Lauren Price went more rounds than ever before to earn her latest win.
The 2020 Olympic Gold medalist outboxed Germany’s Naomi Mannes over eight rounds. Price won by scores of 80-72 on all three scorecards in their ESPN+/Canal+/Sky Sports televised welterweight bout Saturday evening at Zenith de Paris-La Villette in Paris, France.
Price entered her first scheduled eight-round contest along with a much-needed upgrade in competition. The 28-year-old Welsh southpaw was still the far superior boxer, pumping her purposeful jab and following with left hands and Mannes remained on the defensive for much of the night.
The moderately paced affair saw Price measure up Mannes early before letting her hands go with greater regularity in the second half of the contest. Mannes connected with a right hand early in round six, which Price took well and responded with combination punching upstairs.
Mannes paid the physical toll in her attempt to close the gap in round seven. Price dug a right hook to the body, followed by a left hand upstairs though Mannes slipped her head in time to avoid a clean-up right hook.
Price added to her lead with smooth boxing in the eighth and final round. Mannes (6-2, 4KOs) did her best to avoid the incoming but Price successfully cut off the ring and repeatedly connected with clean combinations. Mannes successfully blocked or ducked the more telling blows but still left herself open long enough to get caught with a right hook upstairs.
Price is now 3-0 (1KO) following her first fight of 2023.
“She had a lot more pro experience than me,” noted Price, whose partner Karriss Artingstall is a 2020 Olympic Bronze medalist and current featherweight prospect. “I just boxed and now it’s back to the gym to keep working.
Headlining the show, 2016 Olympic Gold medalist Tony Yoka (11-1, 9KOs) faces former heavyweight title challenger Carlos Takam (39-7-1, 28KOs). Yoka aims to rebound from his first career defeat, having not fought since a ten-round points loss to Martin Bakole last May 14 in his Paris hometown.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox