Lauren Price Retains World Titles in Cardiff and Calls Out Claressa Shields
Welsh boxing champion Lauren Price successfully defended her unified WBC, WBA, and IBF female welterweight world titles at the Cardiff International Arena on Saturday night, winning by unanimous decision against Stephanie Pineiro Aquino — before calling out American superstar Claressa Shields in a dramatic post-fight confrontation.
A Hard-Fought Victory
Price, who entered the fight with an unbeaten professional record, was made to work hard by the previously undefeated Pineiro Aquino. The Welsh champion sustained a cut after an accidental clash of heads in the fifth round and had her lip split during the contest, but she used her superior speed and ring craft to control the fight, landing clean combinations particularly in the second, sixth, and seventh rounds.
The judges' scorecards read 99-91, 98-92, and 98-92 in Price's favour, improving her professional record to 10-0. The victory marked her first defence of the unified titles she claimed by defeating Natasha Jonas in March 2025.
The Shields Showdown
The post-fight scenes were electric. Claressa Shields — the American multi-division world champion and one of the most decorated fighters in women's boxing history — was present at the Cardiff International Arena and entered the ring for a face-off with Price after the final bell. The two exchanged words before posing for photographs, with both fighters indicating a willingness to meet in the ring.
Price expressed her desire for the biggest fights in boxing and proposed a two-fight deal — one bout in America and one in Wales. Shields indicated she would be open to discussing a fight by the end of 2026, suggesting it would likely take place at middleweight. Price's promoter Ben Shalom suggested that a victory over Shields could make Price the number one pound-for-pound female fighter in the world.
A Night for Welsh Boxing
The undercard also produced notable results, with Ellie Scotney becoming undisputed super-bantamweight world champion and Chantelle Cameron dominating Michaela Kotaskova for the WBO light-middleweight world title. Welsh boxing is enjoying a golden era, with multiple world champions competing at the highest level.
Why It Matters
Lauren Price's journey from Olympic gold medallist to unified world professional champion is one of the great stories in British sport. A fight with Claressa Shields would be a genuine superfight — the kind of event that transcends boxing and captures mainstream attention. For Welsh sport and for women's boxing globally, it would be a landmark occasion.
What's Next
Negotiations for a Price-Shields fight are expected to begin in the coming weeks. In the meantime, Price will enjoy her victory and the acclaim of a home crowd that has embraced her as one of Wales's greatest sporting heroes.
Full fight coverage is available at BBC Sport and The Independent.
