Lauren Price is on the lookout for a homecoming fight in Wales as the Olympic gold medallist prepares to take her skilled career to the next level in 2023.
At the Tokyo Games in 2021, the GB squad was Britain’s most profitable Olympic boxing crew in 100 years. Wales’ Price was one of many stars of that facet, profitable the middleweight gold medal with a sequence of super performances.
She turned skilled in 2022, profitable her debut at Wembley Arena after which halting Timea Belik on the undercard of Claressa Shields vs Savannah Marshall at The O2 in London in October.
Lauren Price has set her sights on a busy 2023 (Image: Lawrence Lustig)
Now Price wants to return to Wales to fight as an expert.
“That would be brilliant. That’s the dream getting the Welsh fans behind me,” Price advised Sky Sports. “That can be a dream come true to field in Wales.
“We are talking about that,” she added. “The sooner I field in Wales and get the followers on board, the higher. I had numerous help on the Olympics.
“If I box in Wales they’ll get behind me.”
Boxing just isn’t the one sport the place she has represented Wales. She additionally performed soccer for the worldwide facet.
“I played football, I used to play for Cardiff,” she mentioned. “To box in the stadium there would be great one day.”
Price’s Olympic gold medal was all of the extra spectacular as she received it at middleweight, a division or two above her pure weight. Over the approaching years, as soon as she reaches world-class as an expert there’s a potential super-fight that might be made. Boxing Claressa Shields at super-welterweight can be exhausting to resist.
“As long as she comes down a bit then yeah, why not?” Price mentioned cheerfully. “Who knows, it might even fill the Principality [stadium].”
Olympic gold medallist Lauren Price explains her outstanding career in sports activities, together with captaining Wales and enjoying for Cardiff City
Price intends her next contest to be her final six-rounder earlier than shifting up to eight rounds. Before the top of 2023, she wants to be competing over 10 rounds, the championship distance.
Like her associate Karriss Artingstall, a Tokyo Olympic medallist and now skilled fighter herself, Price wants to field 5 occasions throughout the next 12 months.
“We’re in six-rounders but we’re training like it’s a 10-round fight. We’re both in top condition,” Price mentioned. “If I get five fights in, at the end of the year I’ll be more than ready to step up.
“The pro sport is totally different so we would like step-ups. I need to be in a ten rounder however I’ll hear to Rob [McCracken, their trainer] and comply with his recommendation.
“As an amateur, we’re not used to crowds and stuff like that. That’s something we’ve got to get used to as well. All the little things as a pro which is different to the amateurs, not wearing headguards, getting smaller gloves, having a crowd there.
“When the time is true he [McCracken] can level us in the suitable route to win the world titles. Along the best way now the next couple of fights are studying fights to get us in the suitable place.”
Price is already developing. Only two fights into her pro career, she looked dangerous last time out when she forced a stoppage against Belik inside four rounds.
“I gave numerous weight away as an newbie as a result of I used to be boxing at 75kgs, so now I’m boxing folks the identical weight as me. So it’s a little bit totally different and it takes numerous getting used to however I nonetheless need to clearly maintain my pace and my motion as a result of that is what I’m about,” Price said.
“But in the skilled sport, I need to have the option to land massive pictures as nicely, an all-rounder actually. In the primary fight, I boxed fairly technically and in my final fight I simply wished to get her out of there.”
Lauren Price can’t wait to field in Wales together with her dwelling supporters backing her
Performing on that main all-women’s present on the O2 was an apparent excessive level of 2022. But there was additionally a distinct form of spotlight for her final 12 months when King Charles offered Price together with her MBE.
“Myself, Karriss, my nan and my auntie all went up to the castle,” she mentioned. “It was great to experience that and have my family with me.
“He simply talked to me about my sport and I mentioned to him about enjoying soccer for Wales and profitable caps and clearly going to the Olympics. We had slightly chat for 5 minutes.”
For 2023 now it is back to the hard work of training and boxing. “Looking realistically, I’d like to have another six-rounder after which go on to eights and presumably have a ten rounder on the finish of the 12 months,” Price said. “Just to get out as a lot as I can, 5 occasions… I do not actually need to have any time without work.
“This year we’re going to have a busy year.”
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