Lauren Price says she has achieved her dream after being crowned world amateur boxing champion in the most dramatic of circumstances.
Price initially lost in the final of her middleweight contest on Sunday at the AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships in Russia when Nouchka Fontijn of Holland was awarded the contest, 3-2 by the judges.
But after an appeal from the Great Britain camp, the result was overturned and Price became the first Welsh fighter to win World Championship gold.
The 24-year-old – who won Commonwealth Games gold last year – said: “It all feels like a bit of a dream at the minute. I have dreamt of being world champion for most of my life, so to finally achieve it feels unreal.
“It was a close fight and I did think I had won it with my work in the second and third rounds so once it went to review I thought there was a good chance it would go in my favour.
Boxing for Gold in the final of the World Champs today! Good luck @LLPrice94 #AIBAWomenWorldBoxingChampionship #aiba #boxing @BoxingWales @WelshBoxing @gbboxing @AIBA_Boxing @EUBCBOXING pic.twitter.com/YEvyzzQNF5
— Ben Stewart (@Ben_Stewart_Box) October 13, 2019
“It is definitely the high point of my career. I have got Commonwealth gold, European Games gold and World Championship gold, so I just need to make sure I get the big one next year to complete the set.
“We have such a great team at GB Boxing and I just want to thank them all for all they have done for me. The coaches and all the staff out here have been amazing. They really believed in me today, so I just want to thank them for everything.”
GB Boxing’s Performance Director, Rob McCracken said: “Lauren has been absolutely fantastic for the last two years and thoroughly deserves to be world champion.
“She has been getting better and better and winning the world championship is a fantastic reward for all of the hard work she has put in in the gym.
“The squad is going in the right direction and the outlook is positive as we look towards the Olympic Games in less than a year.”
Price, the middleweight second seed, took on Iveta Lesinskyte of Lithuania, defeating her unanimously in her quarter-final.
She then beat Khadija El-Mardi of Morocco in the semi-final , who edged past Şennur Demir of Turkey.
She won by robbing the real winner. Paying money to get an appeal, ofcourse the one paying the money is the one who gets the title. Fontijn who won fairly did not get an explanation and cannot appeal herself.