Last Saturday a hard fought split decision gave Natasha Jonas(15-2-1) the victory and allowed her IBF belt to stay home in Liverpool, England, much to the dismay of Mikaela Mayer(19-2-0) who was certain she had done enough to win. English judge Michael Alexander scored it 96-95 for Jonas, the American Frank Lombardi had it 96-94 also for Jonas, while German judge Diana Drews Milani scored the bout 97-93 for Mayer. Looking at the scorecards, one could ascertain that the fight was a close one and as a matter of fact, it was. Just about every round was a nip and tuck affair with both women showing their true fighting identities and boxing at the very highest level. Mikaela looked very strong in her first foray into the welterweight division, but Jonas was sharp as ever. Like the judges, the public was split on the victor, though it seems a majority did see it going Mayers way.
As soon as the first bell rang Jonas came out firing, immediately landing a straight right. Natasha stayed energetic and on her toes, as she did for most of the fight, and circled the ring to her own left with success. This is not typical of southpaws such as Jonas, and it seemed to throw off Mayer for a moment. But only a moment. Mid-round, Mayer made an adjustment with her own footwork, slowing Jonas down while Mayer fired off her shots. Mayer had a lot of success towards the end of the round, though she was getting countered steadily as well.
Round 2 was very close. Jonas was having success on her toes throwing 1-2’s to start, but as the round went on, Mayer enacted her own gameplan, cornering Jonas for moments letting her hand go steadily. All the while though, Jonas kept countering to the body making sure that neither separated themselves.
The next two rounds were even more exciting. Mayer looking strong, pushing the pace and initiating exchanges, but Jonas consistently threw with her. These exchanges grew in both length and frequency. Every Mayer straight right was answered with a right hook from Jonas, again, making it difficult to see either one separate themselves until the very end of the fourth, where Mayer had forced Natasha in a corner and let both hands free.
Round five started with Jonas landing almost at will. Mayer was throwing but missing and beginning to slow down a bit, though it was obvious her will was just still strengthening. Though she was missing more, she was pushing the pace and continuously making Jonas uncomfortable in there. As the rounds wore on, they had settled into inside fighting in the center of the ring. It was here that their technical prowess and impressive stamina were on full display. Every shot that landed from either of them had an answer from the other. Though they were tiring, the intensity of the match only grew. Neither gave an inch. Mayer continued throwing both hands consistently all the while Jonas was hitting sneakier shots of her own.
Round 8 began with Jonas catching Mikaela coming in, but it wasn’t long until Mayer landed the biggest punch of the fight to that point. They shared a full minute long exchange when Mayer’s shots started showing that they were having more of an effect than they did previously. Mayer was getting the better of Jonas at this moment but Jonas never stopped firing. This continued through round 9 when Mikaela shifted into throwing more powerful body shots. Jonas was getting rocked with blows but was never clearly dazed and never stopped trying to land shots of her own.
The final round found Jonas attempting to clinch more often though continuing to let her hands go as well. At this point Mayer had it in her mind that she would win this round big by any means necessary. She was visibly worn but stayed looking strong. Mikaela did not stop pushing the pace for a second, digging deep and very obviously willing herself to the final bell and, in her mind, glorious victory.
As was said earlier, two of the three judges gave Natasha Jonas the narrow victory, making both of Mayer’s losses thus far controversial split-decisions in England.
Regardless of how you or the judges saw this fight going, it is without a doubt that both of these women did themselves proud, and both are more than deserving of all the adulation and glory a battle like this brings to a fighter. Post fight interviews were emotional but classy by both, as expected.
Mikaela Mayer has made it clear that she would like a rematch and it seems like the entire boxing world, even the ones that had Jonas ahead, agrees with her.
