By BBC (Sports) | Created at 2024-12-17 06:03:34 | Updated at 2024-12-17 08:58:15
2 hours ago
Lauren Price and Natasha Jonas will fight each other in a mouth-watering world title unification bout on 7 March 2025 at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
The British rivals both successfully retained their welterweight world titles with wins in Liverpool last weekend.
Wales' Price, 30, defended her WBA title against Bexcy Mateus, dropping the Colombian three times before the referee stopped the contest in the third round.
IBF champion Jonas, 40, added the WBC title, outclassing Ivana Habazin over 10 rounds to become a two-weight unified champion.
The winner between Price and Jonas would then likely target WBO champion Mikaela Mayer in a fight to become the undisputed world welterweight champion.
Around 4,000 people were at the Exhibition Centre to watch Saturday's fight card, but a meeting between two of British boxing's brightest and best female fighters is sure to pack out the Royal Albert Hall which can host more than 5,000 fight fans.
Price has already stated a meeting in the ring with Jonas is overdue, saying she would have preferred to fight her now arch-rival last weekend rather than Mateus.
"If it was down to me I would have loved to have been boxing for another belt, whether it was against Tasha [Jonas] or Ivana [Habazin]," said Price, who won Olympic gold in 2021 in the delayed Games in Tokyo before turning pro.
"But that didn't happen this time round, so now I've got through that fight on Saturday the big fight is next year."
Jonas has won 16 and lost two of 19 career fights - including nine wins by knockout - while Price has won all eight contests, with two KOs, since the former Wales football international turned professional.
"As soon as I won the world titles in Cardiff I wanted more belts. I want to be in the biggest fights and it makes sense, we're [Price and Jonas] both with Sky, we're both with Boxxer, it's an easy fight to make."
"My dream was to go to the Olympics, I won the Olympic gold medal, and now I've got more dreams, I've got more goals. I want to go on and create greatness, create a legacy. I want to bring big nights back to Cardiff. I want to win more titles.
"She [Jonas] has two belts, that's the main aim. I have nothing against Tash, I respect her, but at the end of the day I'm a world champion, she's a world champion and if you're a world champion then you should fight anyone.
"I think it's a great fight, it's a fight that I believe that I win, I believe I'm in my prime, I believe I'm too quick and too skilful, I'm just better overall, and I believe I come out on top."
After their wins in Liverpool, Jonas wasted little time in stoking her rivalry with Price when the pair shared an interview post-fight.
Jonas said to her future opponent, "be careful what you wish for, be careful what you ask for", with Price firing back, "too young, too quick, too good".
Despite being the older fighter, Jonas has now won her fifth world title in just six fights over three years and is in the form of her career.
Price, who also holds the IBO and Ring Magazine world welterweight titles, admits the 'trash-talk' of pro boxing is a new aspect for her to deal with, but is certainly ready to bite back if she feels she is being belittled.
"I don't really look too much into that, I'm too laid back for it," Price said. "As soon as she [Jonas] said 'you've got to be careful what you wish for', then I had to speak up and say I believe I'm in my prime, I'm at my best, I'm hungry, I'm driven, I'm a professional athlete.
"I understand she's had a wonderful career, she's coming towards the back end of her career. She still wants to be in big fights and fair play to her, but I'm here.
"[Promotor] Ben Shalom's going on about 'Lauren being the future', well I hold three belts now. It's not about me being the future, I believe I beat everyone at 147lbs and that's starting with our big fight next year."
Like Price, Jonas has an Olympic past and was the first woman to represent Great Britain in the ring when she competed at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
She is relishing the chance to prove her mettle against Price as the pair headline at the Royal Albert Hall.
"It's an honour to be headlining this incredible all-women's event at such an iconic venue. It shows how far women's boxing has come," Jonas said.
"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."
