By Hannah Blackwell
Lauren Price and Natasha Jonas are on a collision course for what promises to be a historic showdown in women’s boxing, with a potential clash between the two British champions inching closer.
Welsh star Price, coming off an emphatic knockout victory over Bexcy Mateus in Liverpool, and Jonas, who secured a unanimous decision against Ivana Habazin, seem set to face each other in early 2025.
The card on Saturday was fittingly labeled “Collision Course,” hinting at the inevitable meeting of the two stars.
Price, fresh from her first world title defense, stepped into the ring after Jonas’ main event win to set the stage for their future bout.
“If it was down to me tonight, I wanted Jonas tonight, I wanted that fight tonight and to be fighting for another belt,” Price declared with determination.
“I know she doesn’t want to fight me, but she doesn’t have another choice in the next one. Each fight I’ve stepped up.
“I went in with Jessica McCaskill, she was supposed to be the best in the division, and I didn’t drop a round. Full respect for Tash, but I’m in my prime, too quick, too fit, and I believe I win. She probably will be my toughest test, but I just think I’m better.”
Jonas v Price is ON!
It’s been a perfect home send-off for Natasha Jonas, and her career is not over just yet, with a bout against Lauren Price reportedly scheduled for March in London. #BBCBoxing pic.twitter.com/qkmvr3ELFn
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) December 14, 2024
Boxxer promoter and CEO Ben Shalom fueled anticipation by teasing an announcement in the coming days.
He said: “Jonas deserved a unification tonight, but they both agreed to fight next, and it will be announced in the next few days. I don’t think Lauren has lost a round in professional boxing, and Natasha, with what she’s achieved, sets up an enormous British all-female fight. May the best woman win.”
The build-up to their rivalry has been largely respectful, but tensions flared on Saturday when Jonas issued a warning.
“Be careful what you wish for,” she told Price, who fired back, calling herself “too young, too quick” for her 40-year-old opponent.
Jonas, in turn, dismissed the Ystrad Mynach fighter, suggesting Price was “not much better” than her previous rival, Terri Harper.
“She said, ‘Be careful what you wish for,’ so I had to come back with something,” Price explained.
“No disrespect to Terri Harper, but I’m levels above that, and she’ll find out next year.
“I just want to win. I don’t have anything personal against anybody. I want to create a legacy and win world titles. I want to create greatness.
“You see what Katie Taylor has done for Ireland; I want to do that for Wales. I want to sell out stadiums, and I have the whole of Wales behind me. I’m young, motivated, driven, in my prime—that’s the biggest motivating factor.”
Lauren Price gets in done in three rounds, beating Bexcy Mateus to successfully defend her world WBA welterweight title #BBCBoxing pic.twitter.com/3MWm3XSIUE
— BBC Sport Wales (@BBCSportWales) December 14, 2024
Jonas, meanwhile, was making her return to the ring after nearly a year of inactivity following her January victory over Mikaela Mayer.
While she acknowledged the fight with Price, she admitted she had hoped for more prominent opportunities.
“I thought there were bigger fights out there for me. Ben (Shalom) and Lauren (Price) seem to think differently,” Jonas said candidly.
Her trainer, Joe Gallagher, has been vocal about wanting Jonas to retire on a high note, given her remarkable achievements. However, her competitive nature remains undiminished.
“I want Natasha to retire. She’s phenomenal. I have to call her George Foreman now because of her age,” Gallagher said with a laugh.
“It’s fantastic when things are going well, but being experienced and being in fights, Father Time catches up. It’s hard for me as a coach to see someone like Tasha in a brutal sport.
“She’s a mother, a woman, a huge ambassador. It doesn’t sit well with me at times, but she’s stubborn.
“Nobody knew how she would perform tonight. She’s been in the stables for the last 11 months while everybody else is running out.
“If Lauren Price is the fight we’ve got to do, we’ll do it. But I always say go out on a high. Mikaela Mayer—please finish. Go out on a high. I don’t want to see it end badly.”
Price, for her part, remains laser-focused on her aspirations.
“I believe I am the best at 147lbs,” she told Sky Sports after her victory over Mateus. “Fight by fight, I keep learning. I have so much more to come. I want to bring big-time boxing back to Wales.”
While her prospective clash with Jonas is likely to take place in London, Price hasn’t hidden her ambition to secure her legacy in front of a home crowd.
“For the British fans, I would love to fight Tash,” she said. “It’s one hell of a fight for British fans and boxing in general.
“In this pro game, you have to call the shots. If you’re a world champion and you have titles, you should fight anyone.
“I have a few years in me, but next year, I want to be chasing belts. I want to be an undisputed world champion.”
With contracts reportedly signed and March being targeted for the bout, fans are bracing for one of the most anticipated matchups in women’s boxing history.
Both Price and Jonas have their sights set on greatness, but only one can emerge as the undisputed queen of the welterweight division.
Lauren Price Aims For Next Step Towards Undisputed Domination
