Natasha Jonas. Queen of Liverpool. She's preparing to take center stage in front of her hometown fans for what could be the last time. But her journey may not end there.
The city will bow to its boxing royalty on Saturday night when Jonas headlines against Ivana Habazin at the Liverpool Exhibition Centre, knowing it will likely represent one of her final steps and final tests before hanging up her shiny gloves.
A career built on unwavering resilience through hardship and patience through setbacks has culminated in a legacy as one of Britain's greatest female fighters and the chief flag-bearer for the explosion in women's boxing.
Local fighter Frankie Stringer insisted this week he wants to emulate Jonas' influence at Liverpool, while Micky Tallon hailed her as an inspiration. Thousands of fans will accompany them this weekend to show their gratitude for Jonas' role in bringing boxing titles back to Merseyside.
“It's great to be back here for the last time, it's special,” Jonas told Sky Sports. “And yeah, when the fights get tough, when they get tough, a little sore and you're a little tired, the energy from the crowd gets charged up and that motivates you, it's really special.
“There's no place like home.”
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WBC welterweight world champion Ivana Habazin has been left unhappy with deliberate discussions surrounding her rival Natasha Jonas' potential fight with Lauren Price, with Habazin claiming the chat was “disrespectful”.
She had to wait. How was she supposed to wait? Jonas, Britain's first-ever female Olympian, shrugged off an early defeat to Vivien Obenauf in 2018 before later overcoming a divisive draw with Terry Harper and an agonizing defeat to Katie Taylor to continue her quest for a world title.
The wait finally ended in February 2022 when she knocked out Chris Nammos in the second round at the age of 37, a victory that would prove the catalyst for further success as she claimed three more world titles over the following year.
She will be looking to add Habazin's WBC belt to her collection on Saturday, while it is now no secret that victory would also look to be in an all-British showdown with former Olympic champion Price.
Does this provide additional incentive? “No one wants to lose!” She says.
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Highlights from the huge IBF welterweight title clash between Natasha Jonas and Mikaela Mayer in Liverpool
“We have these fights like Fury vs AJ, Eubank vs Benn, Amir Khan and Kell Brook, and you have these moments where everyone has to choose a side.
“For her to be one of the first women to fight that fight, yes Chantelle (Cameron) and Katie (Taylor) had their fight but it was in Ireland and to have that here in the UK would be huge.
“It's a big fight, but if you don't win on Saturday it's not going to happen, so you have to focus on the fight in front of you.”
Both Jonas and Price were impeccable in their mental approach to the weekend, willing to acknowledge the possibility of an eventual showdown, while also insisting they face strong hurdles in Habazin and Mateus, neither of which should be overlooked. More often than not, strangers were looking for those responsible for putting on a huge women's boxing match.
The build-up took a fascinating turn on Thursday when an equally enthusiastic Habazin sought to remind onlookers of her credentials as anything but a gift to Jonas. She called the ongoing talk about the Jonas Pryce fight “disrespectful” and vowed to tear up the script.
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Lauren Price says she has the boxing skills to tame Pixie Matthews, and if the Colombian has similar tactics to Jessica McCaskill she will lose too
“I found myself agreeing with Ivana yesterday,” said Boxxer CEO and promoter Ben Shalom. “It's a collision course for a reason, they've both signed up to fight the winner – if Matthaus wins, if Habazin wins, they're the ones who will fight.
“When you have three world champions, they all think they should be given priority. Natasha is the queen, Lauren is the gold medalist and world champion, but Ivana is an established world champion and they all want the best.
“Okay, let's get everyone together, and forge a path to Undisputed, with the winner standing.”
Jonas is 15-2-1 in her return to the ring for the first time since defeating Michaela Mayer via split decision to retain her IBF world title in Liverpool in January. Habazin comes in at 23-5 following a unanimous decision win in April over Kenja Magyar, and her five losses include the likes of Terri Harper and Claressa Shields.
“This is a serious fight, and the main event is a 50/50 fight,” Shalom added.
“Every time Natasha fights, I wonder if we will see signs of her slowing down, so far not. It was a great performance in a very close fight against Mayer.
“If we see a 10 or 15 percent drop, Ivana Habazin will be there to take advantage of it. It will be an amazing atmosphere, but it's really 50/50.”
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Rivals Stephen McKenna and Lee Cutler once again exchanged some sharp words as they faced each other in their final press conference before their super welterweight showdown.
If all goes to plan on Saturday night, Price looks to be in store for her in 2025. The Welsh woman continues to rise rapidly as one of the most technically gifted fighters in women's boxing, and is on track for dominance and greatness having already claimed her first world title.
Jonas knows this represents one of the toughest challenges of her career. Although, in some ways, she regards the possibility of a major historical event as an additional driving force heading into her conflict with Habazin.
“When the odds are against me, then you get the best version of me and I think (the fight with Price) will be one of them.”
But first, the dangerous Habazin. Regardless of what the new year holds, there is a feeling that this could be the last time Jonas takes center stage in the ring at his favorite club Liverpool.
Although she wouldn't let this occasion get to her, she also wouldn't let it pass her by.
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Jonas sent Lauren Price a warning: 'Be careful what you wish for'
“I think every time I box now, I enjoy the atmosphere because you never know what's going to happen,” Jonas said.
“One of the things I really regret about the Olympics experience is that I didn't enjoy the moment. I'm so focused on the outcome that I didn't enjoy the experience and I wish I had done that a little bit more.” A little more.
“So now I’m living in the moment a little more.”
Jonas vs Habazin live on Sky Sports
Watch Natasha Jonas vs. Ivana Habazin and Lauren Price vs. Pixie Matthews on December 14, live on Sky Sports+ From 7 p.m. on Sky Sports Main Event From 8.30pm, or follow updates via our dedicated live blog on the Sky Sports website and app.
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