IN WHAT COULD transpire to be boxing’s TV upset of the year, 2012 British Olympian Natasha Jonas suffered an emphatic first career defeat to former Katie Taylor opponent Viviane Obenauf on Sky Sports’ JD NXTGEN card at Cardiff’s Ice Arena.
The 34-year-old Liverpudlian was dropped three times by the unfancied Brazilian and took a pummeling against the ropes before both referee and trainer Joe Gallagher intervened simultaneously in the fourth round.
Jonas’ London 2012 quarter-final with Taylor was arguably the most enthralling of the Games, but Saturday night’s shock loss all but rules out a re-run of their Olympic barnburner.
Both fighters are promoted by Eddie Hearn and Matchroom, and so an Anglo-Irish showdown – potentially even a Sky Sports bill-topper – had previously seemed an inevitability.
Both Joe Gallagher and Taylor’s manager, Brian Peters, indicated separately this week that the prospective women’s superfight might land in the spring of 2019.
Obenauf – whom Taylor dominated in her second pro bout, and who was stopped by another Briton in the lightweight mix, Chantelle Cameron, last December – had other ideas.
The 31-year-old Brazilian systematically dismantled the previously six-fight undefeated Jonas, who fought back gallantly from her three knockdowns but was eventually saved from herself.
I think we just saw the biggest women's boxing upset of all time: Viviane Obenhauf stops Natasha Jonas in four rounds; Jonas down twice in third and once in 4th, towel thrown in. Wow!
— Graham Houston (@fightwriterone) August 4, 2018
A thrilled Obenauf, who wept with joy moments after the finish, seemed to indicate to Sky Sports via a translator that she had backed herself at 14/1 with the bookies.
Her record improves to 13-4 (7KOs), while Jonas drops to 6-1 (5KOs).
The Merseysider issued a message to her fans shortly after her defeat.
Thank you for all the messages of support and sorry to all my fans. Love u all! Xx
— Natasha Jonas (@TashaJonas) August 4, 2018
A fight later, Tallaght bantamweight Dylan McDonagh suffered a first professional defeat but gave a superb account of himself against former British amateur standout and Matchroom prospect Sean McGoldrick.
The Newport native of Donegal and Tipperary stock was well worth his 78-76 points verdict, but McDonagh – who took the fight on a mere four day’s notice and described his Sky Sports debut as “a dream come through” – fired back with fervour throughout his first eight-rounder.
The recently-married McDonagh, now 3-1 (1KO), went to Cardiff as an ‘opponent’ in search of a life-changing experience and tonight might well transpire to be so: the teak tough Dub is sure to have impressed the onlooking Eddie Hearn with an entertaining display, and might find his phone pretty busy in the coming months.
McDonagh paid McGoldrick his dues during his post-fight interview with Sky Sports and thanked Eddie Hearn for the opportunity, but stated his belief that if he had been given sufficient time to prepare, tonight’s result might have been different.
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