Lauren Price Outclasses Jessica McCaskill in Cardiff; Edwards and Fury Win Too

In Cardiff, Wales tonight, Lauren Price won a world title in her seventh pro fight, snatching the WBA welterweight diadem from Chicago’s Jessica McCaskill in a bout that was stopped two seconds into the ninth round on the advice of the ringside doctor because of a grotesque bubble over McCaskill’s left eye. Because the swelling resulted from an accidental clash of heads, likely in the fifth round, the bout went to the scorecards where the outcome was a mere formality.

In winning, Price became the first female boxer from Wales to win a world title. And although one can rightly smirk at the notion of someone fighting for a title after only seven pro fights, the lady — who excelled in kickboxing and soccer in her younger days — is very good. The 29-year-old southpaw concluded her amateur career with 18 straight wins climaxed by a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics and as a pro she has yet to lose a round!

A former unified 140-pound champion, McCaskill (12-4-1) repeatedly bull-rushed Price with her head down, but Price, the younger fighter by 10 years, was too slick for the rough-housing.

Interviewed after the fight, Price said “I respect [Jessica], she’s a credit to women’s boxing and boxing in general…I want to build a legacy and create greatness. This is just a start. You see what Katie Taylor did for Ireland. I want to do the same for Wales.”

The greatest Welsh boxer of the modern era, hands down, is Joe Calzaghe. In the women’s department, Lauren Price is now the gold standard.

Co-Feature

In a 10-round battle between feather-fisted featherweights, Rhys Edwards, a 24-year-old Welshman scored a unanimous decision over England’s Thomas Patrick Ward who entered the contest with a record of 34-1-1 but only five knockouts to his credit. The judges had it 99-91 and 98-92 tice which was somewhat misleading as many of the rounds were close.

A former British 122-pound champion, Ward forced the action during most of the fight, but Edwards (16-0, 4 KOs) came on strong in the homestretch.

Also

Hughie Fury (Tyson’s cousin) blew away Patrick Korte, stopping the 40-year-old German import in the second round. Korte was never off his feet, but the end came quickly after Fury staggered him with a right hand. The official time was 2:06 of round two.

A six-foot-six Mancunian, Fury turned pro at age 18 and was a busy beaver. Ten months into his pro career, he was 12-0 and there was talk that he might ultimately prove to be better than his cousin, talk that ended when he lost to Joseph Parker, Kubrat Pulev, and Alexander Povetkin in dull 12-round fights. Then he fell off the map because of various injuries and was out of the ring for 30 months.

He returned three weeks ago, scoring a six-round decision over an opponent with a losing record. Tonight’s win elevated his record to 28-3 (16). Korte’s record declined to 27-4-1, but this is misleading. In all four of his losses, he was stopped inside of the first three rounds.

Hughie Fury expects to be back in action next month. The next phase of his career may be as frenetic as when he was first starting out.

Photo credit: Lawrence Lustig . BOXXER

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