Natasha Jonas has become a two-division champion after conquering the vacant IBF women’s welterweight title in stupendous fashion; a stoppage victory in the 8th round over Canadian opponent Kandi Wyatt. Jonas ticked off another item on her bucket list after her historic win of the WBC, WBO, and IBF titles at 154 lbs. However, her recent fight at welterweight rose some eyebrows given she was a unified champion in the division above. Jonas and her opponent were part of the undercard of the undisputed bout between Savannah Marshall and Franchon Crews-Dezurn.
Fight-wise, Natasha Jonas (14-2-1, 9 KO’s) fought an excellent fight where she used her experience and skills to the best of her ability to eventually stop Kandi Wyatt (11-5, 3 KO’s) in the 8th round. Jonas, known for her come-forward style and work rate in the ring, showed the same determination to hurt her opponents in the fight against Wyatt, and looked very well-prepared and conditioned to maintain a high tempo for a total of 10 rounds.
Kandi Wyatt struggled to deal with the pace but managed to hold on until the 8th. While her own efforts to engage with Jonas did not lack for energy or effectiveness, Jonas’ experience and greater skillset made it impossible for Wyatt to establish herself and she struggled to win even a single round as Jonas relentlessly pressured.
By the 8th round, Wyatt was clearly down on the scorecards and struggling with the ever-pressuring Jonas who sealed her win in the 8th when the referee stopped after a good right-left combination. It was clear that Wyatt had taken a lot of damage over the fight with Jonas buckling her throughout the fight, thus spurring the referee to stop the fight for Wyatt’s own health and safety.
Natasha Jonas therefore won by technical knockout and became a two-division champion by earning the IBF welterweight title. However, Jonas’ future at super welterweight remains unknown, though Natasha Jonas has indicated in an earlier interview that she would be plying her trade at 147 lbs.
“We never intended to stay at 154 lbs,” Jonas clarified during an interview with Seconds Out.
“It was just that opportunities kept on presenting themselves, so the idea was always to come back down,
“We didn’t want to make the jump too drastic so we’ve come down stage-by-stage and we’ll do 147 lbs and then we’ll keep going there.“
It is unknown what will occur now that Natasha Jonas holds two separate titles in two different weight classes, but she will likely have to relinquish her titles at 154 lbs given her intention to stay at welterweight. It is normally a rule that a fighter cannot hold multiple titles across divisions, but as we know in the sport of boxing, rules can easily be bent depending on the popularity of a fighter, as evident with Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Canelo Alvarez.
Jonas’ decision also seems to eliminate any chance of an all-British match-up between reigning WBA super welterweight champion Terri Harper. The two had noticeably faced each other earlier in 2020 in a match that ended in a draw. A rematch at 154 lbs would see the two effectively definitively sort out a winner all while earning the chance to become undisputed which remains a prestigious and unrivaled feat in the sport of boxing.
At welterweight, Natasha Jonas has perhaps even more dangerous competition. Recently-crowned WBO champion Sandy Ryan (6-1, 2 KO’s) poses a significant threat if Natasha Jonas remains in the division, while Jessica McCaskill (12-3, 5 KO’s) is still a tough opponent for every contender or champion in that weight class. McCaskill also still holds the WBA and WBC welterweight titles.
