Lauren Price and Natasha Jonas set for world title unification bout

Ystrad Mynach’s Lauren Price MBE will fight the new WBC and IBF World Champion, Natasha Jonas, at the Royal Albert Hall in March.

Price, 30, successfully defended her WBA, IBO and Ring Magazine world championships against Colombia’s Bexcy Mateus in Liverpool on Saturday December 14 to set up the all-British world title unification bout with Jonas.

At the same event, 40-year-old Jonas added the WBC title to her IBF belt, becoming a two-weight unified world champion, in her hometown headline fight against Ivana Habazin.

Price, who is unbeaten in eight fights since signing a professional contract with Boxxer, will fight Jonas on Friday March 7, coinciding with International Women’s Day.

Jonas, from Liverpool, was the first woman to represent Great Britain in the ring when she competed at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

Price meanwhile became the first Welsh boxer – and just the second British female boxer – to win Olympic gold in Tokyo in 2021.

Speaking after the fight was announced, Price said: “I’m excited to headline such a huge occasion. I have a lot of respect for Natasha Jonas and what she has achieved in the sport, but she has the belts that I want.

“When I turned professional after becoming Olympic champion, I wanted to create greatness. This fight, a big all-British unification clash, Wales vs England with five world titles on the line, will help cement my legacy and show that I am number one in the division.”

Price continued: “I believe I’m too young, too quick and too good for Natasha Jonas and I will be bringing the belts back home to Wales with me.”

Jonas meanwhile said the match-up “shows how far women’s boxing has come”.

She continued: “Throughout my career, I have broken down barriers and achieved what people said I couldn’t, and there is still a lot more to come.

“Lauren Price has a lot of hype around her but I believe this fight is going to be a step too far for her. I’ve been in big fights, I’ve fought world champions and Olympic medallists, but she’s never faced anyone like me as a pro.”

Tickets for the fight go on pre-sale on Boxxer’s website from 10am on Friday December 27.

The event will be aired live in more than 150 countries, with Sky Sports showing it in the UK.