British welterweight world champions Natasha Jonas and Lauren Price have respectively completed their matches this past weekend on the same card to set up a unification world title fight between them in 2025. Aside from Jonas defending her IBF welterweight title, her victory over Croatian WBC 147-pound champion Ivana Habazin has further allowed her to unify for the 3rd time of her career, setting an exciting course for a highly-expected and much more relevant contest between the two British welterweights. The Jonas-Habazin fight headlined a Boxxer card on Saturday, December 14, at the Exhibition Centre in Jonas’ hometown of Liverpool, England.
Natasha Jonas Vs. Ivana Habazin
Both Natasha Jonas (16-2-1, 9 KO’s) and Ivana Habazin (23-6, 7 KO’s) held a world title each [IBF & WBA respectively] to create a significant unification welterweight (147 lbs) bout that would potentially start the winner on a clear path towards becoming undisputed.
With Jonas fighting in her hometown of Liverpool, she was the clear favorite heading into the unification bout and fully delivered as she coursed to a unanimous decision (UD) victory over her Croatian opponent.
The bout was characterized by Jonas’ experience and skill as she kept Habazin at bay who adopted an come-forward approach emphasized by consistent pressuring on the front foot. Using her distance while timing her counters well, Natasha Jonas won most of the rounds through efficient spacing, her ring intelligence and her set of defensive and offensive skills.
Jonas’ most efficient weapon would be her jab which often deterred Habazin as she attempted to pressure, while Jonas’ well-versed combinations further allowed her to win most of the rounds on the scorecards [100-90, 99-91 & 99-92].
Throughout the fight, there were few surprises as Habazin’s style proved ineffective while Jonas’ own was extremely conducive towards her streaming to a points victory. Following the 10 rounds of their contest, Jonas was unsurprisingly announced the winner by UD after a performance that could best be described as solid yet not thoroughly impressive. Her victory now makes her the only unified welterweight champion in the division after she retained her IBF title and captured Habazin’s WBC.
According to the post-match interview held between the two, both British fighters will be fighting each other next year. This match is expected to occur somewhere during the first quarter of 2025 and will be a unification bout that is tipped to be held in Jonas’ hometown of Liverpool.
Lauren Price vs. Bexcy Mateus
Making her maiden title defense of her WBA welterweight belt after winning it earlier this year by defeating American former undisputed champion Jessica McCaskill, Welsh champion Lauren Price arguably had the best performance of the night as she successfully retained her title against Colombian contender Bexcy Mateus (7-1, 6 KO’s).
The match would be a showcase for Price’s quick rise to the top as she demonstrated a glimpse into her boxing skill, proving herself adaptable and efficient as she effectively countered Mateus who pressured her early on, but the most prevalent attribute that Price displayed was her power.
Price―who had mostly been on the backfoot during the round―showed to have a devastating left hand as she dropped Mateus in the 1st round from the southpaw stance; a feat she would repeat in the 2nd round. The match, originally scheduled for 10 rounds, lasted only 3 as Price repeated her prior feats with a 3rd knockdown late in the round. Having already endured 2 debilitating knockdowns, the 3rd knockdown left Mateus unable to continue and the match was quickly waved off by the referee as she further needed help in getting to her feet.
Lauren Price retained her WBA title for the first time of her career as she was ruled the winner technical knockout (TKO) in the 3rd round.
Overall, Price’s performance summed up the threat she poses to Jonas as they head towards a likely 2025 bout that will see the winner hold three of the four available welterweight world titles. With the age difference further expected to make an impact for their 2025 bout―as Jonas is aged 40 as opposed to Price who is 30-years old, Lauren Price appears well-situated to potentially becoming an undisputed champion if she defeats Jonas and faces American WBO champion Mikaela Mayer (20-2, 5 KO’s) afterwards.
