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[JOHNJE123]

Tasha fights Rebecca Price of Wales on Saturday in the round of 64.

[JOHNJE123]

Tasha beat Rebecca Price 18-8 and moves into the last 32.

[JOHNJE123]

60kg: Natasha Jonas v Sandra Brugger (Switzerland)


Natasha wins 23-11


Natasha moved into an early 6-2 lead scoring with a couple of straights, with her opponent nicking a point at the end of the round. The second saw the Rotunda southpaw extend the lead further with a series of clean hits and a couple of heavy blows in the third left her Swiss opponent lagging behind going into the last and Jonas ran out a comfortable winner with a place in the last 16.

[JOHNJE123]

Tasha beats the Indian girl 25:22 and moves into the final eight.

Olympic qualification STILL isn't assured. She needs to be one of the top three Europeans. This means she may get to the semi finals and still she her place in the Olympics go to the Indian girl she just beat because of the quota system.

[JOHNJE123]

SHE'S QUALIFIED!!!!

She beat the Norweigan girl this morning to reach the semi final. The Tajik entrant also beat the French girl to ensure that she'll be one of the top three Europeans.

Long journey but she's done it!

[JOHNJE123]

Last week, Liverpool's Natasha Jonas cemented her place at the London 2012 Olympic Games by reaching the semi finals of the World Championships in China.

Needing to finish as one of the top three Europeans in the lightweight division to confirm a place, Tasha bested the Norweigan entrant in their quarter final bout on Wednesday morning to reach the semi final. Victory for the Tajik entrant over the French boxer ensured that Tasha qualified for the Olympic Games alongside teamates Nicola Adams and Savannah Marshall.

The trio are the first ever female boxers to represent Great Britain at the Olympic Games as the sport makes it's debut this time around.

In her latest exclusive diary for Livefight, Tasha talks about that fantastic two weeks in China.



By @TashaJonas


I got back from China yesterday and it’s been mad. Loads of friends and family met me at the airport and we had a little do last night.

The training camp before the World Championships was a long one. I think it just feels like that because we knew we were gonna be there for such a long time but once the tournament actually started it was brilliant.




You try and treat it like any other tournament but it was hard because we knew were so close and that it was our only chance to qualify; it was either success or failure. To make things worse, we [Myself, flyweight Nicola Adams and middleweight Savannah Marshall] turned up thinking that if we got to the quarter finals we would qualify for the Olympics. We went to the delegate’s meeting the day before the tournament started and realised that we had to be one of the top three Europeans! At least four or five of the best boxers in the world at my weight [60kg or lightweight] are Europeans so when I found that out I thought ‘Oh God!’ It was a bit of a smack in the face but I just had to get on and do it.

The draw was done after the delegate’s meeting. That could have been nerve-wracking but on Team GB they only tell you who you’re boxing that day. Obviously if you wanted to see who you could be fighting you could go on the AIBA website but I don’t. I just take every day as it comes. It’s worked for me in other tournaments before so I’ve stuck with it.

I beat Rebecca Price [18-8], Sandra Brugger [23-11] and Laishram Devi [25-22] but still wasn’t assured of being one of the top three Europeans. As I walked out for my quarter final the Tajik girl was boxing the French girl. If the Tajik girl won and then I beat Ingrid Egner from Norway, then I would qualify for the Olympics. The Tajik girl was only two points ahead. I’ve come back from two points behind before so I know that two points is everything but nothing at the same time.




I just concentrated on my own bout and my team didn’t say anything until afterwards. When I turned around they were saying ‘You’ve done it!’ but I still didn’t know what they were talking about. When I got to my corner and they told me that France had lost I went “Yes!” I’ve waited for that moment since 2009 when they said women’s boxing was gonna be in the Olympics.

Every time we’ve been away and gone a long way in a tournament they always give you a week off. They’ve just said that we’re gonna be doing more of the same…..and a bit more! If we thought it was hard before then it’s gonna get harder. People have been asking if I feel any different but it’s exactly the same. You just know that you’re going somewhere at the end of it. I didn’t wake up the next morning a whole new changed person. I just know where I’m going now.


See you next month!


Tasha


http://natashajonas.com/

For sponsorship opportunities, contact @martyf70 via twitter

[tweetstreet]

Managed to Meet Tasha at the Froch fight and got her to sign a glove for me. Throughly nice girl and i'm really looking forward to watching her and the rest of the womens' boxing at the olympics.

Wish i'd asked her if she's given any thought to turning pro after the olympics? This will be the first time a female boxer will have a high profile in the sport given the coverage they are likely to be known by persons outside boxing circles for the first time.

A Gold medal from one of the female boxers would be massive and i could see them turning pro with someone like Eddie Hearn and on the undercards of the likes of Brook and Froch.

Jane Couch is the only British female boxer i could name, how big was her profile? did she box on any major undercards our was she relatively obscure?

[JOHNJE123]

Sorry TweetStreet!

I've just read this! I'm glad you asked her to sign something and I hope you mentioned Livefight

[JOHNJE123]

@TashaJonas

The Games are only about a month away now but training’s been the same really. The only real difference is that we’ve got Brazil coming over to train with us at the end of July. We’re not leaving the country for any more training camps.


