Marie-Eve Dicaire intends to prove that Natasha Jonas doesn’t belong in the super-welterweight division when they fight in a WBC, WBO and IBF title unification, live on Sky Sports on November 12. Liverpool's Jonas, who's spent her career at super-feather and lightweight, leapt up three divisions to become a world champion at 154lbs. In her very next fight Jonas unified world titles when she beat Patricia Berghult to add the WBC belt to the WBO championship she held.
However Dicaire has had six world title fights herself and has been boxing at super-welter since 2017. "Berghult is not as strong as I am. I'm strong, I'm happy," she warned. "Natasha Jonas is a tricky fighter, she can box inside, she can box outside. I think the weight's going to be the issue for this fight. Trending
"Too big and too strong, we'll see. But I know this is going to be an advantage for me. I'm going to use it. "She's going to try to find a way out. I have lots of tools and I'm ready to use them all to get the win in this fight. Also See:"I know she's a good boxer and she's going to be able to adapt. And that's a good thing because I can do that too. So we're going to have a lot of fun." Dicaire is physical at the weight but has only won one of her 19 fights inside the distance. She and Jonas both beat Chris Namus to win their first world title fights. In 2018 Dicaire outpointed Namus over 10 rounds, while in February of this year Jonas secured an explosive finish to beat Namus inside two rounds. "It was pretty impressive," Dicaire admitted. "She [Namus] had short notice, maybe she didn't take the fight seriously. "I'm going to give way more adversity in this fight."
Jonas potentially fighting Claressa Shields, the former undisputed super-welter champion and current undisputed middleweight champion, has been much discussed. But Dicaire cautioned against overlooking her as an opponent. "She does her business the way she does, but to me I have a fight on November 12 and that's all that matters," Dicaire said. "First she'll have to go through me on November 12." Shields in fact handed Dicaire her first career loss when she outscored the Canadian over 10 rounds in Flint. It was a shutout win for Shields, but Dicaire promises that experience has made her a better fighter. "We knew Claressa Shields was considered one of the best pound-for-pound on the planet and to hold my side of the fight for 10 rounds, to be able to give her good rounds, to make her work hard through it, I told myself I know I have my place in the elite, I know I can fight with those girls. So it was a boost of confidence. To me, yes it's a defeat but that did not define the athlete that I am and I want to use it, to bounce back from it," Dicaire said.
"I was able to make her pay at some points. I would have done maybe things a little differently with the background I have now but in the end it was a great experience for me. "It was pretty important for me to regain my world title, that's what I did and two fights after this defeat I'm back up in a unified bout and that's pretty amazing to me," she continued. "I'm more experienced, I'm more confident and actually it was the best thing that could have happened in my career. Because it showed me so much. I learned out of it and I was able to gain back my title and to face Natasha Jonas in a unification bout." |
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