Natasha Jonas beats Marie-Eve Dicaire on points to win IBF light-middleweight title

Unified champion Natasha Jonas outclassed Marie-Eve Dicaire in Manchester to add the IBF title to her WBC and WBO light-middleweight belts.

The Liverpudlian, 38, won her first world title in February and then unified the division in September.

And she capped a memorable year for herself and women's boxing by claiming her third world title in nine months.

Jonas claimed a unanimous win on points to condemn Canada's Dicaire, 36, to just her second professional defeat.

The judges scored the fight 100-90, 98-92 and 97-93 in favour of Jonas.

"It was very tough, I knew it would be tough," Jonas told BBC 5 Live after the fight.

"This has by far been my best year in boxing and to think at one stage it was almost over and I nearly walked away from boxing.

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"Now, 12 months on I'm here as unified champion with three belts and a Ring (Magazine) belt."

Great Britain's first female Olympic boxer has now won 13 fights since turning professional in 2017, with two losses and one draw, while Dicaire, whose only previous defeat was against Claressa Shields last year, slips to an 18-2 record.

Jonas ends unforgettable year with another high

According to one judge, Jonas won all 10 rounds in Manchester

It now seems hard to believe that Jonas had to banish thoughts of bringing her career to a premature end after suffering her first professional defeat by Viviane Obenauf in August 2018.

And even after rebuilding her career and being unable to take advantage of her first two shots at a world title, she says that just 12 months ago she didn't know how she was going to become a world champion.

But she realised her dream in February by knocking out Chris Namus, before unifying the division in September with a unanimous points victory over Patricia Berghult.

That earned Jonas the chance to headline at a major venue for the first time as a professional and provide the latest spectacle in a thrilling period for women's boxing.

A short drive down the M62 from Merseyside home, Jonas was given a rousing reception at Manchester's AO Arena, and she responded by landing two shots in quick succession in the first round.

And Jonas continued to land the more accurate punches throughout, despite Dicaire occasionally opting for a more agricultural approach in a bid to throw the Briton off her game.

A scrappy second round saw Jonas catch Dicaire with a left hook, and although the Canadian tried to force the pace in the third, she walked onto a couple of solid lefts from Jonas.

Jonas' jab helped keep Dicaire at range before the pair traded blows in a more expansive fifth round, with the Canadian perhaps getting the better of it.

But Jonas began to unload in the sixth, throwing more combinations and landing an uppercut as well as a right hook.

Several body shots in the seventh kept Jonas firmly on top and while Dicaire kept coming forward, Jonas continued to pick her off to end an unforgettable year on another high.

What's next for Jonas?

Jonas could fight for the undisputed title next

After such a busy, eventful year, Jonas could be forgiven for talking more about taking a break than potential future opponents.

But setting the record straight with Terri Harper could well be on her list of New Year's resolutions.

Jonas shared a controversial draw with her fellow Briton in 2020 at super-featherweight and Harper beat Hannah Rankin in September to become the new WBA light-middleweight champion.

"I've had a tough year, I'm going to have a holiday and then we'll discuss the best options in 2023," Jonas said.

"I have to win to keep all my options open and alive and I did that tonight."

Jonas could also face light-welterweight Chantelle Cameron, who became the UK's first undisputed female champion with her win over Jessica McCaskill last weekend.

A rematch with Ireland's undisputed lightweight champion Katie Taylor would be appealing after Jonas' close points loss in May 2021, also at Manchester's AO Arena.

And then, of course, there is 'the GWOAT', the unbeaten American Claressa Shields.

After her thrilling win over Savannah Marshall to become the undisputed middleweight champion in October, Shields said she would be open to coming back down to light-middleweight, where she was formerly undisputed champion, to face Jonas in either the UK or the US.

And speaking before Saturday's win, Jonas' promoter Ben Shalom said that a fight with Shields in 2023 is "a definite possibility".