►SUBSCRIBE http://bit.ly/SSBoxingSub
Join us for the live workout ahead of Natasha Jonas vs Mikaela Mayer on Saturday.
►TWITTER: https://twitter.com/skysportsboxing
►FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/skysportsboxing
►WEBSITE: http://www.skysports.com/boxing
MORE FROM SKY SPORTS ON YOUTUBE:
►SKY SPORTS FOOTBALL: http://bit.ly/SSFootballSub
►SKY SPORTS BOXING: http://bit.ly/SSBoxingSub
►SKY SPORTS CRICKET: http://bit.ly/SubscribeSkyCricket
►SOCCER AM: http://bit.ly/SoccerAMSub
►SKY SPORTS F1: http://bit.ly/SubscribeSkyF1
►SKY SPORTS: http://bit.ly/SkySportsSub
►SKY SPORTS GOLF: https://bit.ly/SubscribeSkySportsGolf
Welcome everybody Welcome to the everlas gym in Liverpool it’s fight week we’ve got the open workouts for you today top of the bill on Saturday of course from the M&S Bank Arena is Natasha Jonas against Michaela mayor Natasha making the first offense of her ibf Welterweight Title Jack Cullen defending
His British and Commonwealth super middleweight titles against Chelly and plenty else besides Caris arting stall on the bill as well we’ll be seeing her very shortly a very interested Observer for all sorts of reasons joining me is is Laura price Laura not just because Caris actually has appeared behind us is
Boxing but you’ll have a very close eye on the main event as well it’s it’s a it’s a good card and it’s a really good fight isn’t it between Tasha and Michaela may yeah I think it’s a great card obviously you know Tasha and Michaela headline in I think it’s a you
Know 50 50 fight for me um obviously being in Liverpool as well you know with with Tasha’s home support so yeah I’m really looking forward to it I do think it’s going to be a great fight and the rumor is it’s more than a rumor that
That you’re eyeing up the winner I mean is that is that something that you feel Could Happen although we do know that if Michaela mayor wins Tasha has a rematch clause and they would have to do it again yeah I he that this week so um
Yeah obviously i’ I just I put it out there you know I’d love the winner for me I put it out there I’d love anyone who got a world title at 147 I’m happy to find anyone and um yeah obviously we’ll see what happens you know anything
Can happen on on Saturday you know anyone can pick up an injury for me my main focus is I want to be active again I want to box you know soon as and uh I believe you know them opportunities will come this year and uh I’ll be ready for
Them okay excellent well we’ll just step aside now so we can uh we can watch the workout in place it’s funny these open workouts because we haven’t got a ring today where we’re in the corner of the gym in this kind of cage like structure it’s got this kind of squid game Vi
About it to be honest I always feel like lasers are going to start coming down from those beams but I mean what what what’s your approach to these because you always have to do them for the fight weeks you’re in most of the time you’ll probably have trained already during the
Day but some Fighters do do come out and give it some yeah uh We’ve literally just left sherfield now uh K Caris this morning she um she done eight TOS pads with uh Richie wood all so she had a little workout today so yeah it’s just
About you know just getting in front of the cameras doing a little shadowing um for me you know she’s had a great Camp uh I’d say obviously it’s a bit of a cliche but this is her best Camp so far I know a lot of people say that but
She’s stayed on it over Christmas um you know we’ve done a few rounds sparring as well to keep her on it and I think she’s you know going to perform Saturday and put on a great performance I was talking to both of you in Bournemouth in December about what it’s like to to
Watch each other and the strange thing for you this week is that this is worse for you than actually fighting in terms of your stress levels she’ll be more relaxed than you and you’re the one watching yeah I think obviously um I think it just it works like that both
Ways for the pair of us you know uh especially when I’m stood ringside after I’ve left a change room waiting for her to walk out from you know a ring walk but you know I believe um I’m confident you know as long as I’ve seen the work
She’s put in and how hard she’s trained so for me that settles my nerves a little bit because I know how good she is and how hard she’ve worked as long as she puts the work in you know her Talent her skill uh it’ll come through on
Saturday I’ll be interested to see if you agree with me on this but watching both of you in your last two fights Caris with her last one uh and you in yours it kind of felt to me watching it not like it was a a turning point
Exactly but I felt like for the pair of you it looked like you both just slowed everything down a bit you’re just a bit more relaxed a bit more loose whereas prior to that you were maybe trying to force things a bit is that fair yeah definitely I think obviously um we’ve
You know I’ve had six fights now this is car’s six fights and I think it’s just about molding into that professional you know um a lot of it comes down to composure keeping calm you know under the under the bright lights and stuff like that but each Camp I feel like you
Know working alongside Rob he’s being there with frch he’s been there with AJ uh he knows the game inside out and just working with him every day I think we can see you know the improvements and we continuing you know we’re in the gym in Sheffield week in week out and uh I
Think it’s great that we both got him you know on our team and uh like I said yeah this year I think we’ve seen the step ups and the improvements we both made and I believe there’s a lot more to come from the P of us as well
He’s interesting Rob isn’t he because Pro used to call him the guru I was talking to FR about about Rob last year actually he said he said for him it was like Karate Kid with kind of Mr Biagi and Daniel ruso you know Rob’s like Mr
BAGI tells you what to do and fr said from his point of view he never really questioned it he would just do it even when sometimes he thought I don’t know about this what’s the point of this but they just trusted him trusted the process yeah and you know that’s one of
The biggest things out of everyone you know in my in my career out my family Rob is someone you know especially in this game who who myself and Car Trust uh everything you know goes through him and like you said sometimes you know he does train us hard I believe you know
There’s no one out there who trains harder than us I know I know that might sound crazy but you know being up in the headquarters in chield uh training you know alongside GL yafi as well we he knows he put us through our PES let me
Tell you that but he’s a great man you know inside he wants the best for us and I think obviously in this professional game you need people who are in your corner and wants what’s best for us and I believe you know Rob Rob is he looks after the pair of
Us and when you look at what could come up for the pair of you this year as you say you never get ahead of yourself and and Caris has got business to take care of on Saturday but it looks like that division is and featherweight is opening
Up a bit obviously Sano has has given up the WBC because they won’t do three minute round so it looks like um Sky Nicholson and uh Sarah mafud box for that at some point s’s boxing Nina mineer um who I know a little bit actually and she’s measured her as being
A potentially good opponent I think she really is as is Raven Chapman and for you there’s there’s those obvious options Mill’s got two belt Sandy Ryan another Brit who you know really well has got another one there’s the winner of this fight there’s you know you’re both you’re there now aren’t you yeah
Definitely we want to be in them big fights you know this year and you know like Caris have said today even if she’s you know not fighting for a world title she wants them domestic fights like Raven she wants them step ups but I believe obviously there’s history there
With you know Sky Nicholson as well they box the Olympics I think that can be a great fight um whether it’s you know this year or or whatever but she’s up there now like I said we’ve had a run out as a professional and I feel like we
Want to be in them big fights we’re ready and uh yeah it’s exciting cuz what what’s really important it strikes for me cuz I love the amateur I follow the amateur really closely and so I love seeing people come through because cuz it’s like I’ve got this little secret
With some of them not not with YouTube because everybody knew about you but I was watching Imam katay for example at the weekend and got a bronze at the Olympics Ben whis could beat him in his semi-final and and he’s six and0 now and
I look at him and I feel like he’s got to push on to bigger opponents now otherwise you’ll stagnate and it’s a similar kind of thing for for for you guys isn’t it you don’t you don’t want to we’ll just Sidle back into shot you you don’t want to get to that point
Where you feel like you’re treading water at all it’s got to everything’s progress yeah definitely I think that’s one of the things we we both you know we’ve we’ve kind of worked quite well each fight we’ve had step UPS each opponent’s been a little bit better and
Uh I think obviously we can thank Rob for that and grasp that cuz like you said when we do get involved in these big fights these title fights we’re ready for him so Caris first of all I very much enjoyed the piece you did with
Andy Scott down at the uh down at the Army Barracks he’s a great paline Andy but but because we’re good friends there’s nothing I like more than watching him squirm a bit and you you definitely have that effect on him yeah and I think do you know what I I liked
Watching it back it was a good laugh and that and I think if it was to be with anybody else it wouldn’t have been the same so credit to Annie for taking his part he done his little bit so fair pleas him I was just talking to Lauren
About the last fights that you both had and it said I said that it occurred to me that for both of you it was one of those fights where it I wouldn’t go as far as to describe it as a turning point but it just looked like you just slowed
Everything down a bit little bit looser a little bit more relaxed weren’t necessarily just obsessed with the stoppage and you just s look I’m just going to let my punches flow and let’s see what happens and and and we saw what happened yeah I agree I think that was
The key thing just relaxing into it and just letting my boxing flow um I think previously I’ve gone looking too hard for like hurting somebody and I think naturally like it’s it’s not even like the fact that I carry power I think it’s just timing and speed just beats
