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Round by round: How Lauren Price became boxing world champion

News, Sport | Caerphilly Observer | Published: 12:32, Monday May 13th, 2024.
Last updated: 15:06, Monday May 13th, 2024

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Lauren Price became Wales’ first-ever female world champion when she defeated Jessica McCaskill in Cardiff on Saturday May 11.

Price, from Ystrad Mynach, outclassed her American opponent over eight two-minute rounds at the Utilita Arena.

Price barely lost a minute of the fight, winning 90-82 on the judges’ scorecards.

But how did the fight unfold?

Lauren Price is Wales' first female boxing world champion
Lauren Price is Wales’ first female boxing world champion

Round 1

A tentative start as both boxers take time to study each other. Price takes the centre of the ring. Not much to choose between the two in a scrappy round, with few punches landed, but Price edges it with a few sharp jabs.

Round 2

The second stanza starts quicker. Price keeps McCaskill on the end of her range-finder. The veteran American has some success infighting, introducing her opponent to the rough and tumble of the pro ranks. But Price is made of stern stuff and she begins to find the target with her straight left. She wins the round with a final flurry as the contest comes to life.

Round 3

Price settles into more of a rhythm and starts letting her hands go, landing one-twos and a couple of stinging right hooks. The referee gives McCaskill a talking-to for holding and hitting behind the head. A much clearer round for Price despite a bloodied nose.

Lauren Price during her fight with Jessica McCaskill
Lauren Price during her fight with Jessica McCaskill

Round 4

Price shows her Olympic pedigree boxing skills. She times a check hook – the punch of the fight so far – pivoting away as the American barrels in. McCaskill struggles to land a glove then eats a straight left just before the bell.

Round 5

A nasty clash of heads leaves McCaskill writhing with a welt on her left eyebrow. Accidental head clashes are more common in fights between orthodox and southpaw fighters. Price senses blood and finishes the round strong, targeting the injured eye with right hooks.

Round 6

Price befuddles her opponent with lateral movement, speed and distance management. She gets back behind her jab. Like a matador, she lands another check hook leaving McCaskill chasing shadows around the ring.

Round 7

Price goes through the gears, throwing punches in bunches. She catches McCaskill with a ramrod jab then a laser-guided straight right in the closing seconds.

Round 8

The referee asks the ringside medic to inspect damage to McCaskill’s eye. She gets the all-clear to continue but by the end of the round her eye has nearly swollen shut after getting peppered with punches from Price. The swelling must be obscuring McCaskill’s vision, meaning she won’t be able to see punches coming.

Round 9

The ringside medic takes another look at the beginning of the ninth and has a word in referee Michael Alexander’s ear. The ref waves the fight off. We go to the scorecards. Price wins a technical decision, 90-82, with all three judges agreeing she won every round.

Lauren Price is the new world champion
Lauren Price is the new world champion

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BOXXER/Lawrence Lustig
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