Natasha Jonas seeking rematch with Terri Harper after frustration with judges' scoring

Natasha Jonas woke up on Saturday feeling "hard done by" and "hugely disappointed" after her bid for the World Boxing Council super-featherweight title against Terri Harper at Eddie Hearn's Fight Camp event was scored a split draw on the judges' cards. 

The first world title fight in history involving two British women was a thrilling contest which the judges scored 94-96, 96-95, and 95-95. Jonas, the challenger, now 36, boxed astutely and powerfully against champion Harper, and is intent on gaining a rematch with the boxer thirteen years her junior.

The overriding view from many seasoned observers was that Jonas had done enough to win a close fight, and your correspondent scored it 96-94 to Jonas, who competed for Great Britain at the London 2012 Games.

“Of course I felt I was hard done by. I’m hugely disappointed, don’t let this smiling face fool you. I wanted to be waking up with the belt and celebrating with my family as a world champion," Jonas explained on Saturday.

"I think I've learnt to accept this from my amateur career - you can box your best and lose and box your worst and win. You take it as it comes. There’s no point in wingeing about it, it is what it is. I can’t kick up a fuss because it won’t change anything. The result will be the same."

Jonas added: "I have to look for the positives and take that. A lot of people had written me off. Everyone said I was too old and weight drained, that I wasn’t fit for ten rounds. I think I proved them all wrong. That for me is the positive. I can’t change anything".

Jonas - and her trainer Joe Gallagher - will now campaign for a rematch, which Harper agreed to in the post-fight interviews.

"I’m going to push for it. Eddie Hearn was saying last night it was definitely something he wanted to do again and it interests the British public. I’m not sure it’s something Terri will want to do again. I’d love it to be straight away so I can continue on my journey.  I’ll just wait for the call. This is mostly on Terri Harper because I don’t know if she’ll want that fight again. It was still really special, part of history. Hopefully people appreciate the fight we put on.”