Taylor vs Jonas: Natasha Jonas team concerned about officiating

Katie Taylor and Natasha Jonas have, like many boxers, both been involved in debatable decisions.

Notably, Taylor got the duke over Delfine Persoon in a 2019 fight many thought Persoon deserved to win, and Jonas came away with a draw last year against Terri Harper in a fight many felt Jonas should have taken.

Jonas trainer Joe Gallagher tells Sky Sports that their side have real concerns about the officiating and judges assigned:

“There’s been question marks over a few Katie Taylor decisions and Natasha Jonas’ decision, so we want the best judges that the governing bodies have at ringside. ... We’ll be looking to know who the judges are assigned to the fight and if there is any that we’re not happy with then we will raise an objection with the British Boxing Board of Control, and the governing bodies. We’d like to know who they are, the sooner the better. ... The eyes of the world are watching this and I can’t have Natasha Jonas coming out of this fight, feeling hard done by, like she already has done with the Terri Harper fight.”

Jonas (9-1-1, 7 KO) will be the underdog in their May 1 fight, but a live one. Taylor (17-0, 6 KO) is defending her undisputed lightweight championship.

All this said, it’s not like there are a bunch of judges out there who don’t have questionable scores in their history, so try as they may to find judges they approve of, nothing is guaranteed or anything. How many times can we watch TV commentators praise the fine veteran judges assigned just ahead of another weird batch of scores being read?