Natasha Jonas v Lauren Price: Trainer Joe Gallagher calls Welshwoman "out of order" for missing face-off

On the eve of the world boxing unification fight in London, Natasha Jonas's coach expressed dissatisfaction with Lauren Price's failure to attend the pre-fight face-off as planned and questioned why Jonas is considered the underdog in this Friday's match. This highly anticipated match has garnered widespread attention both inside and outside the boxing world.

Liverpool boxer Jonas, 40, is the IBF and WBC champion, while Price, 30, from Wales, holds the WBA belt. The atmosphere at the press conference held at the Dorchester Hotel in London on Wednesday became tense after Jonas's coach, Joe Gallagher, took the microphone. Gallagher accused Price of "disrespect" for not appearing at the pre-fight face-off at the fight venue on Tuesday morning.

Price and her team explained that a communication error by the organizers led to the absence, but Gallagher continued to dominate the press conference. He stated, "The agenda and narrative around Lauren is that she's an unbelievable fighter, an Ivan Drago-esque figure. But that's not the case." He was referring to the character from the Rocky film series. Facing Gallagher's comments, Price rolled her eyes and responded, "He likes to talk." When asked why she would win on Friday, Price succinctly replied, "Too fast, too good, too young." Gallagher retorted, "I can't wait to say 'too old, too slow, too good' after the fight."

Born in Toxteth, Jonas was the first British female boxer to compete in the Olympics, has contributed greatly to the sport for over a decade, and has helped raise the profile of women's boxing. The two-time world champion has achieved a remarkable five-fight winning streak since winning her first world title in February 2022. Jonas's influence on boxing is so significant that flyweight boxer Chloe Watson started the sport after Jonas visited her school. However, many in the industry believe this fight is a passing of the torch.

"This is just me versus Lauren, and the best woman will win," Jonas said. "Lauren winning means I'll be the loudest name on her resume, but that's not the case for me." Price won a gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and has been nearly flawless in her eight professional fights, winning a world title in her seventh fight. Her match against Jonas will headline an all-female boxing event at the Royal Albert Hall in London the day before International Women's Day. When asked how she would handle any adversity in her toughest fight to date, Price said, "I've had a great training camp, and I'm staying calm, composed, and collected. It's important to listen to the instructions, but I believe in myself."

As with the pre-fight face-off and press conference, Jonas faced the serious-looking Price with a smile. Also on Friday's card, Caroline Dubois will defend her WBC lightweight title in the main event against Bo Mi Re Shin, while Olympic bronze medalist Cindy Ngamba will make her debut. Shin Bo-Mi, from South Korea, spoke briefly through a translator and promised to be aggressive in her world title challenge. "I don't know if it's arrogance or confidence, but it's bold of her to think she can beat me," said the passionate 24-year-old Dubois. "I don't know where she's getting this from. I don't know who's feeding her this. It's bold to think she can step into the ring and beat me."

Ngamba, 26, who was born in Cameroon, won a bronze medal for the Refugee Team at the 2024 Paris Olympics and spoke confidently ahead of her first professional fight. The welterweight has a tricky opponent in Kirstie Bavington, who won the European welterweight title in her last fight. "I know what I can do, and I know my skills. I want to go straight into the deep end," Ngamba said.