Everything and like doing them little laybacks and making them pay for when I make them fall short I think it works wonders like especially when I clip them on a CH with a back hand I think the definitely going to Fe they’re going to know they’ve been it anyway that’s for
Sure I was talking to David Haye about this last year about when when you know you’ve got that power how do you kind of use it and he said that early on he kind of just felt like he could knock anyone out but that you do you have to you have
To set it up it’s about getting them to to come for and come onto the punch and and Flinch into the punch and I guess these are things that you know take a little bit of time to adjust to because in am boxing you don’t have to hurt someone to win a
Fight but in pro boxing you kind of do don’t you yeah like it if I can hurt him I’m most definitely going to try my best to hurt him um I just got to bear in mind it’s not a Sprint like whether it be eight or 10 Rounds I can outbox vast
Majority of people in my division and I can do that for six rounds and then I’ll start they’ll start breaking down and start unraveling I know they will so then I’ll start putting my punches together but that being said if earlier on the openings are there for me to take
And L a big shot on and I’m going to go for it we were just talking about what could potentially happen down the line I know you’ve got a fight to take care of on on Saturday so I don’t know whether you’ll be able to answer this or not but
It’s interesting featherweight isn’t it you know San those boxing Nina M care the WBC has has opened up there’s things that could happen and happen quite soon I think yeah definitely and that’s my aim for definitely by the end of 2024 I winner a box for World title you’ve got
Am Mana Sanu who’s obviously got hold of some titles and then you’ve got the WBC that Sky Nicholson’s boxing Sarah malford for forgive me if that’s not a name but I’d definitely like a shot at one of them three boxes um to get a shot at a world title most definitely by the
End of this year 100% okay so Jack Cullen’s just nipped in behind us oh no Zack Chell Zack Chell and Jack Cullen will be next up there boxing for the British and Commonwealth super middleweight titles on Saturday so before I let the perview go let’s just
Talk Main Event um how did you see it how did you see it going so for me I think it’s going to be a you know a very close fight I think it’s a great fight um but if I had to pick a winner I’d say Jonas you know obviously she’s boxed at
147 before and with her being in Liverpool as well and I think she’s if I had to say you know she’s got a great back and she’s a South Pole awkward so yeah for me I’d say Jonas for not taking anyway anything away from Mia you know I
Do think it’s going to be a great fight I hate it when she goes first I feel like she just said everything I’m about to say now but no I I picked just Tasha Jonas a few weeks back I did sway um about two three weeks ago I I then moved
Over to Michaela may and thought she might get the job done just because she punches in bunches and she’s got a high work rate but I have swayed back to Tasha Jonas and I believe Tasha gets the job done she’s got a lovely Chris back and if Michaela walks onto that she’s
Going to feel it for sure she’s the typical southa um style and like lawren said earlier she’s just comfortable at the weight now I think whereas this is Michaela’s first time at the weight whether that’ll play dividence in the fight I don’t know but um I’m looking
Forward to it and it it won’t be an easy fight regardless I mean something I find kind of interesting with with female pro boxing is that because of the two-minute rounds you there’s there’s often not that many stoppages and the metric we use to try and measure who is and who
Isn’t a big puncher and it doesn’t always you know it’s not always that accurate is how many stoppages people have got Sasha’s knockout ratio is is good 9 and 14 wins but you know who would you say in your experience and from watching maybe sparring and stuff
Are the are the real heavy punches around your own weights because Jonah seems to me like she is a her power is very solid um yeah I can’t really comment on that cuz I’ve never been in the ring with Jonas I Haven even you know I am SP
Jonas but yeah looking at obviously at um you know a a record um I’m not too sure you said nine Knockouts was there um yeah obviously you you’ve got have a bit of you know dig but I believe you know with these little gloves on no matter who you’re fighting any dig if
You land right you know you’re going to feel it um so yeah it’s interesting who who’s hit you the hardest you reckon in your boxing career so far well for me you know careful answer so um hit me the other so far I’d probably say uh in my pro career I’d
Probably say the not my last fight the fight before that uh the girl at Savannah headline again she was obviously coming down in weight I knew she had you know power on her back end um so I had to stay out stay you know move to my right and move away from it
So um yeah I’d probably say her how about you who’s hit you the hardest as a pro am amateur Am pro well um oh amateur I didn’t I didn’t say about amateur get car War can dig she’s got a dig on her um I’ve squ her in the
Amateurs and I think she can punch like fighting wise I don’t know I have been it a few times to be fair like so I couldn’t pinpoint one but I think i’ I I can take a punch like Jo mean so and once I’ve been it with it once I know
I’m not getting it with it again that’s for sure but no I’ve been it a couple of times in the amateurs but um nothing that’s obviously made me worry too much but but your answer is Caroline the war okay what amateurs for you um for me I
Probably got to say Obviously boxing at 75 uh probably nka font in uh the Dutch girl uh we you know we’ve boxed each other a few times she’s very you know she’s big she’s built um she’s filled up 75 so yeah I say I see her okay no good
I’ve always I love that question because sometimes you get really unexpected answer okay I’ll let the pair of you go I’ll let the pair of you go we’ll be seeing plenty of US during fight week two of us probably don’t worry Andy’s back tomorrow so you don’t need tomorrow
Andy’s back tomorrow uh we’ll just we’ll just pull in Jack cullin and um Michael Michael Jennings as well let’s uh let’s let’s get you involved let’s get you involved now you see this is I don’t know if you call that on camera but that was that was classic Michael Jennings
Because I don’t know whether you know but you’ve got this you perfected this skill it might just be natural of you look like you know things that other people don’t know so when I when I see you and I say hello to you you kind of
Give me this little nod and a little smile and what it says to me is I know something you don’t know well we’ve got our predictions right recently with Jack and Mark you know when um people have brought them off and if you want to know
Somewh just come and ask us and we’ll tell you I know your brother was great in a post fight interview last time he said exactly that didn’t he let’s let’s just move to the side so we can have a little look at if you just come over here come
Over here Michael so we can have a little look at exact Jack firstly what what’s it been like the since the win you know you’re now Jack Cullen British and comell super middleweight champion and that it’s got some ring to it yeah I mean l it was great great winning the uh
Winning the British common World title and the end of the day I’m I’m I want to look past it I want to get the defense or two defense on it and I want to go for bigger titles bigger and better titles I mean me me being as a boxer me
WI a British title that’s not the end of me that like in my in my in my mind and as good as I am and I want to go further I want to find the ladder ladder in terms of this job obviously he’s he’s boxed Z Kelly before you
Weren’t working together at at that point were you yeah um but obviously you’ve just coached Mark Jeffers to a win against Zell so you must feel like you know what the keys are but obviously him and Mark are different yeah I mean in in in the first fight with Jack I was actually
Watching the fight on TV at or I was screaming at the TV thinking I know what you need to doing here but you’re not doing it he was backing shell up and just stepping off and you know just not not carrying on with any shots at his
Hand we not wanting Jack to get too close but I think we we know exactly what we need to do to to win I mean how did you find that first fight he was he’s awkward isn’t he stylistically he kind of he’s a bit kind of like machine
Gun like there’s nothing going on then all of a sudden there’s a big burst I mean I’ve watched it back and I’m not going to lie I was terrible I mean uh sorry saring there but yeah I was absolutely garbage I mean compared to compared to the fighter as I’m now
And compared to I was there four years ago I’m a total different fighter and um you’ll see that on Saturday night on Friday night I think he’s had a change in in training setup actually Zach Chell I think his his dad’s no longer part of it
Bario Connell I think is is leading the corner that was a really good wi for Mark that night wasn’t it Mark Jeffers because it was I mean it was comprehensive we we went into the corner the camera went quite tight into the corner on Zach probably seven or eight rounds deep at
One point and and he had that kind of thousand yards there on him I mean you really as a team you did a you did a number on him at night yeah well I mean we just look at what they do first fight second fights you know halfway through
The fights and it didn’t it didn’t seem to change much in in any of his previous fights so we just worked on the same old shots what Zack Zack Frozen Jeff has got the sharpness to C I on the openings that was leaving after he threw his
Shots he’s rebounding with a win since then Zach Chell and gets his opportunity to box for that British title Mark Jeff defending his English against Jermaine Brown I did hear actually an article I read that that Mark was offered Kevin sajo for the European at about three
Week noticed something like that yeah I mean reluctantly to me Mark wanted that fight and um so we had to sit down we had to talk about it Mark’s always fit he’s his hobbies are doing manath and 10ks and all the rest but he’s always he’s always in shape
