Lauren Price beat rival champion Natasha Jonas at the Royal Albert Hall to add the IBF and WBC belts to the WBA welterweight world championship she already held.
For Price it was a crowning moment as she won a wide unanimous decision, 100-90, 98-91 and 98-92.
They were headlining a major all-women’s card at the historic London venue and both relished the momentous occasion.
Jonas stepped out to a rapturous reception with British boxing trailblazer Jane Couch at her shoulder holding her title belts. Price had marched through the crowd, bumping fists with supporters who sang her in.
Pumped up, the Welsh Olympic gold medallist bounced on the balls of her feet as she waited for the final introductions.
Jonas strains to catch Price
She started quickly as well. Both southpaws, Jonas met Price in the centre of the ring with a jab. But Price cycled round the unified champion with ominous intent.
She found the connection with a hard left-right, head shots that jolted Jonas.
Price chased the Liverpudlian down with jabs. She clipped her with a fast, hard and well-timed right hook.
Price lands her left cross
She kept those sharp strikes coming in the second round and a full bodied lead right hook caught Jonas cleanly, tipping her across the ring. That threatened to rob the balance from Jonas but she kept her feet beneath her.
In the third round Price countered Jonas’ jab with her lead right. The Welsh star shifted on her feet. Jonas reached for her with a left cross, but Price immediately fired back.
A wild right hook from Jonas flew over just too high. Price moved in rapidly, her left setting up a right hook. She beat Jonas to the punch with a viciously quick jab.
She finished the fourth round unleashing a cluster of hard shots. Grittily determined, Jonas pressed forward into the centre of the ring in the next round. As Price moved from side to side, Jonas cracked her with a left hook.
A cross from Jonas also forced Price on to the backfoot. But a double jab from Price saw her detonate a bomb of a left cross herself.
Jonas looked to screw through her lead right. But Price marked her out with slicing jabs.
At the end of the eighth, Jonas still tried to walk through that storm of punches. But it was hard to catch her tormentor clean, swinging herself off balance as Price readied her counter-strikes.
Jonas reaches for the body, but it will be hard to pin Price down
Jonas was bundled off her feet at the start of the ninth, but it was no knockdown. Price though showed off her handspeed, a one-two streaking out as Jonas bowled her left over the top.
They embraced at the start of the final round as the crowd applauded them. Regardless Price fired out fast hands, finishing a three-punch combination with a cuffing right.
Jonas lunged in, but Price caught her with a stern cross. The Liverpudlian’s resilience, at 40 years of age, was impressive. As they exchanged blows in the final seconds of the fight, another Price hook snagged her jaw. But still Jonas took it and tried to throw back.
Jonas still showed impressive resilience
But at the last bell, Price could raise both her fists in the air in full confidence the decision would be hers.
“Stepping out here tonight, what a venue, made history, I’ve got to say a massive thank you to Tasha, a perfect dance partner, a complete honour to share the ring with her,” Price said afterwards. “A true legend.”
She continued: “It’s been amazing, not just my Welsh fans, my British fans, everyone, if it wasn’t for you, we wouldn’t have big nights to shine.”
Undisputed next?
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Lauren Price says she wants to defend her world titles back in Wales and has her sights firmly on the winner of the Mikaela Mayer vs Sandy Ryan rematch
There is now one welterweight world title that Price doesn’t hold. On March 30, live on Sky Sports, Mikaela Mayer rematches Sandy Ryan for the WBO 147lb championship.
Price called to fight the Mayer-Ryan victor afterwards. “The winner of Mayer and Sandy, I’d like next,” she said.
“One-hundred per cent. I want to go back to Wales. I’d love the winner of that this year.
“Tasha’s the best in the division. I honestly believe I can become undisputed. I want to go on and create greatness. I want legacy. I want to follow in the footsteps of Katie Taylor.
“I’m Welsh. I’m Olympic champion. I’ve got a nation behind me.
“First McCaskill, then Jonas. The winner of Mayer and Sandy I want next.”
Jonas to retire?
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Natasha Jonas said she will take some time off before making a decision on her boxing future.
Jonas insisted after the fight she didn’t want to rush any decisions about her future and would go home before deciding whether this would be her final professional fight.
“I think emotions are running high right now,” she told Sky Sports.
“Joe [Gallagher] has been asking me to retire for a long time, I enjoy sitting next to the others in commentary, but right now I’ll go home and spend some time with my daughter.”
However, Sky Sports’ Johnny Nelson is adamant the historic Royal Albert Hall show should be her final bow.
He said: “She’s 40 years old. Unless she’s consistent and busy would she want to wait around and perform at less than world championship level?
“No.
“In reality she will go back and sit down. Joe Gallagher was telling her to walk away and she’ll walk away. I am quite sure she is comfortable and has other things.
“The longer she is out of the ring, the slower she is getting and another young Lioness is going to come.
“Realistically common sense will kick in. Everybody’s story has to end at some point, it’s how the story ends. She has ended with a bit of pride and standing up tall.
“Let the story end here. What else are you going to achieve?”
