rather than the driver.

I was the opponent who offered a lot of risk for no reward. But now, for the first time, I’m calling the shots.

I’m a woman with plenty of options. If I get through on Saturday and become a two-weight champion, I could have the pick of three undisputed fights in three different weights. It’s wild!

Standing in my way is Kandi Wyatt. People don’t know much about her and there isn’t much to see online, but I won’t be underestimating her.

When you’re a competitive athlete who has been given the opportunity to fight for a world title, getting the biggest pay day of your career and taking a known name on, then you’re going to prepare yourself the best you can.

Wyatt is coming to spoil the party. They’ll make it tough and that’s what I expect her to do. People think she isn’t my level, but you don’t have to be to pull off an upset.

Finally proving I’m world level

Last year was special, winning three world titles in nine months and then being awarded the 2022 British fighter of the year award.

When you’re an athlete you’re just focused on results. It wasn’t really until the awards that I had time to look back and reflect on my year and my career.

I went to the Rotunda Amateur Boxing Club when I was 20 and I started competitively at 21.

At the time, women’s boxing wasn’t really a thing. We didn’t have the novice levels or elite levels that we have now. There were no categories or school girls. If you had a fight, any fight, you were lucky.

The best moment as an amateur was qualifying for London 2012 and being the first female boxer to fight for Team GB at an Olympic Games.

As a pro, it was beating Christian Namus to become a world champion last year. After telling everyone that I’m world level and I’m good, I finally got the belt to prove it.

My life hasn’t changed, but I am different. It’s changed the way I am. I am more confident. I belong at the top and I feel that now. Sometimes in the gym it gives me a bit of what we call ‘the champion’s rights’.

There will be little things I can get away with because I am the champ. It’s tongue in cheek with my coach Joe Gallagher.

My little girl is happy when I take belts into the school. That’s probably the only time she’s remotely bothered by boxing.

She likes other people’s reaction. When kids say ‘Oh, I seen your mum on telly’, she’s interested. But other than that, I’m just mum. She loves our ‘Kita (Jonas’ sister and England footballer Nikita Parris) more than me.

Plenty of options but I want Taylor or Cameron

I’ve been saying since 2012 that I’m retiring next year. So we’ll see how it goes if I am still fighting in 2024.

Now I’ve done what I needed to do it’s all about me having peace with what I’ve done with boxing and bowing out gracefully. But as I’ve said, I’ve got options.

I think people don’t understand that there’s a business within the sport. My broadcaster, Sky Sports, want me in a fight which will look good on their platform, like a Katie Taylor rematch.

My promoter, Boxxer, want me to fight somebody such as Lauren Price or Mikaela Mayer because it’s cheaper or easier to make.

Then there are the fights the fans want to see, like a rematch with Terri Harper – this time for the undisputed light-middleweight title.

I feel I’ve beaten her already even though our fight in 2020 was judged a draw. I had to go and force another route for myself because we didn’t get the rematch.

I felt disrespected by how her team went about everything after the fight. Now I’ve got the say-so on what happens. Don’t come begging to me, because when I was begging to you, you didn’t offer me the same graciousness.

I’d never say never for a Harper rematch, but for me I want to fight Taylor or Chantelle Cameron. They’re the big two.

I need that one win against Taylor so I can sleep. Losing to her in the Olympics still hurts me. Then being defeated as a pro, losing by a round, also eats at me. When it’s so close, so near yet so far.

Cameron has finally been given the recognition she deserves after beating Taylor in May. Everyone holds Taylor in such high regard, rightly so she’s on a pedestal, and Cameron came and beat her.

She is now the best fighter in the country and probably the top two pound-for-pound in the world.

Marshall will be motivated by Shields loss

In the main event at Manchester Arena on Saturday, Savannah Marshall – who I’ve known since the amateurs – will face Franchon Crews-Dezurn.

Marshall will want to put on a show and show how good she is after losing her unbeaten record to Claressa Shields last year.

We’ve seen Marshall be a big puncher, knocking people out on big nights, but that night wasn’t big for her. It was definitely Shields’ night.

I remember at the elite level in the amateurs Marshall went through something like 25 internationals without losing, all the way through the worlds and the qualifiers. And then she lost.

I thought she would be upset and fall apart, but she was actually relieved. She said she was relieved that it was gone because everyone expected her to win all the time.

Sometimes the ‘0’ in the losses column can be a distraction and it becomes a bit of a burden.

Marshall will be upset and hurt by the loss to Shields, I know I would be, but I think she will be motivated by it and put on a show, and win, against Crews-Dezurn.