Hannah Rankin and Natasha Jonas stoke rivalry on social media ahead of potential super-welterweight unification showdown; WBA and IBO champion Rankin says she will travel to Liverpool for the fight after Jonas accuses Scot's team of "stalling"
Tuesday 7 June 2022 13:06, UK
Hannah Rankin insists she is prepared to come to Liverpool and defend her super-welterweight world titles against Natasha Jonas in her rival's home city.
Rankin retained her WBA and IBO belts in her native Scotland last month with a 10th-round stoppage of Alejandra Ayala, who underwent surgery after the fight and has since woken from an induced coma.
After welcoming the news of Ayala's recovery, Rankin tweeted on Tuesday that she had "no problem" putting her titles on the line against WBO champion Jonas in a unification bout and "was letting our promoters sort out the details."
That came after Jonas - who claimed her title after halting Chris Namus in February - had accused Rankin's team of "stalling", saying that "a date, venue, purse and more had been sent".
Jonas has lost two of her 14 professional fights, with one of those defeats coming against Katie Taylor in May 2021 as the Irishwoman won via unanimous decision.
Jonas said in May that she would "love" a rematch with Taylor, who took her unblemished record to 21-0 with a split-decision victory over Amanda Serrano in a Madison Square Garden thriller in late April.
"I think a lot of people did say they would love to see it again. It's not impossible," said Jonas of a potential second clash with undisputed lightweight world champion Taylor.
"I would love a rematch with Katie. I just have to put myself in a position to be mandatory and that was kind of the plan all along."
