The Exhibition Centre in Liverpool hosts world championship boxing this Saturday, and two ladies on a collision course are in differing headlining bouts. Natasha Jonas puts her IBF welterweight title on the line against WBC queen Ivana Habazin in the main event, with rival Lauren Price waiting in the wings on the undercard.
Sky Sports televise Jonas vs Habazin the UK, while the bout will be show on Peacock in the USA.
Jonas (15-2-1, 9 KOs) has turned her career around after a couple of setbacks, twice denied becoming world champion in a draw with WBC super featherweight champion Terri Harper in 2020, and then a tight decision loss to Katie Taylor in 2021.
The Liverpudlian then went on a world title spree, winning the vacant WBO super welterweight title with a second round stoppage of Chris Namus in February 2022, and then unifying in her next two outings.
Jonas, 40, then dropped down to welterweight to take the vacant IBF belt with an eighth round stoppage of Kandi Wyatt last July, and she retained in a tight split decision win against Mikaela Mayer in January, in a clash that could have gone either way.
Habazin (23-5, 7 KOs) has had plenty of ups and downs in her career, winning the same IBF welterweight title way back in 2014, but defeated in a lot of other world title bids.
The Croatian last lost in May last year, dropping a decision to Terri Harper for the WBA super welterweight title, but she rebounded, and won the vacant WBC welterweight strap in her homeland, taking a wide points win against Kinga Magyar.
Prediction: Jonas will most likely have seen Price win well, and will want to do the same. I can’t see Jonas slipping up, and she should win widely on the scorecards.
Price meets Mateus
The aforementioned Lauren Price also sees action, and her WBA and IBO welterweight titles will be on the line for the first time against Bexcy Mateus (7-0, 6 KOs).
Price (7-0, 1 KO) was superb in taking the belts in May, outclassing Jessica McCaskill before taking a technical decision win, and the 2020 Olympic Gold medallist meets a visitor with limited experience, with Mateus fighting for the first time outside of her native Colombia.
The 29-year-old was last out in September, forcing Paulina Cardona to retire after five rounds.
Prediction: Price will be first up to make a statement, and she can diffuse Mateus to win handily on points.
McKenna clashes with Cutler
Stephen McKenna (15-0, 14 KOs) is back in action after a thrilling three round shootout win against Joe Laws in August, and the Irishman should defend his WBC International Silver super welterweight title with a stoppage win against English champion Lee Cutler (14-1, 7 KOs).
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Remaining Undercard
Mark Jeffers (18-0, 5 KOs) can mark his third outing of the year, by securing a victory inside the ten round distance in his super middleweight meeting with Ghana’s Elvis Ahorgah (13-2, 12 KOs).
Viddal Riley (11-0, 6 KOs) would have hoped to have kicked on after taking an impressive points win against Makael Lawal in March, but the English cruiserweight champion must settle for a likely points win against Steve Ntere (9-2, 3 KOs) in a clash set for six rounds.
Mason Cartwright (20-4-1, 8 KOs) should be able to bank a points win over six against Dzmitry Atrokhau (16-24, 7 KOs) at super welterweight, and lightweight hope Frankie Stringer (8-0, 1 KO) can do the same against Tatenda Mangombe (3-8-1).
At flyweight, Mikie Tallon (5-0) should be a points winner against the game Benn Norman (7-6).
