Lauren Price faces Bexcy Mateus at Exhibition Centre Liverpool in Liverpool, England on December 14. The contest features the Welsh WBA welterweight champion against the No. 5-ranked contender of Colombia. The bout is part of a card headlined by Natasha Jonas vs Ivana Habazin.
Price (7-0, 1 KOs) makes the first defense of her title. The 30-year-old southpaw claimed the belt via ninth-round technical decision against Jessica McCaskill in May. The fight was stopped due to swelling over the latter’s eye caused by the clash of heads in the fifth round.
Mateus (7-0, 6 KOs) makes her third ring appearance of the year, as well as her UK and international debut. The 29-year-old stopped Paulina Cardona in five rounds in her previous fight in September.
“I’m excited to be out defending my belts to finish what has been a big year for me,” Lauren Price said. “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.”
Also on the card, a welterweight matchup between Stephen McKenna (15-0, 14 KOs) of Ireland and Lee Cutler (14-1, 7 KOs) of England. McKenna’s WBC International “Silver” strap is up for grabs.
The event is also set to see English cruiserweight Viddal Riley (11-0, 6 KOs), super middleweight Mark Jeffers (18-0, 5 KOs), super welterweight Mason Cartwright (20-4-1, 8 KOs), and Spanish-born, England-based lightweight Frankie Stringer (8-0, 1 KO). Their respective opponents are expected to be confirmed shortly.
The main event is a welterweight championship unification between Natasha Jonas (15-2-1, 9 KOs) and Ivana Habazin (23-5, 7 KOs). Liverpool’s two-division world champion Jonas brings to the ring her IBF belt. Habazin of Croatia puts her WBC title on the line.
Jonas and Price look to get through their next fights and face each other for the unified title at an event potentially in 2025.