New World Champion Lauren Price Targets Unification Fights At Principality Stadium

Lauren Price receives her world title belt. Pic: Getty Images.

New World Champion Lauren Price Targets Unification Fights At Principality Stadium

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By Paul Jones

Lauren Price will target major unification fights against WBO title holder Sandy Ryan and IBF champion Natasha Jones as part of her mission to create a legacy.

Price became the first Welsh female boxer to attain world champion status when she claimed the WBA, IBO and Ring Magazine welterweight world title with a comprehensive victory over Jessica McCaskill in Cardiff on Saturday night.

Both Ryan and Jones were in attendance and Price can now move forward and target lucrative matches, with the English pair high on her list.

“I believe this is just the start,” said Price after her victory.

“I want to come back here and create a legacy. She came at me from round one and it took me a while to get my distance, but I enjoyed myself and I’m only going to get better.

“I want to fight at the Principality Stadium, that’s the dream.’

“You see what Katie Taylor did for Ireland, I want to do the same for Wales. I want to, in a few years, be selling out the Principality Stadium.”

The fight was called off two seconds in to the ninth round, with McCaskill unable to continue because of a swollen right eye.

Because of a head clash, the decision went to the judges’ scorecards and Price was a clear winner on all three following a boxing masterclass from the Welsh fighter.

Price was competing in only her seventh professional fight after a stellar amateur career that brought Olympic gold in Tokyo three years ago.

The former international footballer’s target was to become Wales’ 14th world champion – and the first female – on a night when home fans turned out in force to fill Cardiff’s Utilita Arena.

Price added: “I had a tough fight tonight, credit to Jessica. I respect her. She’s a credit not to just women’s boxing but boxing in general.

“She loves a war; she loves a dogfight. She came at me from round one. It took me a few rounds to get my distance.

“I found my rhythm in the end. I enjoyed myself in there and I’m only going to get better. This was only my seventh professional fight.

“The atmosphere has got to be up there with winning that gold medal. I can’t thank everyone enough for who came out and supported me.”

The former champion McCaskill paid tribute to Price and said: “Things went wrong. A lot of headbutts, that’s an issue.

“I felt like you should let the champion go out on her shield, give me my four minutes.

“Lauren was the only person who has been able to take belts from me, and so congratulations to her. She has a bright future. I’m so proud of her; she’s setting a great example.”

Challenger Price, almost 10 years younger than her American opponent, entered the ring to Dafydd Iwan’s anthem ‘Yma O Hyd’ before the playing of the Welsh national anthem rose the atmosphere to fever pitch.

No-one could doubt McCaskill’s pedigree, with the Chicago resident having unified two divisions in her career and boasting more world title bouts on her CV than Price had pro fights.

McCaskill was also unbeaten at welterweight, but defeat to Chantelle Cameron and a draw with Sandy Ryan in her previous two contests had raised question marks against a fighter four months away from her 40th birthday.

There was clear respect between the pair in the opening stages, but the tempo rose as McCaskill roughhoused Price and the American was caught with a good punch as the bell sounded at the end of round two.

McCaskill was spoken to by referee Michael Alexander in the third after pushing Price back to the ropes again, with the crowd clearly unimpressed by the American’s antics.

Price was starting to relax, landing some venomous punches while moving in and out of range well, and swelling began to appear around McCaskill’s right eye.

McCaskill was under serious pressure as the fight reached the halfway point, with Price clearly targeting the American’s swollen eye.

A welt was also growing out of McCaskill’s left eye and Price continued to land counter-shots, with the American walking on to accurate punches.

The doctor was called in to examine McCaskill’s right eye at the end of the seventh, but the fight continued with no shift in the balance of power until it was eventually called off.

Rhys Edwards was crowned the new WBA Intercontinental featherweight champion with a unanimous points decision over Thomas Patrick Ward.

Hughie Fury – cousin of world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury – continued his comeback with a second-round stoppage of Germany’s Patrick Korte.

Fury was fighting for the second time in three weeks following a six-round points victory over Kostiantyn Dovbyshchenko, having been out of action for three years due to health issues.

 

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