Lauren Price let the full question come out but she already had her response queued up the moment she caught sense of the topic.
The 2020 Olympic Gold medalist and rising welterweight was unequivocal in her desire to face the winner of the upcoming Natasha Jonas-Mikaela Mayer IBF welterweight title fight.
“That’s what I want, one hundred percent,” Price told Sky Sports during Thursday’s media workout ahead of her next fight this weekend. “This is my sixth professional fight. As soon as I was Olympic Gold medalist, I wanted to move fast.”
Wales’ Price (5-0, 1KOs) will face Italy’s Silvia Bortot (11-3-1, 3KOs) this Sunday on Sky Sports in the U.K. and the NBC Peacock+ app in the U.S. from Bournemouth International Center in Bournemouth, England. The bout comes six weeks before Liverpool’s Jonas (14-2-1, 9KOs) defends her IBF welterweight title in her hometown versus former Mayer, the former unified 130-pound champ from the U.S. who aims to become a two-division titlist.
Jonas and Mayer both have vastly more pro experience than Price along with rich amateur careers. Jonas represented Great Britain in the 2012 London Olympics, while Mayer was part of Team USA for 2016 Rio.
Price is as credentialed as they come in the way of former amateur standouts. The Welsh southpaw conquered a jampacked middleweight field to claim Gold during the delayed Tokyo Olympics in 2021 before turning pro along with her partner and Olympic Bronze medalist Karriss Artingstall last June.
It has already been an historic run for Price, who became the first female boxer ever to win the British title, which came in a ten-round shutout of Kirstie Bavington in just her fourth pro fight on May 6 in Birmingham, England.
Two bouts later, Price takes another step on her targeted fast track to the title stage. Bortot lost a ten-round decision to Mayer in her previous outing just three months ago in Manchester. It makes for a good comparative performance opportunity, though Price is more intent to send a clear message to the Jonas-Mayer winner, along with lineal, WBC and WBA champ Jessica McCaskill and countrywoman and reigning WBO titlist Sandy Ryan.
“I’m obviously not looking past Sunday,” noted Price, “But my main focus in 2024, I want to be chasing them world titles. I believe I beat Jonas, I beat Mayer now. I’m 29, I’m in my prime. I just don’t want to wait around. I want to go in there and show how good I am. I believe I am good enough to get those world titles, whether it’s Jonas, Mayer, Sandy (Ryan), Jessica McCaskill. I believe in myself and I believe I beat them all.”
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. X (formerly Twitter): @JakeNDaBox