Um he wanted to fight we was huming an IR in anyway we decided go on we’ll we’ll we’ll see what happens and when it came to it obviously they never picked mark an opponent but you were ready and willing to do it yeah yeah yeah Mark pretty confident in Mark you know he’s
Uh he’s an unknown unknown quantity really I mean up until Zach Chell I don’t think anyone ever heard of him before that so Saturday night again should be another platform for Mark springboard himself get his name out there Jack it’ll be some moment though won’t it you know walking to the ring
For the first time being announced as a reigning and defending yeah definitely I mean the end of yeah course it would um like I said I’m I’m not I’m not letting go them titles I’ve trained all over Christmas and all the new year and I’ve put um put some serious hours into this
Camp some serious firing some serious running track we’ve done everything um so I’m I’m ready for a good fight fight on satday night the great thing about being a champion though is it’s not just having the belts it’s it’s you know it’s the currency it has you know you’ll be
Able to fight regularly because I know a problem before you got that win was that you’ve been operating at a high level and that’s where you want to stay you can’t go back to small halls but it meant that the fights were kind of hard to come by but that shouldn’t be the
Case anymore defin exactly it should be the case so we’ll see I mean um let’s get P that Chell first and then um we’ll be moving on to bigger and better things okay before I let you go let’s have a quick word about the about the top of
The bill Natasha Jones up against Michaela Mayer uh would your with your coach’s head on Michael how do you how do you see that I I like it stylistically as a as a matchup I feel like Jonas is the better technical boxer but with the two-minute rounds I think
They were both for three minutes actually with the two-minute rounds I won’t say it makes it just a little bit more of a lottery or it can do yeah I mean there still going over the 10 but like you said sometimes the extra minute in each round makes a
Massive difference I do think like you said Natasha Jonas is uh more she’s technically better and I do pick I do pick her to win as well to off Jack yeah Natasha um she’s finding she’s finding a HomeTown Liverpool she’s coming on with a vory is there going to be anybody left in
Little lever on Saturday night but I remember when you boxed um I don’t think it was at the M&S Bank but it was it was in Liverpool anyway against John Harding and that was a wild old night yeah yeah um that was a good few years ago as well
There was a good few thereo I mean the end of the day I do do well at selling tickets so yeah I can imagine um that Village will be half empty okay well I’ll let you two go always good to see you and I I’ll be tapping into I’ll be tapping into the
Jen Jennings knowledge bank before the weekend just to make sure I don’t get caught out by anything okay J thanks very much so Jack Cullen who will be defending those British and Commonwealth titles on Saturday night and we’ll be having a chat with Zach shell in in just a
Second just getting those gloves taken off as I said that’s time we saw him was up against Mark jeers it didn’t go his way that night he’d been made to wait for for a couple of opportunities okay is that good to see you so how are you feeling how are you
Feeling ahead of this because you know last time we we saw you on Skype I was just talking to to the the opposition to Michael Jennings about it it didn’t go your way of course you made some changes since then haven’t you yeah of course yeah um Barry now the coach Barry come
In yeah give him a mic yeah um working down the state of mine located Hammersmith I tell about it Barry uh Camp has gone brilliant has been a brilliant Camp um we’ve been working really since June if anything if I got any uh any uh complaints about the camp we’ve done too
Much we’ve overtrained but we haven’t it’s been right we we had to rejig a little bit from when the fight got announced cuz we was hoping for the fight but we wasn’t sure if we were going to get and OB great news when we got it yeah it’s been a good camp uh
Done a lot of sparring traveled up here a couple of times uh yeah up and back in one day twice so that’s how seriously we’ve taken it gone to Wales sparing G all over London and it’s been very very specific sparring so yeah I’m really uh from a boxing fan
Point of view I think it’s going to be a great fight I think it’s going to be a really really good fight and I’m excited as a fan but obviously I’m extremely confident that we’re going to do the business and Come Away with the belts and it’s a rematch of course I remember
The fighter at fight camp and as she walked away from the you got I remember I remember this VI you looked to me you shook your head she felt like you won the fight I was actually doing the card for the sky that night they did put it
Up on screen but I did have you winning I think I had it 6’4 Jack know we were just talking to him there and and you know he says himself that he knows that he was lucky that night but you know that was then this is now I mean do you
Take a lot from that not too much I there was a bit to take from it um we did fight each other we do in the ring gave it our best I believe he um at that time he overlooked me cuz I came in with
Just nine fights and he was meant to be the match Room Boy the home guy and done him a favor um even I got messages from Eddie Hearn telling me he thought I won the fight after after the fight uh but yeah this time I’m more focused I know
What I’m expecting I’m looking forward to it I just can’t wait it’s a great opportunity for me three and a half years in the making I wanted it I wanted that fight straight away after uh but obviously P were different I went with boxer he stayed with match now our passs
Are collided again and it’s for the British and Commonwealth title couldn’t ask anything better no absolutely because you would have been worried that this opportunity would come like Barry said you were relieved when it did because you’ve been in position for it for quite a while now and fights
Appeared and then disappeared and was it the case maybe against Mark Jeffers that it was just one too many where it what was supposed to be happening wasn’t happening and you’ve got to keep yourself up for it because mentally that’s difficult of course yeah um from my previous fight I was expecting fight
Hefron of course and obviously get the politics behind it about how they changed opponent two weeks before the fight and having the same management I wasn’t ready for that mentally ready and um I think that’s most some point about boxing people don’t realize it’s I would
Say it’s 90% mental you could be the fittest and strongest ever but if you’re not there mentally it affects you you know it’s bad day in office I still believe it’s a close fight many people believe it could either way but yeah that’s the way it went and technically I
I’m a religious man as you know I have God’s plan alhamdulillah um and uh yeah everything’s worked out well I don’t really feel like I lost anything I’m the one that’s fighting for the British Inc title I’m in a great position so I’m grateful I’m very grateful bar just just
Feel people are watching on on your boxing background I I know it I mean I remember seeing you you were at Wembley weren’t you in the corner with with George against against Carl froch you know that’s nearly 10 years ago now but you know we see you around a lot but
Just just fill people in on on your boxing Journey well I’d like to fill people on my boxing Journey but I uh I genuinely think coaches take too much of a uh too much praise for what they do um I I really really think Jack’s a lovely
Lad he’s a talented lad I have no doubt that he’s going to come as a much more in through boxer cuz he’s a very good coach um I think Zach doesn’t even need a coach this fight I think you go in there with his own ability and and and
Win his fight he’s got a B amateur pedigree um I think he fought Ben Wier three times beat him twice or beat did you beat him twice or once uh once first time second time unanimous he has a bad amateur pedigree I think has a pro he’s
Had a more um I think he’s had a better career as a pro in the fights he’s had um I think he’s fitter I think he’s stronger I think he’s a very I think people underestimate what a good boxer Zach is which he’s shown in a sparing
Done so um I get what you’re saying and and I love that but I hate being in front of the cameras and it’s not about me it’s about Zach and um any experience I’ve gained through George and John oon and all the other Lads that’s amazing but he’s going to do the business
Himself there and I’m just going to be there to guide him and uh I think even without my guidance he’s uh he’s going to do the business and on Saturday he’ll be the British and the Commonwealth champion and then we’ll push on from there okay well we’ll just Sidle off
Cabra just that’s the that’s the Quee for us to Sidle off Cabra just have a look at what you’re going to be up against on on Saturday he’s always been an interesting Fighter for me Jack Cenac because I remember when he first appeared on my radar and I was first
Going to commentate on him but a good friend of mine from up this way said to me he’s 6’3 but he fights like he’s 5’6 he is kind of like that isn’t he he loves it up close but maybe he’s developed that ability to keep it long a
Little bit more maybe the type of sparring he’s had in his gym cuz he’s tall and he’s he’s uh he’s very tall for his weight and I guess when he spars with his weight class they usually short up so he’s had to adapt and become tightened up who knows man but uh yeah
I’m looking forward to what he has on Saturday I’m expecting a bit similar to what he done 3 years ago cuz you know you don’t change much you can’t really change a star too much especially as your getting older say you can’t teaching old dog new tricks but I’m not
Going to underestimate it we’ll see what he has stylistically from a I know you don’t look at it from a Fan’s perspective but but if you were a neutral in this one it’s it looks like the kind of fight is going to deliver I mean I do look at it
As a I love boxing so I do look at as a fan I mean I’ve an analyzed everything I watched the fight I watched fire six times back the previous fight and I’ve watched specific rounds about uh three or four four times I’ve um I’ve researched his uh his career I’ve been a
Bit of a stalker I’ve been stalking him all throughout Camp I’m a massive fan of his coach um as when he was a boxer but I do actually think he going to make a fantastic fight U but I’m expecting him to box I’m expecting him to fight we