We’re still training as a squad so the people that didn’t qualify are still here. The only thing that they don’t do is the strength and conditioning work that we do. That has been ramped up a bit for us now. This is the stage of training where they ‘load’ us and it’s exactly the same as they would do if we were going to any competition. ‘Loading’ basically involves doing more circuits, lifting heavier weights and doing more rep’s to be honest.


The only competitor that’s been added to my weight class since I qualified is Queen Underwood from the USA. I think there may possibly still be Asia and Europe left to be added. Callum Smith had some disappointing news this week when the Olympic invitational place went to the Montenegrin boxer that he beat 18-8 in April. I think Callum was a victim of the team’s success. If we’d only qualified two people then he would have probably gotten in. Because we’ve qualified ten, they’ve probably decided they don’t need another British boxer and have given it to somebody else. I know that if I’m gonna be an Olympic champion, I want to have beaten the best boxers in the world, no matter where they’re from. The way it’s working out sometimes, that isn’t necessarily the case.

There’s a bit of confusion about whether we’ll be going to the opening ceremony. Our coaches have said that if we’re boxing the next day then we won’t be. I know Luke Campbell is so he won’t be going. I’ve also heard that it’s only gonna be representatives from each sport going so I’m still unsure. I’d like to be a part of it, if I’m going to the Olympics then I wanna be there! When we got our official letter telling us that we were part of Team GB, I started to think “Oh my God, I’m going” but until I’m stood next to someone like Usain Bolt, I don’t think it’ll really hit me that I’m really there. Last week we went to pick our kit up. It was like shopping for three hours and I’m really not a shopper! We got thee suitcase type bags full and there’s more to come I think. We’ve done well!


Loads of my family have started getting itchy feet about it and have said “I’m gonna come!” and they’ve all managed to get tickets. It’s gonna be different to have ten thousand people cheering for me and I think they’re all gonna be my family! I can’t wait. I really can’t wait.

Until next time!

Tasha

[JOHNJE123]

Don't miss the documentary "Knockout Scousers" on Channel Four tonight at 11.05pm.

It documents Natasha and Tom Stalker's journey to the Olympics and my tip for the top 'Jazza' Dickens journey into the professional game.

[JOHNJE123]

Natasha Jonas' Olympic diary

By @TashaJonas

I think we find out the draw for our divisions on July 27th. The gold and silver medallists from the World Championships will get byes in the first round as will two others. The others will box.




We have to weigh in on the first day of competition so I’d assume they’ll do the draw then. We’ll also have to weigh in on the morning of every bout we have. If I go all the way then I’ll box on Sunday August 4th and then the Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. The weight has been good this time. I’m only 0.9kg over now (July 17) and I’d like to be on wait by the time I finish camp.

The Brazilian team are here at the moment. It hasn’t been toned down at all; it’s been a typical training camp for us. If we go abroad for a training camp, we’ll follow the host country's routine. The Brazilian’s are just doing their own thing but we are sparring together.




During training we’ll do general stuff but the coaches got together with the boxers and everybody had to identify who they think is the biggest threat to them and then we do an analysis on them. We always do an analysis on everybody we box but we’re looking at our threat’s weaknesses and how to capitalise on them but also how to impose our strengths on them.

My three choices were Katie (Taylor), Sophia (Ochigava) and the third was Gulsum Tatar but she didn’t qualify. Obviously you can’t go on one fight because she would have come on a lot since but I felt comfortable boxing Cheng Dong in the test event we had. I will never underestimate anybody but I didn’t feel Dong was one of my main threats. Queen Underwood from the USA is a good boxer too but I also felt comfortable against her.

Everybody on the team has a chance of a medal. Nicola (Adams) was just pipped at the World Championships and I think in front of the home crowd she can go one better. Savannah (Marshall) is world champion anyway so all she has to do is do it again. In the worlds, that was the best I’ve ever seen Savannah box. If she can replicate exactly what she did last time, she can win again. She knows she’s number one in the world and the one to beat now.




If I have to pick two to watch from the men’s team, I’ll pick Tom Stalker and Anthony Joshua. Anthony Joshua’s story is unbelievable. He came from nowhere and in the World Championships beat (Roberto) Cammarelle who’s won more world titles than Joshua’s won ABA titles!

I think there will just be one ring being used at a time and having ten thousand people cheering every punch is going to be unbelievable. It’ll be like when I fought at the Echo Arena in Liverpool to win the Great Britain championships. Even walking out there sent shivers down my spine!

Hopefully next time we speak I’ll be an Olympic gold medallist!

Tasha

All @Livefight would like to wish Tasha the best of luck at the Games. I’d also like to thank Tasha and @martyf70 for their help this past 12 months. Hopefully the final part will be the monthly diary of an Olympic gold medallist! Catch Natasha's first fight on the afternoon of Sunday August 4th.

[Fightin Irish]

Fair play to Tasha, boxed superbly in both fights and definitely more to come from her in the future!

[deck]

Hard luck Natasha. You boxed superbly in both fights but just came up against the toughest opponent too early. It would have made a hell of a final!

[grizzlyadams]

Unlucky natasha. She gave it everything and has so much to be proud of. Winning doesn't happen in a straight line and I hope she builds from the experience she gained here.

Well done tasha!

[JOHNJE123]

She did great didn't she? The frustrating thing is that she regularly beats every other fighter that received a medal. I guess it's the luck of the draw.