LAUREN PRICE DOMINATES NATASHA JONAS TO BECOME UNIFIED CHAMPION
Lauren Price scored a unanimous points victory over Natasha Jonas on Friday to move one step closer to an undisputed welterweight title fight.
The victory — scored 98-93, 100-90 and 98-92 by the three judges — was an emphatic one for Price (9-0, 2 KOs), who added Jonas’ IBF and WBC belts to the WBA strap she already held.
The all-women’s card, staged at the iconic Royal Albert Hall in London, lived up to the hype, with entertaining fights throughout the night.
The main event was billed by some as a potential “changing of the guard fight,” with Price 10 years Jonas’ junior.
Price started fast, peppering Jonas (16-2-2,9 KOs) with a lightning-quick double jab, moving forward and landing two big right hands in Round 1 to set the tone.
It was one-way traffic from there. While Price was constantly moving and feinting, Jonas looked as though she wanted to conserve her energy and choose her shots with caution. At one stage, Jonas’ trainer Joe Gallagher told her she “needs to throw some punches” in the corner.
Price, meanwhile, boxed smartly and built into the fight. “Too young, too quick” was the Welsh fighter’s tagline during the buildup, and she backed it up with a clinical victory.
Victory will likely see Price face the winner of Mikaela Mayer and Sandy Ryan, who fight for the WBO belt in a rematch March 29 in Las Vegas, in an exciting undisputed title fight.
On the undercard, Caroline Dubois (11-0-1, 5 KOs) retained her WBC lightweight title with a majority decision win over Bo Mi Re Shin (18-3-3, 10 KOs).
It was far from light work for the champion, whose legs looked shaky in the final round, before she hung on to maintain her unbeaten record.
