NO MORE WORDS
session right after the event. Their personalities couldn’t be more evident. And since not a word was spoken as they stood face-to-face for about 30 awkward seconds, it was a tight-lipped and menacing Price looking down on a cocky smirk from Jonas that gave the first read into their states of mind. Words, however, had been flowing from both of them since the fight was announced to take place on March 7 at London’s Royal Albert Hall, and they were soon flowing again. “The underdog [label] suits me. I’ve been here before,” said Jonas. “The
for Price) also display an 11-fight gap that qualifies Jonas as the more experienced pro in a fight that will be all about ring IQ and pace control. The equation in any other situation would make Jonas the slight favorite. But boxing is about performance and its many subtleties, and that’s where Price has earned her advantage. In her young and meteoric career, she has managed to look better and stronger than Jonas, ending with her May 2024 win over former pound-for pound entrant Jessica McCaskill. It’s not unthinkable to believe that Price could
earn a spot in the pound-for-pound ratings herself, should she win this bout, and all within less than 10 fights to her credit. But Jonas is no stranger to the role of champion-as-underdog. She was still on the comeback trail after her two most important setbacks (against Katie Taylor in a razor-thin decision with the Ring lightweight belt on the line in 2021, and a previous draw with Terri Harper in a junior lightweight bout back in 2020), making Mikaela Mayer the slight favorite against her in their IBF welterweight clash in
Price was punch-perfect against Bexcy Mateus last time out.
room. The awkward impromptu presser took no one by surprise – the card was called “Collision Course” for a reason. “Coming into this, we both knew what was on the line,” said Price. “Let’s make a great fight in 2025, have a great camp, and I’ll see you soon.” It was only then that Jonas replied for the first time with a phrase she’d turn into her mantra for the entire buildup of the fight. “Beware of what you
pressure is not on me. Lauren is the champion who never lost a round and the Olympic gold medalist. There’s a lot of pressure on her to come and do what she says she can do.” Not getting a gold medal in the Olympics was never an issue for Jonas until Price picked up on it and turned it into a talking point. Jonas then lost no time in pulling an aikido move to put the pressure back on her Welsh foe, who can hardly give an interview without mentioning her gold-medal, no-rounds-lost-so-far combo as the centerpiece of her short but stacked resume. The clash of egos that brought them to this juncture is heavily scripted with these personal and professional differences. The 10-year difference in age has also been a recurring line in that script. And as it’s already her custom, the 40-year-old Jonas is the one who flipped it against Price, who is 30.
January 2024. Yet Jonas still managed to score the upset by split decision (in her hometown of Liverpool). Young, unbeaten guns might not fully understand the value of tasting defeat, and Jonas has that edge as well. Price may have overstepped when she cited those losses along with Jonas’ age to awkwardly call for her
THE UNDERDOG LABEL SUITS ME. I’VE BEEN HERE BEFORE.
ask for,” said Jonas. The cringy but hilarious back- and-forth that followed was a harbinger of things to come, with both clinging to their own lines and never retreating. Whatever transpires in the ring at the majestic venue in March, Price’s own refrain of having gold-medaled at the Olympics and never losing a round is definitely going to be challenged. “There’s always younger people who want to take your
retirement during the presser. “I decide when it’s time [to retire], so be careful what you wish for,” said Jonas before declaring that she’ll be the first opponent to not only win a round against Price but add an “L” to her pro resume. “I love being the first. The first is something no one can take away,” Jonas said
COMING INTO THIS, WE BOTH KNEW WHAT WAS ON THE LINE.
in a tongue-in-cheek reference to her role as the first-ever female boxer representing Great Britain to participate in the Olympic Games, an achievement reflected in the “Miss GB” moniker of her early days. Both will be adding a “first” to their resumes, however. On March 7, they will become the first women to headline a boxing event at the Royal Albert Hall, an achievement that is set to air on the eve of International Women’s Day. And it all began to take shape when they shared the spotlight with two separate bouts
on a December card (Jonas unifying the IBF and WBC belts against Ivana Habazin and Price defending the Ring and WBA belts against Bexcy Mateus), followed by a brief joint appearance in the ring, where the first few choice words were exchanged between the colorful pair. Headlining in a homecoming bout, Jonas was just in the middle of telling her fans how special her next Christmas was going to be when a loud choir of screams and a few boos stole her thunder as Price popped up back in the arena from the dressing
spot and your place, but you have to put them in their place,” Jonas told Sky Sports. Price, even at the risk of repeating herself once too often, guaranteed her foe that she remains very much focused on the prize. “I’ve always had pressure on me from the amateur days,” she said at the press conference. “Going to the Olympics, expecting to win gold, it doesn’t get much bigger than that. But with pressure comes diamonds. I will be coming out on March 7 and taking those belts back to Wales.”
Their records (16-2-1, 9 KOs for Jonas, 8-0, 2 KOs
Jonas won a controversial decision over U.S. star Mikaela Mayer.
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