Welsh boxer Lauren Price makes history to become first professional women’s British champion

Lauren Price was crowned champion after outboxing her opponent Kirstie Bavington over 10 rounds Credit: PA

A Welsh boxer has made history by being crowned the first ever professional women’s British champion.

Lauren Price, from Ystrad Mynach, defeated her opponent Kirstie Bavington over a 10-round bout in Birmingham on Saturday night.

The inaugural British Female Welterweight Championship title fight marks a significant step forward for women's boxing.

"Lauren’s journey to date has been nothing short of a fairytale where her story started with real adversity and has progressed to the highest accolades within the amateur game winning World, Commonwealth and Olympic gold medals," Chris Type, Head of Performance at Welsh Athletics, told ITV Wales.

Lauren Price made history to win the first women's British championship in boxing history Credit: PA

Lauren's success represents a "beacon of light shining the way," he said.

He added: "Now progressing into the professional ranks, Lauren is showing young girls in Wales that if you dare to dream it can come true."The most exciting chapter is still to be written but I for one am immensely proud of what Lauren has achieved so far – but Lauren’s journey is not over yet," he said.

Lauren Price has a habit of making history – she became the first Welsh woman to win a Commonwealth Games boxing medal in 2014 and the first Welsh athlete to win an Olympic boxing gold medal in the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021.

Despite this prior success, Saturday marked her first professional title fight.

Before dedicating herself to amateur and then professional boxing, Price was a four-time youth kickboxing champion and also earned 52 caps for the Wales football team.

When she opted to chase her dream of boxing glory over a promising future in club football with Cardiff City, she helped make ends meet by driving a taxi at weekends.

Lauren Price was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire by King Charles III during an investiture ceremony in November Credit: PA

The Olympic gold-medalist went on to receive an MBE honour from King Charles III in November last year for services to boxing.

It was the King's first investiture ceremony since his accession to the throne.

It came after she had been recognised in the late Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s New Year’s Honours List in 2021.