Saturday May 6 was a historic day. It was the day Charles III was crowned King, and the day Lauren Price MBE was crowned the first ever British Female Welterweight champion.
Price achieved that title after a dominant victory over former European champion Kirstie Bavington in Birmingham. A success which is just the latest in Price’s remarkable sporting career.
When Price was just three-days-old, she was taken in by her grandparents Linda and Derek, who raised her and supported her hefty sporting ambitions.
A former Heolddu Comprehensive School pupil, Price was raised in Ystrad Mynach and has often attributed her successes to her grandparents.
Before going into boxing full-time, Price played football for Cardiff City and won 52 caps for Wales. She also became world kickboxing champion aged 12, but switched from kickboxing to boxing aged 16.
Since deciding to concentrate fully on boxing, the former-taxi driver has been crowned European and World champion.
But her most notable achievement came in the summer of 2021 at the re-arranged Tokyo 2020 Olympics, in which she won gold.
In usual Lauren Price fashion, she won her medal in emphatic fashion – comprehensively beating China’s Li Qian 5-0 in the women’s middleweight final.
En route to Olympic gold, Price earned a 5-0 win over Mongolia’s Myagmarjargal Munkhbat in the last 16, before beating Panama’s Atheyna Bylon 5-0 to reach the semi-finals.
At the semi-final stage, she beat Nouchka Fontijn, of the Netherlands, on a split decision to reach the final.
Returning to Ystrad Mynach following her success in Japan, Price was given a rapturous welcome by residents, who lined the streets waving Welsh flags.
A phone box on Penallta Road was also painted gold to celebrate her achievements.
In September, both Price and fellow Olympic medallist Lauren Williams were paraded through Ystrad Mynach and Williams’ hometown of Blackwood, while crowds adorned the streets.
Both Price and Williams were also enrolled onto a new Wall of Fame at Ystrad Mynach’s Centre for Sporting Excellence, and were later granted the Freedom of Caerphilly County Borough.
She also received the inaugural Olympian of the Year award from the National Lottery, an honour presented to her at Pontypool Amateur Boxing Club, where her boxing journey began.
Later in 2021, Price was crowned BBC Cymru Wales Sports Personality of the Year and rounded off the year by being made an MBE in the New Year’s Honours list.
2022 was another big year for Price, who signed her first professional contract with BOXXER.
She marked her professional boxing debut with a resounding victory over Iceland’s Valgerdur Gudstensdottir at Wembley Arena in June that year.
She won her second pro fight In October, defeating Hungary’s Timea Belik at the O2 Arena in London, earning her first stoppage victory.
The year was rounded off when she received her MBE from King Charles III at a ceremony at Windsor Castle. Closer to home, she also won the Sport Personality of the Year award at Caerphilly Council’s Sport Caerphilly Awards.
The success did not stop there for Price, who got 2023 underway with an impressive victory over Germany’s Naomi Mannes in Paris.
In what just her third pro fight, Price won all eight rounds over the former European title challenger – who had lost just once in seven previous outings.
It set her up perfectly for her British Female Welterweight Championship success over Bavington – in what was just Price’s fourth bout since turning pro.
Speaking to SkySports after the fight, Price said: “I can’t put into words what this means.
“The Olympics was a dream of mine, then I had to start all over again in the professional ranks.
“Now this was my fourth fight, first ten-rounder, and now I’m British champion.
“Kirstie [Bavington] made me work for it, she’s extremely fit and kept me on my toes all fight long.”
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