The Welsh superstar dominated from start-to-finish as the 30-year-old made history at the Royal Albert Hall in London against the British boxing veteran
Boxing star Lauren Price brutally battered Natasha Jonas to unify the WBC, IBF and WBA welterweight world titles.
The 30-year-old has cut a confident figure all week, insisting she possessed the tools to defeat the experienced Liverpudlian. Many felt as if this would be a real passing of the torch moment in British women’s boxing, and she did just that.
Despite the confidence leading into fight week, there was some slight drama on Thursday during the official weigh-ins. Jonas’ trainer, Joe Gallagher, fumed as he claimed the scales were not properly calibrated as fighters on the all women’s card at the Royal Albert Hall on Friday night weighed in light.
He was concerned that Jonas’ opponent, Price, would be helped by the scales being light as he has insisted that she struggles to make the 10st 7lb limit. Despite all the tension and the potential mind games, there was no chaos on fight night as the Welsh superstar proved why she’s one of, if not the best at 147lbs. The main event pitted two of the best stars in the division – with the blockbuster showdown going on to exceed expectations and well and truly put women’s boxing on the map in front of a sell-out crowd in London.
Straight from the off, Price was quick to stalk her foe down and establish a foothold of the clash, The Welsh star caught the Liverpudlian with a tidy right hook before unleashing a few sharp jabs. Round two didn’t get any better for Jonas as Price begun with a lovely combination before executing a left uppercut. A glancing right from Price wobbled Jonas before the end of the round.
In the early stages, the Welsh crowd clearly showed their support for Price as she continued to push forward. The speed from Price was clearly the deciding factor early on as the Liverpudlian failed to get on the front foot and establish her own control. Just before the midway point, Price was starting to run away with proceedings. It seemed like with every shot from Jonas, Price came back sharper and with more aggression. As each round progressed – and with the Welsh support roaring their own on – it’s fair to say Lauren fed off the energy in a bid to cruise ahead on the cards.
At the midway point, Jonas was starting to get a little more into the fight, landing with the left hand and making her foe miss. It seemed as if the tide was potentially starting to turn, but Price remained unfazed by the pressure and continued to march forward. Round seven and the young Welsh star was still in cruise control as she skipped around the ring and constantly making the British boxing veteran backpedal. While Jonas was starting to breath heavily, Price looked like she could go on for another seven rounds.
Lauren’s pressure was clearly exhausting Natasha – who just didn’t have an answer for the quick attacks. A stinging overhand left from Price just grazed the left cheek of the Liverpudlian in round eight. It was time for Jonas to roll the dice as she took a tumble at the beginning of the ninth. Thankfully, it wasn’t ruled as a knockdown. The little break didn’t seem to inspire Natasha as Price’s attacks and speed allowed her to dominate the penultimate round.
The pair shared a quick embrace as the fight entered the final two minute. Jonas launched an attack right from the off in an attempt to pull off an upset. However, Price continued to press on counter with her own shots. As the final bell went, Price was quick to throw her arms up in the air, clearly feeling as if she did enough.
She will now have both eyes on the rematch between Mikaela Mayer and Sandy Ryan – which takes place later this month. The winner of the clash will more than likely fight Price next in a bid to become the undisputed welterweight champion.
In the co-main event, Caroline Dubois showed why she is a real force to be reckoned with at 135lbs after earning a majority decision win over Bo Mi Re Shin to successfully defend her WBC lightweight title. The young star has been calling for her shot at some of the top stars in the world all week, but faced a tough test in Bo Mi.
Despite securing a comfortable win on points, the Brit had to show some slight adversity towards the back end of the contest. ‘Sweet Caroline’ was in cruise control for the majority of the clash, working the body nicely as well as landing several tidy combinations upstairs.In the final round, Shin got a bit reckless and came out guns blazing. That said, it was evident the champion was tired, but she successfully heard the final bell before getting her hand raised.
Elsewhere on the undercard, Karriss Artingstall dropped Raven Chapman early before going on to score a unanimous decision victory to become the inaugural British featherweight champion. There was a real upset on the undercard as Jasmina Zapotoczna defeated Chloe Watson by split decision to become the new European flyweight champion.
It was a real tricky one to score as Watson was the busier in the earlier rounds, landing several snapping shots. However, the judges must’ve felt as if Zapotoczna’s pressure in the second half of the fight was enough to give her the edge. Finally, Fran Hennessy maintained her undefeated record by producing a sheer dominant performance over late replacement Gemma Ruegg.