Natasha Jonas: Katie Taylor is just human, I have nothing to lose

Natasha Jonas will be the underdog when she faces undisputed lightweight queen Katie Taylor on May 1 on DAZN and Sky Box Office, but the 36-year-old British southpaw was just in this position last year and proved a lot of people wrong.

She tells Sky Sports that she’s looking to do that again, and that she won’t see Taylor having any aura of invincibility when they fight:

“(Taylor) is just human, and when I step into the ring with her on May 1, I’m not stepping into the ring with the aura and what everybody else believes. ... Nothing to lose and everything to gain. There’s no pressure on me whatsoever and I’ll be putting my best foot forward. I just hope she is, too. I love proving people wrong, and I love proving other people right.”

Taylor (17-0, 6 KO) is arguably the top woman in the sport pound-for-pound, but the 34-year-old Irish star is definitely not unbeatable. She had hit something of a wall toward the end of her amateur days in 2016, and Delfine Persoon has given her two very hard fights as a pro, not to mention Christina Linardatou having some success, too.

Last time we saw Taylor, she did dominate, beating an over-matched Miriam Gutierrez handily on Nov. 14. But the last time we saw Jonas (9-1-1, 7 KO), she had probably her best night as a pro, going to a disputed draw with 130 lb titlist Terri Harper in August of last year. That was a fight Jonas could easily have won on the cards, and a reminder of how skilled and talented she is when she’s at her best.

She’ll have to be at her best against Taylor, but she should be expected to be, too. This is a huge opportunity.