Natasha Jonas played down the prospect of her fighting Lauren Price when on Thursday she came face to face with Ivana Habazin ahead of their WBC and IBF welterweight unification fight on Saturday in Liverpool, England.
The 40-year-old Jonas, fighting in her home city, can, in the event of victory, set up a unification bout with the WBA champion Lauren Price, who defends her title against Bexcy Mateus on the undercard at the Exhibition Centre.
Jonas, however, said: “It’s a bit disrespectful to keep talking about me and Lauren [Price]. This is a real fight. I’m going to get the win, that’s it.
“I’m happy to be back in Liverpool. When it gets tough in there – and it will get tough in there – the crowd gets behind you like they do for the local football team. You feed off the positive energy.
“[Habazin is] a great boxer; she’s got great fundamentals; great jab. I just think everything she does good I do better.”
Habazin, 35 and of Croatia, agreed with Jonas and agreed that it was “disrespectful” that she was being viewed as little more than an opponent.
“This is a little disrespectful,” she said. “All this talk of Jonas versus Price – I’m a fucking world champion. It’s not only disrespectful to me but to Natasha Jonas. This is a good fight.”
Boxxer’s Ben Shalom, the promoter, quickly defended himself and insisted that Habazin could herself face Price.
“It’s called Collision Course because the winners will fight the winners,” said Shalom. “This is the fight that they wanted. It’s a huge test for Natasha.”
Price herself must first get past the big-punching Mateus.
“My mindset has always been the same, keep my feet on the ground – I’m a valley’s girl,” she said.
“She’s got a great record; she can bang a bit. As an amateur I boxed bigger girls; I’ve boxed better people. I believe I get the job done.
“Of course I want [the Jonas fight]. I’ve got respect for Tash – we’ve both got fights on Saturday and I believe we both get through them. It’s a massive fight not just for women’s boxing, but boxing in general.”
Mateus seemed confident in her abilities heading into the contest against the 2020 Olympic gold medalist Price.
“I know perfectly well who Lauren is in the ring – I know who I am,” said Mateus. “I’m just looking forward to getting in the ring.
“The only thing that I can say is that it’s going to be a great fight. If I get the win on Saturday night, I know I will be fighting Habazin.”
Supporting the two world-title contests is the fight between Stevie McKenna and Lee Cutler.
“I’m going to knock him out,” said McKenna. “I don’t see this fight going past three rounds.
“I’m going to punch your head in, I promise you. Your days are over. You’re going to get knocked clean out.”
Cutler responded: “It’s going to be a great fight. The time for talking is over.
“I’m excited for Saturday night, you’ve fought welterweights and call out super lightweights. You’re going to see on Saturday night – the chaos resumes.
“Ben Shalom has promised me a headline down in Bournemouth if I win this fight. He’s just a stepping stone.”
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