Lauren Price has roundly denied any mishaps occurred in sparring in the build up to Friday’s welterweight world title unification with Natasha Jonas, live on Sky Sports.
Rumours, gleefully stoked by Jonas’ trainer Joe Gallagher, swirled into overdrive that Price, an Olympic gold medallist, had been floored in sparring as she prepared for Jonas.
“Never said knocked out,” Gallagher told Sky Sports. “I was told she got dropped in sparring with a body shot.
“I’m just saying everyone’s trying to create this superwoman that’s not lost a second, not lost a round, not done this. I’ve just got to say hang fire everyone. Hang on a minute.
“She’s had eight professional fights and she’s done very good and she’s great at football and she’s great at kickboxing, she’s good at boxing. But [it’s not] like she’s some unbeatable woman.”
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Despite going in as the underdog, Natasha Jonas is confident she can upset the odds when she takes on Lauren Price in their much-anticipated welterweight title clash on Friday
Price categorically denied she’d been dropped in sparring. “By who?” she asked. “He’s making it up. Honestly he is. Don’t get me wrong, if you get dropped in sparring, you get dropped in sparring, it doesn’t matter – sparring’s sparring. But I haven’t, like ever.”
Gallagher also suggested: “I watched an amateur fight of hers when she got dropped in the first with body shot and then she took a standing count from a head shot. Then I heard that she got dropped in sparring in Sheffield.
“I’m not portraying that Natasha’s invincible. Natasha’s been knocked out in front of everyone on Sky. But for you to try to make out that you’re this untouchable, unbelievable [fighter], everyone needs to, as Roy Keane says, calm down, relax.
“Natasha’s the more-rounded fighter. The more complete fighter. She can fight on the inside, she can fight on the backfoot. She can fight at range. Lauren’s not shown none of that yet.
“We’ll see Friday night whether you lose a round or lose this or lose that.”
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Lauren Price is in a buoyant mood ahead of her unified welterweight title fight with Natasha Jonas on Friday
As for taking a count in an amateur bout, Price told Sky Sports: “I don’t know what he’s on about. It’s the same as like I boxed Jonas. [Becky Price, not Lauren Price boxed Jonas in the World Championships.] None of it is true.
“It’s all irrelevant. It’s laughable really.”
If it was a ploy to disrupt Price’s famous composure, that saw her win Olympic gold as well as every other major championship in the amateurs as well as the WBA welterweight world title, she noted: “I am very unrattled.”
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Natasha Jonas’ trainer Joe Gallagher is adamant his fighter will defeat Lauren Price at the Royal Albert Hall
Jonas herself didn’t dwell on sparring stories but did warn: “Anyone at any weight at any division is vulnerable if you hit the right spot at the right time anyone can go. That includes me. That has happened to me. I just think there’s lots of vulnerabilities [in Price]. Talk to me after the fight and I’ll let you know what we worked on and whether I did it or not.
“I’m just preparing for the best version that I believe Lauren can bring. I’ll be nullifying all her assets and imposing my strengths.”
Watch Natasha Jonas fight Lauren Price at the Royal Albert Hall live on Sky Sports on Friday March 7.