Have a saying that we always expect the unexpected so we are pretty much prepared for whatever type of fight it’s going to be and I think Zach’s going to surprise a few people not only how he fights how he boxes and uh yeah it’s going to be great it’s going to be great
To watch I’m I’m really really excited it’s a it’s a really really good Chief support really is you can’t beat a fight for British and Comber well titles and super middleweights a division that since he was created has just delivered for Britain isn’t it we’ve had so many
Top top names in boxer at Super middleweight yeah exactly exactly it’s been it’s been absolutely tremendous let’s just have a quick chat about the the main event Tasha Jones against Michaela mayor it’s that both of the wanted it seemed like quite an easy fight to make
And again you know from a fans point of view you feel like it’s going to be a good watch yeah I believe so um one of them is more comfortable at the weight and she seems bigger and Jonas she actually she’s coming into the weight quite easy as well especially being a
Mother a mother of threee she’s doing pretty well to train quite hard so yeah I don’t know how she does it but she’s pulled off she’s what unified world champion all the belts on the line I’m looking forward to that one yeah good fight similar uh tall box
Get a sh boxer um obviously I’d love Natasha Jones to win cuz she’s a British girl I’m a big fan of Mayor I like mayor I thought she was unlucky against um I was CH would have pronouncing yeah it was a really good fight and again I
Think the whole the whole show um the two main events or the main event and a chief support are going to really really deliver from a fans perspective U which is OB I’m ecstatic to be in the corner it’s a shame you’re going to miss all
The other fights so yeah I think you guys have done well You’ got a good show well done that’s the only drawback really about being second to top isn’t it is that you can’t watch any of the of the other fights and you know you’ll be when you
Finish yours you know you’ll just want to do whatever you want to do at that point it’s um yeah the logistics of it can be quite funny sometimes in terms of your own career where would be where would be the kind of where’s your dream location or dream venue for a fight to
Top a bill sell the place out I say at the moment is Saudi Arabia everything’s happening down there um it looks like it’s they have some great card they got the money as well I’d love to be one of those undercards maybe even Joshua Fury that’d be great great undercard to be on
I mean I know they’re doing 5v5 Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren maybe Ben Shalom get involved in that as well you know it’ be great it WWE or whatever it is how about the UK on UK I love London London’s home for me Wembley Stadium that’s the area right that’s the one
That’s one the most people that’d be great to fight that one yeah of course absolutely okay J thanks very much I’ll uh I’ll let you go we’ll be see plenty of each other during during fight week just ducking under the camera like a like a true Pro bar do the same
Thing so that’s the chief support Jack Cen Zack Chell going for the British and Commonwealth super middleweight titles Caris arting store boxing Leela Fardo and we’ve also got a really good show opener between eron McKenna and line as a doia so plenty to look forward to it it wouldn’t be Liverpool show
Really if we didn’t have a Smith brother in attendance all the Smith Brothers apart from one actually have been with us uh this afternoon a little bit earlier Steven Smith who’s trading Steve Park who’s on the bill who’s managed by Paul Smith just tell us a bit about him first
Actually Steve park because he’s you know I was aware of his name in The Amateur but I missed the ABA finals the the SE Elite finals the NAC as they now called actually last year but he won them didn’t he he’s turned Pro U this is going to be his professional debut he
Sells a lot of tickets he could definitely fight I mean there’s a lot to there’s a lot to like about him yeah he listen he’s a likable kid as well he’s a really nice lad a nice young man he’s he’s got a degree in business management
Finance he’s um he’s a good fighter he’s AB Champion he’s box for England in GB the um he won abas and then decid to 10 BR CU I don’t think this is 7 5 kilo weight limit in the Olympics so he’s he’s decided to 10 first he asked me to
Manage him which I’m I’m privileged to do and I’m getting behind the kids as much as you can and I think he’s going to be a little bit of a fan favorite had a good chat with Ben Shalom over them coming on board with Sky I think sky can
Get behind him he’s he’s a big ticket seller he’s took a th tickets for this and they’ve all gone more or less he’s um he’s going to have a big following whenever he goes he took nearly 300 people to the a final in Newcastle from Liverpool so it shows you what he what
He’s going to be able to do in the pros with ticket and um he he will be one to get behind but as I say that for me the most important thing is you’re likable down to a nice kid as well and and that that goes a long way in boxing it absolutely
Does Michaela B just uh just moving in behind us so we’ll we’ll just we’ll just move to the side pole we’ll just uh slide off to the side Steven’s building up a bit of a stable isn’t he your brother going into trade was that something he was always going to do
Because he’s got Charlie Edwards as well L he Charlie was here today it’s one of them things when when when you retired and you you you either want to you want to manage you want to train you want to do boat you want to do this you can’t
Just announce I’m I’m now a trainer and expect people to sort to want to jump on board but people have and that and that’s a good thing for Steven I think they know what his brain’s like what his boxing knowledge is like he’s he’s he’s
A very likable lad as well step and he’s going to be a very good coach and as you say he’s building a good little stable up already he’s got he’s got lios SE he’s got Jake henty he’s got Charley Edwards Steven Clark now as well and
He’s he’s the gym will be will be packed and and as I say he’s he’s got a lot of knowledge to pass on so it be a shame and a crying shame if he didn’t have the chance to pass that knowledge on as a trainer or as as a culture of some
Form so you were all out in in Quebec last week I very much enjoyed all the stuff you did with Andy Scott where Sky Sports News seems to be waging some kind of In-House competition as to who could stick Andy Scott in the biggest snow drift it was it was really good fun
Wasn’t it it looked good fun anyway it’s you know fight week sometimes particularly if you can’t really go outside because there was no percentage of spending much time outside you could go a bit mad can’t you you can go a bit stir crazy you know it helps pass the
Time we said that when we got there the hotel was a a huge sort of twostory three story Hotel it wasn’t like a highrise so it had a big footprint if you know what I mean and we were laughing and joking at the start of the
Week saying it was a bit like The Shining and because we were snow snowed in with the storm a couple of days we we were all worried about going a bit St crazy like the shineing but we had enough to keep ourselves occupied and the Mario Kart and things like that but
Fight week gets boring gets monotonous it gets a bit stressful sometimes so people like Andy Clark doing the things that he was doing on them interviews and on the on the the VTS that he was sending back is well at the fresh air in my opinion and we like Andy anyway he’s
Good company to have around listen all all the lads are all all the lads and the girls that would evolve with Sky are good people to be around so we’re fine with that fight we can it out past the time as you say it it helps s to get rid
Of a bit of the monotony what what happens on fight week it it was a hard night in the end uh for Callum it was great to have him on it was great to have him on Sky we’ had so many of his nights on Sky just sitting watching it myself me
And Matt mlin it was it was one of those scenarios where you don’t spend your time thinking about what Callum didn’t do you just look at the other guy and just admire what he did do because he is he is special isn’t he better be yeah he
Is L he’s a phenomenal fighter we knew that getting in there though but you know it it is what it is as as Callum said on the night in the interview that that he did with Andy you know he lost to the better man on the night and that
That’s all you can that’s all you can really say and take from it you know the rest of the stuff what everyone keeps talking about is one for debate but you know boxing is boxing is Its Own Worst Enemy at times and all I want to see is the best
People fighting the best people good fights being made even with not the best people you get two good Fighters at Eng with title level you’re going to have a great night and and a great fight to watch and if it’s evenly matched and we just want to see that and you want to
Either win and beat the better man or lose to the better man that’s it no excuses no no ifs puts or maybe is and that’s how callum’s taken at the moment but you know boxing’s boxing isn’t it’s it’s not in the best place at the moment and we need more of
The good fight and the good fighters to sort of bring back boxing back to where it should be well this top of the bill has got the Hallmarks of a good fight hasn’t it Michael La may just just in action there hitting the pads and they
Both wanted this it’s been moted for a while Michaela moving up to wel away super featherweight not that long ago you look at her now and you wonder how on Earth she managed that it’s um you do I mean how depleted she must have be during
Fight we we we’ll ask her in a bit but it’s a good yeah it’s a good matchup stylistically in every way really and near messed up there saying about a lady that she’s huge but I mean that in a boxing context and I mean that in in in
In the nicest way possible as a compliment she’s she’s she’s tall she’s got a big frame on her it’s amazing to to to see how she made the way below obviously um I think she’s filled into it okay she looks she doesn’t look fleshy she doesn’t look like she’s got a
Lot of spare weight that she could have lost so I’m sure she listen I’m sure she’ll be on it and I’ve said time and again Tasha Jones in my opinion has got enough to do this and and to win and look well doing but she’s going to have
