Lauren Price 1/5 to become world champion in Cardiff

The story of Olympic gold medallist Lauren Price as she bids to become a world champion for the first time this weekend by dethroning American star Jessica McCaskill in Cardiff.

At three-days-old Lauren Price had no idea that her life had already changed.

Her parents, specifically her mother, opted not to raise their child and instead chose to place her in the care of Lauren’s grandparents,.

As the years passed by, Lauren’s love for sport was evident. With the loving support of her Nan and Grandad she carried a belief that she was capable of anything.

“Reach for the moon, if you fall short, you’ll land on the stars,” her Nan would often tell her.

Price would go on to be capped 52 times by the Welsh Women’s football team but a switch to pursue boxing glory is what she ultimately opted to focus on.

Her natural abilities took her to many international tournaments where she was expected to win them all. Only Dutch talent Nouchka Fontijn tried to keep up with her but when it mattered most – at the Olympic qualifiers – but still, Price was too good.

At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, not only did Lauren win (middleweight) gold - becoming the first Welsh boxer of either gender to stand on the top podium - she was also named the boxer of the tournament, turning in performances that left you knowing you had bore witness to somebody special.

Signing for BOXXER and being able to fight on Sky Sports has already allowed the Welsh star to create another piece of history by becoming the first woman to win a British title.

The Welsh wonder wants to do for her country what Katie Taylor has created in Ireland. By not only being successful, but also becoming a role model and inspiring the next generation.

Nowadays an Olympic Gold medallists are almost shoe-horned into world title opportunities very early on in their professional careers. But make no mistake about it, the switch from amateur to the professional code can be a deeper plunge than may truly expect.

Promoter Ben Shalom has watched Price win her first six contests with the ease you would expect. In her seventh, this weekend, she faces American veteran Jessica McCaskill for her WBA welterweight title.

Price starts as the odds-on favourite (1/5) to add the belt to her haul of amateur medals, leaving McCaskill, who has vast experience in the fighting game, as the big 7/2 outsider.

However, the Illinois native won’t pay any attention to the odds or the fact she is on away turf. McCaskill may not have the skillset of Price but that’s because she wins fights with grit, work-rate, pressure, and world-class toughness.

Inside the Cardiff International Arena, a Welsh choir - several thousand strong - will sweep the fighters to the ring with what promises to be an electric atmosphere rarely heard around the boxing world.

Joe Cordina experienced it before his walkout in April 2023 when he took on Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov and, at times, he needed the crowd to get him through some turbulent moments.

Price will grace the squared circle on Saturday night full of confidence and belief, and she absolutely possesses the qualities and skillset needed to dominate McCaskill in the same manner that compatriot Joe Calzaghe danced around Jeff Lacy for 12 rounds 18 years earlier.

Few will argue that women’s boxing lacks the depth of the men’s side, at this moment in time, but that doesn’t mean Price is not of a similar calibre. She truly is that good.

Beating McCaskill will not only kickstart her career, but more tellingly, it could very well have a knock-on effect in Welsh boxing for the next ten, 20 or even 30 years, because there is every chance that the next Lauren Price may well be watching on Saturday night.

Price v McCaskill isn’t just a women’s world title fight, it's a truly defining moment in Welsh sport; the country is lacking sporting heroes and icons nowadays and Price is ready to carry a nation on her shoulders.

She is an individual who tells you it’s okay to be who you are and to dream big. Price is everything you want from a sportsperson, and somebody who appears ready to take the next step in her path to greatness.

Only one person stands in her way.