Terri Harper retains world titles with split decision draw against Natasha Jonas

It was a historic night for women’s boxing on these shores, with it being the first world title fight between two British women. 

The result takes Harper’s record to 10-0-1 and both fighters admitted in the aftermath they would be keen for a rematch. 

The contest was top of the bill for the second week of Matchroom’s Fight Camp, as the popularity of women’s boxing continues to accelerate, even from a back garden in Essex with no fans at ringside. 

The card was organised by promoter Eddie Hearn in order to get boxing back on television screens with supporters still banned from attending sporting events in attempt to limit the spread of Covid-19. 

Both fighters delivered to the fans at home and there will have been plenty of cheering from living rooms in Yorkshire as Harper went 11 fights unbeaten to retain her WBC and IBO super featherweight titles at the first time of asking. 
Jonas was no easy opponent. She was the first ever woman to represent British boxing at the Olympics and only two of her 10 fights had gone the distance. 

The 36-year-old had won nine of her contests, scoring seven knockouts while she was knocked out in her only defeat prior to Friday night’s draw with Harper.

Both fighters went blow for blow throughout the whole contest, with the bout proving almost impossible to call when the final bell sounded. 

The strong-punching southpaw enjoyed a strong start to the bout and caught Harper with a decent left hand in the opening minute of the second round.

However, Jonas sustained a cut above her right eye seconds after and Harper took advantage to land a number of combinations to settle into the bout. 

The defending champion continued to land the more clever shots in the third round as the blood from the cut of Jonas covered both fighters. 

Jonas slumped slightly onto the ropes at the end of the fifth round, showing small signs of tiredness after a frantic first half to the contest. 

Harper landed a flush left hand to the chin of Jonas in the sixth and had the Liverpool-born fighter on the ropes as the bell sounded. 

It was proving an incredibly-close contest at the close of round seven, the only thing missing from an enthralling contest was the roar of the crowd. 

The defending champion stumbled in the opening seconds of the eighth as Jonas caught her with a strong right hand but Harper recovered smartly to reach round nine. 

The challenger has rarely gone the distance but came alive in the final two rounds and celebrated at the final bell, feeling she had done enough to win the contest. 

However, the scorecards ruled the bout as a split-decision draw in a fight that certainly lived up to the billing. 


Editor’s note: first and foremost - and rarely have I written down these words with more sincerity - I hope this finds you well.

Almost certainly you are here because you value the quality and the integrity of the journalism produced by The Yorkshire Post’s journalists - almost all of which live alongside you in Yorkshire, spending the wages they earn with Yorkshire businesses - who last year took this title to the industry watchdog’s Most Trusted Newspaper in Britain accolade.

And that is why I must make an urgent request of you: as advertising revenue declines, your support becomes evermore crucial to the maintenance of the journalistic standards expected of The Yorkshire Post. If you can, safely, please buy a paper or take up a subscription. We want to continue to make you proud of Yorkshire’s National Newspaper but we are going to need your help.

Postal subscription copies can be ordered by calling 0330 4030066 or by emailing [email protected]. Vouchers, to be exchanged at retail sales outlets - our newsagents need you, too - can be subscribed to by contacting subscriptions on 0330 1235950 or by visiting www.localsubsplus.co.uk where you should select The Yorkshire Post from the list of titles available.

If you want to help right now, download our tablet app from the App / Play Stores. Every contribution you make helps to provide this county with the best regional journalism in the country.

Sincerely. Thank you.

James Mitchinson