To be out her best to get the mayor May’s a good fighter and and has been around the block before and is experienced also and she looks up for it yeah she absolutely does she she always is and she understands the the business as well I think you know she she brings
What she needs to bring to pight Wi to the build up she she absolutely she gets it you know as we as we say often you know Tasha forever yeah in her boxing Journey it’s I mean if youve been I mean she surprised you at all in
What she’s done in the pros because for a bit it looked like she might not even turn over I think she surprised everyone she was probably done before even 10 and proos she got an upper box in in a sense and and to decide to then come back to
Professional get stuck into boxing again and to do what she’s done has been absolutely brilliant she lost for for for the world title at a lower weight went up and one one at the weight above or a couple of Weights above her and to do what she’s did she’s done in boxing
So far just just as as a a scout woman a mud know people forget she’s a mom as well she’s got a she’s got a a daughter I think she’s probably seven eight or nine now similar to me daughter and it must be so hard for for
Females to to give PA get the body back first and foremost get in shape again and be able to you know Fighters have four weeks off men fight male Fighters have four weeks off get out of shape and find that difficult sorry having a baby she she’s got my respect in in in
Bucketload for what she’s done just to to be boxing at a competitive level never mind being the world champion at she is and the city’s proud to have it and hopefully the city turns up for her on Saturday night to support her I just had to overcome some some
Proper adversity as well I I absolutely Echo everything you said there about about the the told that it would have taken on or managing to come back after that and she had to come back from the defeat against overal as well over I was I was commentating on that and it was it
Was a bad stoppage and at that point to be honest with you I felt like that could well be it not that we would never see her again but that that having happened to her mentally would be hard to get over I agree and and and listen
Then then the Harper fight also which I felt still to this stay I’ll say it to anyone she won that fight and she didn’t get the the the look of the draw the rub of the green whatever way you want to cut it call it but just to come back
After that also that takes a lot out here but she’s from good stock she’s from a a good fighting family the family is great there the huge there’s Sportsmen and women in that family all over the place across all kinds of different disciplines of sport there’s footballers MMA fighters professional
Boxers and she’s doing her family proud her family name proud she’s carrying it well the mioro recently what I saw is looks amazing down in there in the South End of the city where she’s from and as I say south and north this city should
Be very proud of and I hope it’s it’s a busy night on Saturday to support her because she’s going to need in this fight cuz it’s a tough fight it’s one that I can see her winning and doing well in Tasia but it’s a tough fight and
It’s a live fight yeah the talent Jee pool in that family is is is impressive isn’t isn’t it as it is in yours um as it is in yours okay we’ll let you go thanks very much we’ll see you plenty during the course of the week looking
Forward to St Steve Clark as well on the night he’ll be making his Pro debut which is always interesting especially someone who sold a lot of tickets Michaela may just finishing off here on the bag as we said she used to be super FEA H she was unified champion of Super featherweight
Then on that big all female night of the O2 back in October 2022 she took on Alicia bound G for Undisputed it was close it was a very close fight I was there as a fan that night myself and I was away from the ring so it was
Difficult to make too solid a judgment on it but when it got to the end I felt like it it was close and she did get it and as she’s described herself that was a major setback and you can’t afford too many of them because if snakes a LS boxing a boxing
Career either you move up or you go down and you can fall quite a long way and getting back in getting opportunities could be difficult so she’s moved up in weight we’ seen her adjust to that weight over the course of a couple of fights but this will be the
First time that she’s boxing at flat out well to weight of £47 but as myself and Paul were just saying there it it’s kind of incredible that she really managed to make super featherweight so mela’s just come over to join us now we we’re just saying myself and and Paul Smith
And and I know people say this to you a lot now how did you do it super featherweight how did you do it and how depleted were you during fight week it wasn’t fight week where I was depleted it was me depleting my body throughout an entire 10we camp so most people
Aren’t on a calorie deficit for 10 weeks they start that weight cut towards the end of the camp where I had to start from day one so training was not fun camp was not fun by the time I got to fight week I was so dieted down that um
I was very well conditioned always well conditioned but I just didn’t have I couldn’t afford to put on muscle yeah and of course you Fighters talk quite often don’t they about if something becomes too much of a battle with the scales and you don’t really have as much
Time or as much mental bandwidth to practice your skills as much as maybe you could be and and and boxing is a sport it’s about skill you know I always trained really extremely hard when at 1:30 I had to I had to run every day
Lots of rounds in the gym lots of rounds in sparring um I pted that up a little bit so still obviously just as much boxing technical workers I’ve always done have a very technical team but you know less long runs more explosive work and more strength building so I feel a
Lot better I’m comfortable it’s been a great i s have cut a little bit I sort of D it down obviously but um this is the best I ever felt I was watching the lie detector yesterday and and as I was watching it I was with with our great
Friend Spencer Oliver they they they were kind of impossible questions weren’t they because I’ve been looking into this quite a lot myself recently this side the kind of the level of fear that Fighters need yeah and of course you’re not fearful on the night but that
Question of you know are you fearful of losing or of getting knocked out boxers always say to me even if I’m not I tell myself I am because that fear is what drives me drawing in Camp you need that knot of fear to kind of motivate you so that
That was that was a no- win situation that question there’s there’s so much context that goes into those questions like there’s so much that ran through my brain when that question those questions were asked you know so tons of emotion um and I guess that’s the lie detector
Picks up on but at the end of the day yeah we none of us want to lose we all work way too hard to to not get our hand raised so there’s always that that thought in the back of your head head but you also just for mental purposes
You don’t want to visualize that thought you want to stay focused on the positive you want to Envision your hand being raised so um it’s a battle of the mind but that’s part of the training as well yeah I mean it’s a complicated thing isn’t it you know it’s that kind of
Compartmentalization where that acceptance of what could happen needs to be there but you also need to decide that a defeat is definitely not going to happen it’s I’m kind of obsessed with it that that mental shift that you have to make no one’s taking that live detectiving seriously Anyway by the way
It was just a bit of fun but um I mean you love coming here don’t you you you you’ve boxed here a lot now and uh I think there’s a connection between you and the and the British fans I hope so because I am obviously in the Lion’s Den
As Tasha would say I’m in her hometown um she may have the the fans on her side on Saturday night but I do know that I have a good fan base here um at least I hope so that’s the feeling that I’ve got it’s one of the reasons why I love
Coming out here so please if you’re team Michaela definitely get your tickets and show up Saturday night I I hear you’re a Beatles fan I’m a Beatles fan yes so can we expect can we expect something on the ring I have to I have to I grew up
Listening to The Beatles and Mom played them every morning um I know almost every song huge Beatles fan so I had to walk out to Beatles song this time for sure okay well you’re not going to give it away we’ll wait to see hopefully I’ll
Recognize it I mean I was kind of the same there’s a lot of it in my house when when I was a kid too but just to talk about the fight people will inevitably talk about it’s the first time that youve boxed a South for as a pro but you’re a very
Very EXP exper am so it’s not like this is the first time this has happened yeah definitely not a first um in my experience as a fighter but as a pro yeah and I’ve taken that seriously because there are certain things that go into training vers southa you know like
I said I come from a very strategic technical team of coaches where they take all that into account um we always have a strategy we always have a backup strategy so uh it’s been fun though I actually I I wasn’t sure how I was going
To feel going into Camp you know but um it’s been a really great camp camp and I’m I’m excited for the challenge okay well we’ll bring your coach in now coach coach Al Mitchell um good afternoon sir thanks for thanks for joining us so how how’s she looking she looking pretty
Good you know and she looks stylish with her white sneaks on but we need our hands for this bout you so we were just saying that as a professional it’s the first time she’s boxed to southp we just need you to move just slightly just slightly that way I think um but with
With all the experience she’s got this National amateur you know it’s not it’s not like it’s a big problem her facing a a left-sided fighter no I don’t think it’s going to be a big problem at all both of these young ladies is real talent both of them going to want to win
And it’s who keep the mental mentality and want to win I I really believe it’s going to come down to the last three or four rounds who won it the most South Paul the right hand it’s going to be at the end of the day who won it the most
Well I mean I’m I’m commentating on the fight so that’s absolutely what I hope for because when you go deep in a fight need to get to that point where it’s who could break the other person’s will but who could hold their technique together that’s really key isn’t it when it gets
