Katie Taylor vs. Natasha Jonas betting odds, preview, and pick

A pair of amateur rivals renew their hostilities in the pro ranks when Katie Taylor (17-0) faces off against Natasha Jonas (9-1-1) on May 1. Taylor’s title is on the line, and the hard-hitting Jonas is ready to leave it all in the ring when the two collide.

We have the betting odds and pick you need to be the big winner on fight night.

Taylor has all the tools

Taylor comes in preparing to defend the undisputed lightweight title, having last fought in November when she easily dispatched Miriam Gutierrez.

The champ is undefeated through her career, and also won a junior welterweight title before returning to lightweight. Her boxing skills are second-to-none, and her offense is tactfully set up with excellent footwork and speedy combinations.

Jonas is looking to avenge an old defeat

Jonas is a tremendously strong puncher, scoring stopping wins in all but two of her fights. She fought Terri Harper to a draw last August, battling through a nasty cut and had to put together a strong finish to get the draw.

On paper, Jonas is the bigger puncher of the two, but she’ll need more than brute strength to slow down the fleet-footed champion. These two last met nearly a decade ago where Jonas was outworked by Taylor’s combination punching.

Taylor’s speed will earn her a decision win

Taylor is too small for junior welterweight, but she enjoys a size advantage here against the former junior lightweight champion. Both women can sometimes stray away from their game plan and slug it out, and this would certainly favor Jonas. The problem here is that Jonas can punch herself out at times, which will leave Taylor with an open target.

This is not going to work out too well for Jonas if she can’t drop Taylor in the opening rounds. Should Taylor be able to avoid any heavy shots early on, she should be able to frustrate Jonas. While Jonas can come on strong late, it will come down to how much she has left in the tank after having to chase Taylor around the ring.

In the end, Taylor’s consistency and better overall skills will carry the day. She’ll dart in and out of Jonas’ range to get her to expend her energy and leave her gasping for air in the later rounds. By then, Taylor will have the fight in the bag and cruise to a decision win.

Boxing pick: Taylor