Natasha Jonas wants to be known as among the best of her generation rather than a fighter merely along for the ride.

That was a deciding factor—among other reasons—to enter a dangerous title defense versus Mikaela Mayer, whom Jonas welcomes to her hometown.

“When I think of the best fighters of our generation—Katie Taylor, Chantelle Cameron, Amanda Serrano—they’ve beaten people in the top ten pound-for-pound,” Jonas told BoxingScene.com. “If I want to be considered a great among them, then I need to do the same and beat one of those people on the list.

“I believe Mikaela Mayer is still regarded among the best. Beating Mikaela will get me on those pound-for-pound lists.”

The two will meet this Saturday for Jonas’ IBF welterweight title atop a Sky Sports/ESPN+ show from M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool, England.

Jonas (14-2-1, 9KOs) came up just short in each of her first two title shots. She pushed then-unbeaten WBC junior lightweight titlist Terri Harper to the brink in their August 2020 ten-round draw in Brentwood, England. Nine months later, she was barely edged by Ireland’s Taylor in their memorable May 2021 meeting in what was hailed as a rematch to their thrilling 2012 Olympic quarterfinal bout.

Title success came with a three-division weight jump for Jonas, who won three junior middleweight belts in as many fights in a 2022 Fighter of the Year-worthy campaign. She collected the WBO, WBC and IBF belts in succession, though the opportunity to fully unify—a rematch with Terri Harper who held the WBA 154 title—never materialized.

It was a bit of a letdown though also a reality check. Jonas never weighed more than 149 ¼ pounds, even during her storming of the junior middleweight division. The sense was always that welterweight was her landing spot, where she became a two-division titlist after an eighth-round knockout of Kandi Wyatt last July 1 in Manchester.

The lone fight of 2023 came that way for a reason. Jonas sought bigger game—and, more importantly, a career-defining win on which to further her already impressive career.

Mayer (19-1, 5KOs) fits that bill as a former unified junior lightweight titlist and fellow perennial weight jumper. Jonas—who turns 40 in June despite her ageless presence—is slightly favored, even in her hometown, but Mayer is more than a live underdog to become a two-division titlist herself.

That’s just the type of motivation Jonas sought for her next fight.

“This is huge for my career,” noted Jonas. “Probably the best fighter I’ve boxed in my career is Katie Taylor and that shows on the pound-for-pound list. A win over Mikaela, though, will be the biggest win on my record.”

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. X (formerly Twitter): @JakeNDaBox