To a real hard fight that’s what I’m hoping for and I kind of feel like that’s what you want as well yeah I mean coach is all about me staying disciplined he says it all the time this is a disciplined fight you have to stay disciplined that’s why in sparring he’s
Constantly a lot of coaches stay quiet in the corner he’s never quiet he’s constantly on me fixing my mistakes um constantly so I think that’ll really important is me sticking to listening to him and staying focused and disciplined how how easy or difficult is it in in
The heat of a really hard fight for you to get through to your fighter communicate to them what you need to communicate to them and for you to be able to take it in because sitting sitting there watching it sometimes it looks like it’s not you know I don’t
Know if it were me I I just feel sometimes like I don’t know if I’ll be able to absorb anything I feel like I listen well she she does but like most women she probably only listen is 70% you know how it goes and everything yeah but this B will come to
In the old days we going to say who’s going to be the tougher man this one’s going to be who’s the tougher lady I think it’s going to be a great outstanding B so what but what do you make technically what do you make of Natasha Jonas what kind of problems does
She present number one she’s a southpaw number two she’s smart and Ed educated in the ring she move around good she work behind the jab and two Southpaw throwing the straight left it’s going to be the straight left against the straight right hand who C catch the
Other one the most going to win this battle I mean he makes boxing s really simple doesn’t he he really does he has a way of making everything sound really simple but it’s one thing to say it’s not a thing to get it done yeah absolutely absolutely we know that she’s
Got a rematch clause um I know for you it’s not an if you win for you it’s a it’s it’s going to happen so your future is mapped out I mean the rematch would you would you come back here or would you want that in America or how would
You see that the rematch is actually already set there’s location and date so I mean assuming the rematch goes on there is already a planned location for that so I don’t know if I’m allowed to tell youall but ask me after okay well we better I won’t I won’t go there just
In case I get in trouble but is it is it just that one way I mean I mean I don’t have a rematch on my side it’s just for her so in my head there’s a rematch right I plan on winning but I have to beat her twice um and then there’s a
Winner there’s a I mean there’s a fighter that gets the winner of of that rematch and I know who that is too okay yeah I’ve got an idea of who that is um I think we spoke to her earlier but but again I’m not going to name names I’ll
Let you two go uh thanks very much for your time we’ll be seeing you a lot during the course of the week Al thanks a lot great to speak to you uh we will now bring in the trainer of Natasha Jonas Joe Gallagher I met you okay yeah
Very well thanks good to see you as always no problem it’s a great fight this isn’t it really good matchup and I think we guaranteed good action yeah definitely you just see Michaela there uh doing a bit of a a punching session there with the coach looks sharp looks
On point done some good drills there and um yeah it’s got to be a good fight it’s a it’s a proper 50/50 fight and um I say Natasha is the champion big opportunity for Michaela um Natasha’s fighting in Liverpool and you can just tell by the amount of people that have bought
Tickets for the event everybody knows this is a a tough fight a hard fight and that’s what boxing fans want to see is the best fight in the best and here we are obviously with Natasha and Michaela Maya I was asking Lauren price and Caris Artic St earlier on about about power
Because in female pro boxing with the two-minute rounds we don’t get as many stoppages so that metric we have for measuring power which is generally knockout ratios which can be a kind of imperfect way of doing it anyway it doesn’t really tell us very much Tas is
Not out ratio is is healthy would you say she’s one of the stronger punchers in that top bracket in in female pro boxing yeah record shows that I know she’s done a few distance fights but she had moments with Terry Harper she was she had moments with Katy Taylor that
She landed good shots and distressed her um yeah know what you see when she won the title beating cuz namus she uh Natasha come punch um but shash is more than a puncher she’s a boxer and that was a a big asset a feet her amateur pedigree and um that’s what’s brought
Her to where she is today today not necessarily her power but her boxing brain and her being able to adapt in a fight and change and I think that’s one of the key things weight’s an interesting one in this fight because with with female Fighters you know physiologically they’re just more
Capable of traversing the weights than men yeah um Tasha would say that she’s never really a super welterweight but you go there because that’s where the opportunities were that she’s probably at her best Maybe it’s super lightweight even rather than welterweight mela’s come up from Super featherweight as well
Who do you feel is actually the more natural wel away well I think if michaa had come up a bit sooner and she had chance to grow into the division and develop and strong and fight at the division in most say m but you also remember as well Natasha Jonas she won
AB titles and she won ABA titles at 75 kilos or 71 kilos so then she went professional went down and now she’s come back up to more natural we now come back down at 147 so I say Natasha’s more more natural at 147 through the weight divisions that she fought in the
Amateurs as a pro I don’t think Michaela fought that high in the amateures where Natasha did and Natasha’s power held up well there in the amateures at 71 75 kilos as it did in the in the pros now so I say Natasha and you touched on there The Knockout ratio Natasha yeah
Can she can punch and if there was a fight to have been made over 3 minutes this would have been the fight I think it would have been a brilliant um exhibition for women boxing to see Fighters box over 3 minute rounds the shot selection picking the shots not
Rushing things um and like I say it was just a shame this was a a great opportunity for that to happen but obviously like you say we’ve got the fight it’s over 10 twos still a big believer before we go into threes then let’s do 12 twos but stylistically wise
Michaela where she’s from a coach a very experienced coach good coach had the great fight David Reed um it was a formidable fight fighter and Natasha Jonas has settled into the pros very good now that she if you walk in the gym and watch her doing three minute round
You think wow she’s class Tasha I call her a little Haggler and maybe she has to be a bit Haggler resque on Saturday night to get this job done so how does that conversation go when it when it comes to the two or three minute rounds because as I understand it people have
This idea a lot of people I think watching that that you’re just that females aren’t allowed to box three minute rounds and that’s not the case you you just as I understand it the promoter applies to the board of control here it would be the Commission in
America whichever state it was in and basically applies for 3 minute rounds if both Fighters want 3 minute rounds and then they make a decision as to whether they’ll allow it or not so what what actually is stopping it at the minute is it individual Fighters not wanting to do
It or is it commissions or the board of control not wanting to do it money right okay money B Po and simple we were asked it’s like anything in life handy you can’t ask um I try and quate it to the Wimbledon uh tennis men are doing five sets women are
Doing three sets asking women to do five sets to want more money you’re doing 10 tws and you want them to do double the workload 20 minutes work to 36 minutes work and I think a lot of people these days they want main events for half
Price money and I think this is one of them situations and I think if the money was paid the fights had happen um this is is well worthy of it and basically just comes down to money not wanting to pay that main event money um I think with like Natasha Michaela Main Event
Everything else but it’s half the money that no I wasn’t but but it’s good to know no no it’s the money you asked Micha now if you to do three minutes and she’ll go yeah you say Atasha three minutes they’ll both do 3 minutes but it’s like anything whether you’re a
Roofer you’re not got to charge the same for a two-bedroom terrorist as you are a four-bedroom detach somewhere and that’s no different even if you’re in a parking space and they so these girls got to be in the ring for 36 minutes so they W paying for 36 minutes work and people
Aren’t willing to pay that no well I’m the same if it’s going to be 36 minutes of commentating rather than 20 then I want more money exactly there you go so there’s your answer but um in in terms of the matchup um what are you kind of
Expecting from Maya because I feel like she can do it a number of ways but that her kind of natural instinct is to hold the ground stand the ground the fight I think with Michaela this is what makes it such an interesting fight and a good fight being an Olympian and she’s come
Through the Olympics on that computer scoring system and everything else Mela Maya if you’ve watch her she can box in the back foot she box in the front foot she can go and have a tear up I wasum with hamadou she she can bring whichever we’ve had to prepare for whichever
Michaela Mayer turns up so Natasha’s had really good sparring I also expect Michaela Maya to switch southp in the fight there’ll be at moments where she’ll change her leg positions to throw better shots we’ve got to make sure that Natasha is switched on Michaela Myers’s coming over here she’s not here to make
Up numbers she’s not here for a Payday night neither she knows this is a gateway to her to win a title and get amongst the mix with all the big fights when aasha is looking at this fight as a win and then onto an Undisputed or
Unified with Jesse mccal a last Dan with Katy Taylor there the fights Natasha J Jonas is looking at so um you got both two girls come here both full of Desire both full of Will and um like I said both girls are going to have to Bight
