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Exclusive Natasha Jonas Interview |
Written by Chris Walker |
It’s the 13th August 2009 and the International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge has just spent his afternoon in a meeting room in Berlin. Discussions at the table centred on the inclusion of Female Boxing at the 2012 Olympic Games to be held in London. Rogge would later declare that for the first time since an exhibition bout in 1904, Women’s Boxing would be amongst the new events unveiled in London.
This announcement from Rogge was applauded rapturously by Gender Equality groups and it is a monumental step for Women’s boxing on a whole. With the exception of Jane Couch, no female boxer competing on these shores has received any notable attention in regards to making a mainstream breakthrough. Liverpool’s Natasha Jonas is one of several female competitors aiming to make the transition.
Boxing found Jonas back in 2005. The well spoken 25 year old trained modestly at a family member’s karate gym where she encountered Sylvia Singleton. Singleton ran women-only classes at the famed Rotunda ABC and Jonas was handed an invitation. “I was really nervous when I first went in the gym. The only reason I wanted to go along was just to keep fit.” Jonas’ conversion from martial art to sweet science was a successful one and, shortly after, her status was elevated as she became a permanent fixture on the gym’s illustrious member list.
Rotunda’s track record within domestic amateur boxing is no secret. The success’s shared by Joey Frost, Anthony Bellew and the Smith Brother’s provide constant reminders at the Lambeth Road Gym as souvenirs of past triumphs are housed throughout this magnificent institution. Did a novice Jonas’ possess any obvious nervousness when first attending? “It was a little hard to settle in at first. A lot of the drills and exercises here are done in pairs, when I first started I used to dread this part but eventually it got more settled”
Jonas thanks one emerging Merseyside prospect for making thing that little more comfortable. “Liam Smith was the one who really went out of his way to make things as smooth as possible for me. I remember one time when I first started when he volunteered to partner me during an exercise and that small incident went a long way in breaking the ice. From then on things became a lot easier.”
Since her baptism at Rotunda, Jonas’ has seen the sport of Woman’s Boxing alter dramatically. From modest beginnings with minimum fanfare, the sport has grown rapidly culminating with Jonas’ sharing the limelight with her male counterparts at November’s International meeting with America. “It has come along way since I started. Getting matched with opponents used to be really difficult but now due to the number of tournaments that are out there, we are able to fight more regularly against good opposition.”
Despite the slow rise of Female Boxing, Jonas’ is well aware that the growing sport is not everyone’s pleasure. Traditionalist stances held by leading figures within the sport do nothing to dampen Liverpool’s 3 time ABA Champion. “We’ve had to put up with the criticism since day one. What annoys me is that the people saying all this negative stuff about our sport have never taken the time to actually attend one of our shows. Barry McGuigan was one of the worst for it and when he came along to one of our internationals against Ireland he was really impressed. He took back everything he’d originally said.”
2009 could, in future, well be seen as the most transitional 12 months in Women’s boxing. As well as the Olympics and mixed sex internationals, national Broadcaster ITV screened a professional female bout on a Saturday night. Angel McKenzie and Lana Cooper’s disastrous effort only served as undercard filler to Nathan Cleverly’s brutal dissection of Danny Macintosh but the decision to air such an awful contest is one that angers Jonas.
“What was all that about? Asks Jonas, “What really annoys me is the fact that the fight was only shown due to McKenzie appearing in Big Brother yet it damages the whole reputation of Women’s boxing. Me and the rest of the England squad were watching that fight at camp and we couldn’t believe how poor it was. It’s like every time we take a step forward, something happens that just pulls us back.”
Jonas aims to make massive strides forward as her 2012 preparations dawn upon her. With just over two years left until the London showcase gets underway, Jonas is well aware of what awaits. “Qualifying is going to be really difficult but it’s definitely something I know I’ll achieve. There are lots of good boxers around my weight category (63kg) and there’s going to be quite a few international competitions in between now and 2012. I’m currently ranked 6th in the world so as I keep working hard then there’s no reason why I can’t make an impact at the Olympics.
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