Natasha Jonas

Natasha Jonas
Statistics
Rated at Lightweight (60 kg)
Height 5 ft 7 in (1.72 m)
Nationality England English
Born 18 June 1984
Liverpool, England
Stance Orthodox

Natasha Jonas (born 18 June 1984) is an English amateur boxer from Liverpool, England, who competes in the 60 kg lightweight division and representing Rotunda ABC & GB Boxing. She is ranked #5 in the AIBA world rankings.

Amateur career

Jonas took up boxing in 2005 and by 2010 she had won five ABA Championships in the 64 kg Division for Liverpool club Rotunda ABC. In November 2009 she became the first female boxer to compete for GB Boxing. In the same year she claimed gold in the 64 kg division at the 2009 Women's European Union Amateur Boxing Championships in Pazardzhik, Bulgaria, after she overcame Csilla Csejtei of Hungary in the final. Jonas another gold medal in the inaugural GB Amateur Boxing Championships in 2010, when she pipped rival Amanda Coulson by one point in an exciting bout in front of her home fans at Liverpool's Echo Arena.

2012 AIBA Women's World Amateur Boxing Championships

Jonas made history in Qinhuangdao, China in May 2012, when she reached the semi-finals of the 2012 AIBA Women's World Boxing Championships to become the first ever female British boxer to qualify for an Olympic Games, she then went on to take the bronze medal and a place in the 2012 London Olympics back to Liverpool with her.

2012 Olympic Games

Natasha Jonas wrote herself into the history books again, when she became the first ever British female boxer to compete at an Olympic Games. Jonas was handed a tough draw, which saw her box Quanita Underwood of USA in the round of 16, Jonas boxed to her strengths and dominated the contest, by a convincing score-line of 21:13, after dropping her American opponent to the canvas in the previous round. Jonas set up a quarter-final bout with 4-time World Champion, and Ireland's flag-bearer at the Opening Ceremony, Katie Taylor, who had already beat her in a previous contest, Jonas put up a tremendous fight but Taylor's quality shone through in the end and despite Jonas giving everything she had, it wasn't enough as she was defeated 26:15. Even in defeat, Jonas maintained the upbeat character which she is renowned for, displaying a sporting embrace with her opponent afterwards. Jonas had lost the fight, but had won many fans from the Irish contingent, and she was invited to the All-Ireland Hurling final at Croke Park. Jonas' main corner-man during the Olympics was GB Boxing coach, Lee Pullen.

Personal life

Initially intending to be a footballer, 'Tasha' spent eighteen months in the United States on a football scholarship, before returning to the United Kingdom and studying media studies at Edge Hill University, Lancashire. She currently works for Liverpool City Council and does part-time youth work.

In The Media

In July 2012, Jonas appeared alongside Tom Stalker and James Dickens in Channel 4 documentary, Knockout Scousers, which followed her to Czech Republic and China on her pursuit for Olympic qualification, a production which she also narrated.

References

    External links