Down on the Gom Shields to win this fight on Saturday night I hope so I hope so okay well bring spener Oliver in I don’t know if we need to let Joe go because I don’t know if detach is I think she’s still on a school run I
Think here yet but okay great we’ll we we’ll keep you for a bit longer Spencer how are you last time I saw you we were standing outside Alternet on top M Court Road absolutely freezing yes it was um it was minus five wasn’t it something around there trying to do some sort of
Podcast and uh I thought he done all right really under the circumstances I thought you got to say for a minute stood outside at 5: in the morning outside weather spoons or something that’s that’s Story Time sorry that was that was when we was in Manchester
Anyway let’s move on move on yeah we’re just talking about the main event and just the whole fight week and it’s a very very good Main Event between between Jonas and mayor because and also what I really like about it is it’s not just I think what we’re going
To see in the ring the the high level we’ll see in the ring and what I do expect to be a good fight these are two professionals who outside the ring they completely understand the business side side of it they completely understand their medor obligations they just get it
On every level they get it Andy do you know what it is this is what women’s boxing is all about and this is why it’s evolved so much over the last couple of years because the women don’t let the politics get involved in it they want to
Fight the best want to fight the best I mean both these girls careers started down at Super FWE you know Michaela may have become ibf champion and and Natasha Jones had that controversial draw with Terry har but then she moved up to lightweight very close some people feel
She actually won against Katy Taylor as well and you thought is she going to be is she not going to be is she going to be the nearly girl you know is it going to turn around you know fast forward a couple years and you look what she’s
Achieved cuz she’s willing to go through the way jumped right up to Super worldwe come back down to welterweight I mean that is what it’s all about the best fighting the best and that’s what we’ve got here on Saturday night Michaela mayor is looking to become a two-e world
Champion as well she’s jumped up the weights because she the fight she’s been chasing many say a real 50 50 fight both girls are going to bring it both girls you can expect as we always do with a women’s boxing fireworks cuz they’re both so hungry and and they so believe
They’re going to win you just need this fight really excites me for so many reasons but I love what the women are doing right now where the the best of fighting the best and they’re just getting it on and that’s so important for boxing as a whole you should just
Drop the mic and do a tour of the gym off the back of that that’s you’re what what a Salesman what a Salesman you just talk the fight up perfectly something I want to ask you Joe that I was talking to to one of our other guests about a
Few minutes ago is when she got stopped by Vivian oav uh Natasha I remember that I commentated on that fight and I’ll be honest I didn’t see what has happened since coming I I just didn’t because she’d had that layoff between finishing amateur and turning pro and then with
Things on the horizon it just it was a bad stoppage wasn’t it and mentally that would have taken a lot of getting over I mean at that point did you feel like what has happened since could still happen at the time obviously it was I
Call it a terrible car crash and a car crash where it can psychologically damage you being knocked out being in the change rooms no one coming to see you on your own emotional drive home and like you said there everyone R her off um but like you said Natasha’s desire
Listen when you when you operate at the top level they have that something special and that’s what Natasha has has that something special she invites down on the G Shield she Knuckles down like you said there she beat Terry AA but she didn’t get the decision she pushed Katy
Taylor close didn’t get the decision that’s enough for any girl to go Jo what I’m done but no third time of basin she came and did it again and that shows when it comes to the hard rounds when it comes when you have to bite down the go
Shield and dig in she’s going to have to do that on Saturday night okay we’ll just sachche round to the right hand side we need to let Joe go in a minute oh she turned up a yeah she’s here Joe one minute Tasha is this champion lifestyle you make everyone get
Wait no it’s all right go on no I say this what the Champs do like they make everyone wait go on Joe Joe I just wanted to ask you in many ways you know we talk about the first defeat there it was not like there was not a title on
The line there and you say it was a crushing defeat and difficult for her to come back to come back from but in many ways the controversial draw against Terry Harper and then you know and then the fight that she lost against Katie Taylor that must have been more
Difficult to come back from than even the first with that feeling that you know the boxing gods were against her and the were and um the were but like to say she she she wouldn’t finish until she had that chapter of Life complain the trouble is is she assured me that’ be it
Then but since then it’s been right hash you’ve won that Bell well I won that Bell right hash you won well won the ring bell right hash I’ve won fight of the Year bored right pack it in now no I want this one and even this week she’s
Gone do this not overlooking but it’s a hard fight but still one or two where I want pip and slippers for her but like you say her the fire in her Bell her dedication in the gym the desire her application to her job she’s a shining
Example for the young people in the gym the kid that she’s managing Mikey Talon who’s on the bill to look up and see her boss going through that and doing that as you say we just joke there that she was late but she’s actually doing the school run keeping things normal as she
Can be it’s fight week biggest fight of her life and she’s doing the school run School run and family comes first and Michaela and Natasha the way they carry themselves outside they’re just pure class two ladies and um they’re a credit to the sport Joe I won’t say this too
Loud but at the rold age of 39 you do say like you say to you know Tash when you’re going to give it up you know you’ve got everything now two two weight world champion you are you know first woman ever to win the British long St
Best boxer of the year and all that and you say you know when is it going to end when’s it going to stop because she seems to be getting better actually you know the the the performances the maturity of like seems to be getting better at this age and you go Jo when
Is’s he going to win just just for it’s a matter she isn’t on performance enhancing drugs either before everyone starts throwing that one about so um yeah listen 39 I’m joking the gym she carries on much longer that’s a call Mrs Foreman but she’s um she’s doing well
Listen she’s uh there now she got me skipping with her yeah so um no listen Tasha she she’s a good girl do you I mean so fair fair play to her she’s a credit sport you can should enjoy her for as long as you can like say you can
Tell about the tght Sal everyone’s coming out to support her she’s a thalian of Liverpool she had a mural done this week as well of her and uh there isn’t much for her to do now but like I said to scout Mela Maya would be right up there one of the best
Performances of the career can I go now yeah you can yeah you can absolutely absolutely I’ll take that off you let you slide away the M Ru is a big deal isn’t it Ben you get that kind of recognition from your from your community that that’s that’s big that’s
Absolutely huge you know and I mean that mural is something really really special and and I think that it means a lot to Natasha it means a lot to her family and you know that in our hometown and then getting this homecoming against Michaela mayor in a fight that promises to be a
Classic and will go down as an alltime you know great women’s boxing contest because of the styles of the two fighters you know I think that Natasha is getting her just rewards right now you know the mural the the homecoming everything you know this girls worked so
Hard you know boxing in the Olympics losing in the quarterfinals to Katy Taylor and then you know like say those knockbacks in her professional career now you look at where she’s come from where she’s come to and you see her now look messing around with her daughter
Setting up a future for our family which is absolutely beautiful and um her daughter seems to be coming out on top here a little bit if I’m totally honest I mean but as we’ve been saying she is I think he was coming out she was coming out on top there a little bit
There that lesson being that you just need to persevere if you persevere and believe in yourself then that that corner can get turned and it’s quite normal in boxing isn’t it for the rewards to come towards the end you have to graft and graft and graft and graft
And then you stay ready the opportunity comes and you can take it and then that’s when things can really start to happen but if you don’t stay the course if you don’t have that that stick ability to keep going then it won’t happen the knockbacks and and the
Difficult things to difficult hurdles to overcome and like you say there andy I think you get those just rewards you only get out what you ining boxing cheats always get found out you got to do it you got to live sleep eat live sleep eat boxing you know you can leave
No stone unturned and natassa Jones has done that you know right from the beginning of her professional career since she’s teamed up with Joe Gallagher we know what Joe’s like as a trainer he’s a real student of the game and he you know all these Fighters come in
Fully prepared fully fit because that’s the way they work they live eat sleep it and Natasha is no exception to the rule that that’s exactly what she does and that’s what she’s done and that’s why you know at the back end of her career she’s getting the success she’s getting
Because you know like because she’s put the hard gra in set up in that South po St of course that left-hander stance we were talking to Michaela may about that a few minutes ago Spence and her her trainer Al Mitchell whether that would be any
Kind of an issue and it’s the first time she’s sped to southp as a pro but she have done plenty of it as an amateur but it is really something that Orthodox Fighters are massively keen on just because it’s a rarity it’s not something you do all that often just describe for
