Natasha Jonas unified the super-welterweight division by beating Patricia Berghult before a raucous home crowd at Liverpool’s M&S Bank Arena.

The judges scored the fight 99-91, 100-90 and 100-90 in favour of Jonas.

The 38-year-old has now won 12 fights since turning professional in 2017, with two losses and one draw.

“I thought I lost a couple of rounds if I’m honest,” she said, adding: “I am blown away by the support. I always try and carry Liverpool with the best of my ability and do all the Scousers proud.”

Jonas cruises to victory

On a day in which the city’s Premier League clubs Liverpool and Everton battled to a draw in the Merseyside derby, the region’s sport fans joined forces in the evening to cheer on Toxteth-born Jonas in her homecoming bout.

It was an impressive display by Jonas – who last fought in Liverpool almost three years ago – against a quality opponent who was unbeaten in all 15 fights.

After a scrappy start to the contest, with Bergult showing her experience by smothering Jonas’ work on the inside, the home fighter started landing the cleaner punches, and was particularly effective to the body.

With a slick left hook followed by an uppercut in the third round, and a swinging right in the fourth, Jonas took control as the fight progressed.

Jonas had Bergult backpedalling with a ferocious right in the sixth round, before Berghult responded with a straight right.

The boxers kept up the high intensity and work-rate, demonstrating both their reluctance to give up a world title and desire to gain a new one, but it was Jonas who was edging almost every round.

In a sensational eighth, Berghult found success with a left hook, but Jonas came roaring back with a fierce right of her own, forcing Berghult to hold on.

Jonas continued to pepper the body in the final two rounds to see out the win.

The display was another example of how female boxing is thriving in the country, and a bout which whet the appetite before the historic all-female card at London’s O2 Arena next Saturday, headlined by the undisputed middleweight clash between Savannah Marshall and Claressa Shields.

What’s next for Jonas?

Jonas is enjoying a golden period at the back end of her career. The three blemishes on her record – a shock defeat by Viviane Obenauf, controversial draw to Terri Harper and close points loss to Katie Taylor – are now firmly in the past.

While there was no suggestion Jonas would have definitely retired had she been defeated, she hinted before the fight that it could be a possibility.

But this victory opens up the door to further unification fights. WBA champion Hannah Rankin faces Jonas’ former foe Harper on 24 September, while Canada’s Marie-Eve Dicaire holds the IBF title.

“There’s two other belts to get,” Jonas said. “And there’s always the opportunity to become a two-weight or either three-weight champion.”

Jonas admits the 154lb division is not her ideal weight class. She jumped up three divisions to fight for the world title she won against Christian Namus in February.

She could move down to super-lightweight and face the winner of Chantelle Cameron and Jessica McCaskill, who fight for the undisputed super-lightweight crown in November.

While there are plenty of options, the most lucrative – and the one Jonas says she would “take in a heartbeat” – is a rematch with Ireland’s Taylor. The undisputed lightweight champion is the pound-for-pound star of women’s boxing, but Jonas pushed her all the way when they fought in 2021.

Smith stops Mwakinyo in bizarre ending

In the headline fight, Liverpool’s former light-middleweight champion Liam Smith stopped Hassan Mwakinyo in the fourth round in a bizarre ending.

Tanzania’s Mwakinyo seemed to roll his ankle in the third round and took a timeout. Later in the round he appeared to land after the bell, which aggrieved Smith.

In the following round, Mwakinyo, perhaps hampered by his ankle but with no blows landing from Smith, dropped to his knee. Moments later, albeit under some pressure when backed in the corner, he did the same, before referee Victor Loughlin waved off the contest.

Smith, 35, was fighting for the first time since signing with Ben Shalom’s Boxxer promotions, and is targeting a second world title in the 154lb division.

American Jermell Charlo holds all four belts at light-middleweight, but is set to face Australia’s Tim Tszyu in January 2023.

On the undercard, highly rated prospect Adam Azim continued his impressive start to professional boxing with a terrific first-round knockout win over Argentine Michel Cabra.

Light-heavyweight Dan Azeez defended his British title with a unanimous points win against former champion Shakan Pitters, while 2020 Olympic bronze medallist Frazer Clarke made it three consecutive wins as a professional by stopping overmatched Bulgarian heavyweight Pencho Tsvetkov in the first round.

After the fight, Clarke said his opponent “shouldn’t be in the ring with me” and his promoter Shalom described the fight as “embarrassing” before apologising for the matchmaking.