THE rise of women’s boxing in recent years is largely down to the skill and drive of competitors such as current WBC and IBF welterweight champion Natasha Jonas, 16-2-1 (9 KOs), who has been at the forefront of the sport since her amateur days.
Natasha Jonas’ road to Lauren Price clash
However, now 40 years old, Natasha Jonas’ era could come to an end without the Liverpudlian completing her dream of becoming an undisputed champion. That is because the younger, fresher Lauren Price, 8-0 (2 KOs), seeks to become the new face of women’s boxing in the United Kingdom in a unification clash for the WBC, IBF, and WBA straps.
Jonas became the first female boxer to represent Britain at the Olympic Games when she fought for Team GB at London 2012. However, she lost out to fellow professional phenomenon and eventual gold medallist Katie Taylor in the quarter-finals.
Five years later, Jonas made the switch to the pro ranks but did not excel as many thought she would. In her seventh outing, she lost in a shock knockout defeat to Viviane Obenauf and failed twice in world title bids against Terri Harper (split draw) and Katie Taylor.
Defeat to Taylor would prompt a monumental jump from the lightweight division to the super-welterweight scene. This is where Jonas would finally kick on, halting Chris Namus inside two rounds to claim the WBO title on her debut at the new weight. She would later unify the WBC and IBF marbles before dropping to welterweight.
Jonas has been similarly impressive at 147lbs, picking up the IBF title on debut, overcoming the well-respected Mikaela Mayer and then outpointing Ivana Habazin to add the WBC welterweight title to her collection. Yet still, Jonas will step through the ropes as a sizeable underdog come Friday night.
Lauren Price, a talented all-rounder looking to unify
That is because of slick Welsh undefeated southpaw, Lauren Price, who played football for Cardiff City and the Wales national team whilst dazzling as an amateur boxer, later picking up gold medals at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, 2019 World Championships and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Price debuted in 2022 and made history in her fourth professional bout, becoming the first female British champion by outpointing Kirstie Bavington. She swiftly moved up to the world level and defeated Jessica McCaskill via technical decision for the WBA welterweight world title in her seventh outing as a pro back in May.
The 30-year-old has made one successful defence of the WBA crown since, knocking out the previously unbeaten Bexcy Mateus on Natasha Jonas’ undercard in December. She now steps up to the main-event to headline against Jonas, keen to break through as the new woman for British fight fans to get behind.
With eight professional fights to her name, the Newport-born champion is yet to drop a single round and is a significant favourite as a result. Her speed and footwork are expected to be too much for a veteran campaigner such as Jonas, although the experience and grit of the scouser makes her difficult to write off from the upset.
On the undercard, Caroline Dubois, 10-0-1 (5 KOs), wishes for a more satisfactory outcome than her first defence of the WBC lightweight title against Jessica Camara. That bout was harshly ruled as a technical-draw due to a head clash, despite Dubois seeming destined for a stoppage win when the fight was brought to a close.
Dubois takes on South Korea’s Bo Mi Re Shin, 18-2-3 (10 KOs), who lost a split decision to former world champion Delfine Persoon in 2023 but has won her three fights on home soil since.
Jonas vs. Price all-female undercard
Meanwhile, Karriss Artingstall, 6-0 (2 KOs), faces off with Raven Chapman, 9-1 (2 KOs), for the Lonsdale Belt. Artingstall is eyeing up a world title showdown against former amateur conquest and reigning WBC featherweight champion Skye Nicolson, who defeated Chapman in October 2024.
Additionally, Chloe Watson, 8-0, attempts a first defence of her EBU European flyweight title against Polish-born but Wakefield-based Jasmina Zapotoczna, 8-1, whilst the likeable Fran Hennessy, 5-0 (1 KO), gears up to fight late-notice replacement, Gemma Ruegg, 8-12-1 (1 KO).
Unfortunately, the debut of historic-making Cindy Ngamba will no longer go ahead on a card that goes live on Sky Sports later this evening.