People the difficulties involved in boxing a southp for an orthodox fighter I would say you know that’s why a lot of Orthodox Fighters have some much difficulty with South BS because obviously they box the left hand is the back hand of the punch and with orthodoxes they lead with a jab and the
South ball will always lean over come over the top of that right hook and drive that left hand through the middle that’s where Natasha’s effective very effective as well she likes she’s a counter puncher she waits she takes that half a step back comes over with the
Right hook and drives the left hand through the middle that’s very difficult for an orthodox to deal with if they’re not used to fighting souths now as you pointed out there andy Michaela meire has never boxed the southp as a professional so that may be a big problem for her moving forward forget
That she’s a former Olympian and in the amate she would have boxed a lot of southpaws you know she’s been a professional now for a long time and not boxing a professional a South as a professional that may be a problem for her going into this fight because
Natasha’s not just an ordinary Southall she’s an awkward one right as in her timing is very good she know she’s aggressive but she’s very heavy-handed with that right hook over the top and that left hand through the middle you know out of her 14 wins nine of those
Have come by the way of ko that is a high knockout percentage for a woman for a female boxer have nine of your full te wins by KO and that’s why you can see there you can hear the sound of the shots going in there she really drives
That left hand through the middle looks in great shape has always had that really good balance as well good footwork I’m just trying to see if Michaela B is stuck around to to have a look at this sometimes Fighters do stay and look at their opponent sometimes they don’t I
Don’t think people give anything away in open workouts often you’ll see somebody come in and box the wrong way around just to try and fool opponents into something I think I think maybe need to let you go is that the well it’s getting closer okay well I don’t want to I don’t
Want to get you into trouble so we just before just before I do though just want to comment on the power of Natasha Jones there we saw her that right hook that we was talking about driving that shot over the top that’s the dangerous shot for
Michaela as she comes in Michaela is the type of girl that walks forward in straight lines and she lies on work rate and just grinding her opponent’s down you can’t afford to do that with someone like Natasha Jones who really whacks with that right hand and the left and on
That note my friend I have to leave you because I’ve got other work commitments well what a cameo that was what a cameo that was yes I’ll see you soon I’m sure so Natasha Jon is just going through the going through Paces on the on the pads chasing sper Oliver three days to
Go as I said to Lauren price earlier on often on these open workout days Fighters will have trained once in the day already and they will also on a Wednesday before a fight on a Saturday they will have to have their Wednesday weighing because under the British boxing bard of control
Three days out from the fight night you need to be within 3% of your fighting weight so you have to make sure that you hit that Mark which for welterweight would see you needing to be about 150 and a half bit more than that about 151 or or
Thereabouts just to make sure that everybody’s losing the weight in the right way and not looking to try and take too much off too late physically that could be dangerous so there’s a lot that goes into five week for boxers a lot going on behind the scenes that people don’t always see
Tomorrow there’s the press conference and Friday the weigh once the weigh in is done it’s at that point really that they can start to relax the refueling the rehydrating is a quite an intricate process in itself it’s certainly not as simple as just stepping off the scales and drinking a massive
Bottle of water and and having something to eat you got to make sure you do it in exactly the right way but generally speaking you’ll find that Fighters could get slightly more tety if they’re making weight as as the week progresses this being an ibf title fight as well they do have the
Weigh on the Saturday morning the the 10% rule that they have or 10% or thereabouts it’s not 10% in every single we you’ve got to be within 10% the next warning which won’t be a problem for I’m sure okay Tash enjoy that yeah yeah getting a little bit of a sweat on Fighters
Generally speaking you don’t dare to do too much at the the open workouts but it’s always nice in front of the cameras with your daughter here as well just to just to get loose and just hit a few pads yeah I think there’s been a bit of an interruption to our usual schedule
Because of obviously it’s fight week and you taper down and you know you got a lot more media commitment so it’s nice just to to hit it and I’ve had a couple of days off so and how are you feeling I mean obviously you were trading over
Christmas trading over New Year but that that that’s life that’s the life of a professional fighter of course it is it’s just it’s just another fight Camp it might have you know gone over a holiday but it is what it is we have to yeah that’s one of the very small
Sacrifices that we make but we still had a good Christmas the baby still smiling that takes a lot and the mural as well I was just saying to Spencer that’s that that’s a big deal isn’t it just described to us how that came about when you kind of
Find found out about it that it was going to happen the area of Liverpool it’s in why that why that means a lot to you yeah I I didn’t find out until people was tagging me in it just as it was getting done um and yeah it’s just a a celebration and a
I think of you know the the achievements that I’ve had and and um yeah a representation of the the positive representation of Liverpool that I put out there it’s um in the area of talk stuff but where I grew up as a child and you know where the dreams of being the
Woman that I am now started in terms of the fight week itself I get the feeling with somebody like mayor one thing you don’t have to really factor in is any not too much verbal sparring some sometimes if you’re not careful a fighter can end up investing a bit too
Much emotional energy in fight week but with a pair of you here I mean you’re respectful of each other AR you it’s not you’re not best friends but I don’t think anyone’s going to really try too hard to get inside the other person’s head yeah and I think it’s a a totally
Different atmosphere to the B Garder and we are very respectful of each other we appreciate what each other brings to the table and we you know thank each other for taking the fight you know it’s a it’s it wasn’t a mandatory for me it wasn’t a fight that I have to take but
It’s a one that if I believe if I want to be able to say I’m the best one of the best in this area then I have to be beating them girls in the top 10 a power for power list than may as one of them yeah absolutely and and she brings
Plenty to the table herself doesn’t she in terms of her marketability and her ability to you know talk up a fight and really sell the sport and sell herself which is you know this is a business it’s it’s an important thing to be able to do stylistically what do you feel like
You’re going to get from her because she does like to set her feet she does like to have a tear up I think she will be definitely respectful of the power that you that you bring we’re all looking at this and expect to it to catch five pretty
Quick yeah I mean I don’t want to be a reactive fighter I don’t want to just be going off what she does I’m going to be you know putting my best foot forward and she’s going to have to change and adapt their style to fit me and and I’m
I’m going to impose my strength so yeah I don’t want to give away too much of the game plan but I expect it yet to to to be fireworks the off and you I think our Styles will gel together and make a good fight so finally we we were just
Talking about this with uh with Joe I was talking to Paul Smith about it as well I commentated on your fight against Vivian oav and I’ll be honest at that point I didn’t see this coming I I just didn’t because it was it was a it was a
Bad stoppage you know it would have been a difficult one to get over mentally it was yeah I mean tell us about that the kind of the the road back I mean did you ever at any point think to yourself you know I’m not sure I’m not sure this is
Going to work out I think just just shows the resilience um that I’ve built up in myself and the strength that I have and not only physically but but mentally um it was a long road back it was a time where I thought you know my
Boxing dream was done um but there was something there was something Bing deeping down inside me that said you you can’t let it finish like that you’re better than that and I knew I was well class level it was just a blip in the road um and yeah I had to build myself
From the ground up and and and re reset myself and and go again which I did and here we are here we are indeed perseverance that’s the key isn’t it you never know you never know what’s around the corner and you have you know again after Terry Harper you kind of you’re
Probably thinking to yourself you know is this going to happen um Katy Taylor but you know you got there uh and now you’re reaping the rewards okay so best of luck on Saturday we’ll see you again plenty of times during the course of the week thanks for joining us everybody
That’s the open workouts concluded from the avas gym here in Liverpool join us for the press conference tomorrow all right that
16 Comments
Good luck Natasha.
There's no fashion as quick as a fight and a passion.
Cullen is a warrior,,always injoy his fights
Meyer to win ,,only thing im on the fence with is the jump up in weight, ,,but still fancy meyer
Still don't think mayer lost to bumgardener.
Mayer loves the fighting in the UK.
Mayer will win pretty easily.
Love jonas but seeing a mayer win
Joe Gallagher Natasha beat Harper.!! No she didn't and Natasha was offered undisputed fight v Harper and she turned it down!! Fact Joe and you know it dude!!
Mayer will win this clearly!!!
Mayer about to get robbed….., See you Saturday folks..
Looking forward to Chelli win
Natasha by unanimous decision
Karriss ❤❤❤❤❤
Both top fighters but Mayer should do the job on points
Natasha got this. She bout to bust open Mayer no doubt. Mayer was pretty easy to hit at 135 she be bigger slower target at this weight