Jonas would be happy to clash with Olympic rival in pro ranks

NATASHA Jonas is targeting a future showdown with Katie Taylor after successfully winning her professional debut.

Jonas, who is trained by Joe Gallagher at his gym in Bolton, put in a perfect performance by stopping Monika Antonik in the first round of their bout at the Walker Activity Dome in Newcastle.

Jonas had an extremely impressive amateur career, with the 33-year-old earning a number of accolades before deciding to join the paid ranks.

One of her most notable amateur bouts came during the 2012 Olympics in London, where she was beaten in the quarter-final by eventual gold medallist Katie Taylor.

With the two women now both competing as professionals, Jonas would be happy to once again cross paths with Taylor at some stage.

“At the moment I’m on my journey and she’s on hers, but it’s what the people want to see so if it means that we meet then we’ll meet,” she said.

“It felt really good to get back in the ring. It’s down to all the hard work in the gym as we’ve been training for some months.

“Everybody was telling me to enjoy my debut and I did, so I hoped that it showed. It’s what I did for years as an amateur and now I’m a professional.”

A fight between Jonas and Taylor is likely in the future, with both women promoted by Matchroom.

Taylor is 5-0 since making her debut at Wembley Arena last November, with three of those wins coming by stoppage.