Lauren Price has firmly denied any issues during sparring sessions leading up to her welterweight world title unification fight against Natasha Jonas on Friday. The match will be broadcast live.
Rumors, amplified by Jonas’ trainer Joe Gallagher, suggested that Price, an Olympic gold medalist, had been knocked down in sparring as she prepared for Jonas.
Gallagher mentioned that he was told Price was dropped in sparring with a body shot. He stated that he is simply trying to temper expectations around Price, who some are portraying as an unbeatable fighter.
He acknowledged Price’s achievements in professional boxing, football, and kickboxing but cautioned against seeing her as invincible.
Price directly responded to these claims, asking who supposedly dropped her and calling Gallagher’s statements fabricated. She admitted that getting dropped in sparring is not significant but insisted it never happened to her.
Gallagher also claimed Price was dropped in an amateur fight and in sparring in Sheffield. Price dismissed these claims as untrue, comparing them to a mistaken claim that she had previously boxed Jonas.
Price found the rumors laughable and stated that she remains unfazed, even if the intention was to disrupt her composure, which has been key to her success.
Jonas downplayed the sparring rumors but suggested that any fighter can be vulnerable. She believes Price has weaknesses and indicated her strategy would focus on exploiting them and utilizing her own strengths.
Watch Natasha Jonas versus Lauren Price fight live on Friday.
