Natasha Jonas has warned Lauren Price to be “careful” what she wishes for, ahead of their welterweight unification fight on 7 March.
Liverpool’s Jonas, who holds the WBC and IBF titles, will clash with Wales’s Price, the unbeaten IBO champion and Olympic gold medalist, at the Royal Albert Hall. The fight will headline an all-female card at the historic London venue.
“The pressure’s not on me,” said Jonas, 40. “Lauren’s the champion who’s never lost a round, the Olympic gold medalist, and there’s a lot of pressure on her to come and do what she says she can do. So yeah, [being] the underdog suits me. I’ve been here before, it’s nothing new.
“I love being the first,” added the two-weight champion, of her chance to hand Price a first professional loss. “The first is something that nobody can take away.
“I decide when it’s time [to pass the torch]. Just be careful what you wish for, have a great camp, and I’ll see you on 7 March.”
Price, 30, said: “Take age out of it, I just think... Not I think, I know: I’m better in all areas. I back myself, my accolades speak for themselves.
“I know I’m still fresh in the pro game, but each time, I’ve stepped up. I will admit Tasha is my toughest [opponent] yet, but I believe she brings another level of my game out, and I rise again.
“I’ve always had pressure on me, from the amateur days: going to the Olympics, expected to win gold, but going to do that and walking out to an Olympic final... it doesn’t get much bigger than that.
“With pressure comes diamonds, and I will be coming out on 7 March as the winner, and taking them belts back to Wales. I do believe the right time is now. I do believe she is a tougher test [than my previous opponents], but I still think I come through with flying colours.”
On the undercard, Caroline Dubois will put her WBC lightweight title on the line against an as-yet-unnamed opponent. It is a quick turnaround for the unbeaten 24-year-old, after her defence against Jessica Camara ended as a technical draw this month, when the latter suffered a cut from a clash of heads.
Also on 7 March, Karriss Artingstall boxes Raven Chapman, and Cindy Ngamba will make her professional debut, having claimed bronze for the Olympic Refugee Team at the Paris Games last summer. Ngamba’s results in the French capital made the Cameroonian, who trains with Team GB, the first Olympic medalist for the Refugee Team.
