Natasha Jonas 9-1-1 (7) will be gunning for the knockout when she clashes with undisputed lightweight champion Katie Taylor 17-0 (6) at the AO Arena in Manchester this Saturday night.
The fight will take place on the undercard of the heavyweight battle between Dereck Chisora 32-10 (23) and former WBO heavyweight champion Joseph Parker 28-2 (21).
Jonas’ trainer Joe Gallagher believes Taylor has shown she can be hurt in the past and says Jonas won’t be intimidated by the reputation of the WBC, WBA, WBO and IBF 135-pound champion.
“Natasha has been in with her twice before [on the amateur circuit], so Natasha is not dealing with these auras that people have or build-up, like Canelo or Lomachenko; ‘They’re not human, they can’t be beat’,” Gallagher told Sky Sports.
“You’ve seen Katie Taylor against Delfine Persoon, that could easily be 2-0 to Persoon or 1-1.
“Katie, I’m sure would have trained like a demon, knowing the challenge and the threat that Natasha Jonas brings. This is going to be a really, really tough fight for Katie Taylor.
“I think she can be hurt. If people study her long and hard enough, you’ll see in fights where she has been hurt. She’s been caught, she’s been wobbled, she’s been stunned.
“Can she be knocked out? Well, we didn’t think Mike Tyson could get knocked out against Buster Douglas. Anyone when they get hit clean on the chin has a chance of going over.
“I do feel Natasha has to win by stoppage.”
Southpaw Jonas, 36, is coming off a split draw against WBC and IBF super featherweight champion Terri Harper 11-0-1 (6) in Brentwood, Essex in August last year.
“There’s been question marks over a few Katie Taylor decisions and Natasha Jonas’ decision, so we want the best judges that the governing bodies have at ringside,” Gallagher told Sky Sports.
“We want everyone to talk about how good a fight this was and not about contentious scorecards again.
“We’ll be looking to know who the judges are assigned to the fight and if there is any that we’re not happy with, then we will raise an objection with the British Boxing Board of Control, and the governing bodies.”
Ireland’s Taylor, 34, has fought two brutal battles with Delfine Persoon 44-3 (18) in her last four fights, winning both bouts by close decision. Jonas says those fights showed chinks in Taylor’s armour.
“I know that I’m not boxing the aura that is, the legacy that is, the legend that is Katie Taylor, I’m just boxing another human,” said Jonas.
“Everyone’s got weaknesses, everyone’s human, and I will be trying to capitalise on them and put my best foot forward.
“Everyone mentions the Persoon fights but styles make fights and I’m not Persoon, but what I do think Persoon did was make her look human.”
