Jessica McCaskill Set To Defend Ring Championship Versus Lauren Price
Jessica McCaskill is still set to defend her Ring welterweight championship overseas this spring.
It just won’t include originally stated target.
The Ring has confirmed that Chicago’s McCaskill will put her Ring and WBA welterweight crown at stake versus Wales’ Lauren Price. The bout is confirmed to take place in Cardiff, which will provide the undefeated Price with a regional advantage for her first major title fight.
A press conference is expected Wednesday to confirm the date and exact venue; the rumored date is April 20. The championship bout will air live on Sky Sports in the UK. and Peacock+ in the U.S.
McCaskill (12-3-1, 5 knockouts) has held The Ring welterweight championship since August 2020. Price (6-0, 1 KO) is The Ring’s No. 4 welterweight contender.
Original plans called for McCaskill to defend her Ring, WBC and WBA titles versus WBC mandatory challenger Ivana Habazin. Their championship clash was confirmed to take place on April 20 in Zagreb, Croatia. Habazin’s team won a purse bid to bring the title fight to her home country.
The fight fell through in the past couple of weeks, despite an announcement from the WBC to confirm the event. Though not yet announced, McCaskill will have to give up her WBC title for failure to honor her mandatory.
The Ring has confirmed that Habazin (22-5, 7 KOs), No. 5 at 147, and her team plan to move forward with the fight date. The former titleholder will presumably challenge for the vacant title versus an approved opponent.
Meanwhile, McCaskill takes on her third consecutive Brit. She last fought to a disputed ten-round draw versus WBO titlist Sandy Ryan (6-1-1, 2 KOs; No. 3 at 147, last September in Orlando, Florida. Prior to that, McCaskill dropped a ten-round decision to Chantelle Cameron (18-1, 8 KOs), No. 1 at 140 and No. 3 pound-for-pound, in their Nov. 2022 undisputed 140-pound championship.
McCaskill won The Ring and undisputed 147-pound championship in over longtime champ Cecilia Braekhus. Their Aug. 2020 DAZN main event ended Braekhus’ lengthy reign and stay atop the pound-for-pound rankings. McCaskill repeated the feat in a March 2021, the first of four successful defenses.
Price gets a sought-after step up in competition.
The 29-year-old Welsh southpaw won Olympic Gold medalist for Great Britain in 2021 during the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The same competition saw England’s Karriss Artingstall, Price’s partner, earn a Bronze medal at featherweight.
Less than a year later, Price and Artingstall signed with BOXXER, who will present the aforementioned welterweight championship.
Price has barely lost a round since her June 2022 pro debut in London. All but one of Price’s six (and soon to be seven) pro fights have come in the UK.
However, this will mark the first in her home country.
Price most recently outpointed Silvia Bortot over eight rounds last Dec. 10 in Bournemouth, England. The win was her fourth of a productive and historic 2023 campaign. Earlier that May, Price earned a ten-round shutout over Kirstie Bavington for the British welterweight title. Price became the first woman to win a British title at any weight.
Jake Donovan a senior writer for The Ring and vice president of the Boxing Writers Association of America.
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The post Jessica McCaskill Set To Defend Ring Championship Versus Lauren Price appeared first on The Ring.