Lauren Price to defend world title on December 14 Natasha Jonas bill live on Sky Sports
Lauren Price will make the first defence of her WBA welterweight world championship against Bexcy Mateus on December 14, live on Sky Sports.
They will fight on the bill topped by Natasha Jonas' IBF and WBC welterweight title unification against Ivana Habazin.
If Price and Jonas both emerge victorious from their respective fights, they could set themselves on course for an all-British unification clash in 2025.
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Earlier this year Price beat former undisputed champion Jessica McCaskill to win the WBA crown. An Olympic gold medallist in 2021, Price was virtually punch perfect when she dethroned McCaskill in front of her home fans in Cardiff in May.
The first Welsh boxer to win Olympic gold, Price wrote her name in the record books again by becoming Wales' first female world champion in just her seventh professional fight.
The 30-year-old from Ystrad Mynach is yet to lose a round as a professional and is setting her sights on this first defence, and ultimately welterweight supremacy.
Mateus, the WBA's No 5 ranked contender at welterweight, is undefeated in the professional ranks too, having won all but one of her seven fights by knockout.
The 29-year-old from Bogota is fighting outside of her native Colombia for the first time as she aims to upset Price.
The WBA champion said: “I’m excited to be out defending my belts to finish what has been a big year for me. I have full respect for Mateus. I’ll prove I’m the best in the division and I won’t let anything, or anyone, stand in my way of becoming undisputed.”
BOXXER Founder and CEO Ben Shalom said: “It’s a huge night for the women’s welterweight division with three world champions in action. Natasha Jonas is back in her hometown for a must-win unification fight against Ivana Habazin and Lauren Price defends her world titles against unbeaten contender Bexcy Mateus. The battle for undisputed is on.
"If Natasha and Lauren both win on December 14, it will set the stage for a massive ‘Battle Of Britain’ world title unification match up next year.”
On the undercard Ireland's undefeated Stephen McKenna will go toe-to-toe with English champion Lee Cutler in a mouth-watering super-welterweight bout.
McKenna wowed fans with a three-round war against Joe Laws last time out at Oakwell Stadium in Barnsley in August. Both men hit the canvas in the first round before McKenna piled on the pressure, dropping Laws three more times to maintain his unbeaten record via stoppage.
English cruiserweight champion Viddal Riley returns to action having recovered from an injury that has kept him out of the ring since a career-best victory over Mikael Lawal in March. Riley will be aiming to shake off the ring rust as he targets big name opponents in the new year.
Unbeaten Chorley super-middleweight Mark Jeffers scored an explosive fifth-round knockout win over Darren Johnstone in May and will be looking to bring more drama to Liverpool's Exhibition Centre as he goes in search of his 19th professional win.
Super-welterweight Mason Cartwright, a former two-time British title challenger from Ellesmere Port, will be counting on local support as he gets back on the title trail.
Having signed a promotional deal with BOXXER, local star Frankie Stringer can claim his third victory of 2024 when he returns in front of his home fans in Liverpool. The 23-year-old lightweight, who's managed by former world champion Liam Smith, is a product of the city's renowned Rotunda ABC, the amateur club which brought through Jonas and many more.
Tickets are available at BOXXER.com
