Jessica McCaskill will defend her WBA welterweight title against Lauren Price on May 11 in Cardiff, with Price seeking to become Wales’ first female world champion in pro boxing.
The fight will air on Peacock in the United States and Sky Sports in the United Kingdom. McCaskill’s Ring Magazine championship will also be on the line.
It had previously been announced that McCaskill would go to Croatia to defend the WBC and WBA titles against Ivana Habazin on April 20, but that’s obviously not happening now, as this was surely a better money offer. Matchroom Boxing had recently taken promotional control of that fight, with the upstart Piranha Promotions forfeiting rights after winning the purse bid.
Matchroom had been the second-highest bidder. Piranha had bid $201,000 to Matchroom’s $91,000, which means McCaskill wasn’t going to make much money to fight Habazin in the first place, and significantly less from Matchroom’s bid.
McCaskill vs Price is a Boxxer card, and the fight announcement for does not list the WBC title being on the line, which probably means McCaskill has been or will be stripped of that belt for taking this fight instead of the Habazin bout.
From a boxing fan’s perspective, this is a better and fresher fight, so it’s a win on our end.
The 29-year-old Price has gone 6-0 (1 KO) since turning pro in June 2022, following her middleweight gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics for Team Great Britain. She was also a gold medalist at the 2019 World Championships and 2019 European Games, and had been a high level amateur for about a decade.
She’s been bold about her desire to make her way to world title level sooner than later as a professional, and now has that chance, which she’s delighted will come in Cardiff.
“The fact it’s in Cardiff is amazing. I’ve not boxed there since I first started out which was a good few years back now,” Price said. “I can’t wait to put on a show in front of my friends, family and Welsh supporters who have been great in supporting me throughout my career. It’ll be an incredible night for sure, to beat the reigning champion in Wales and keep the world titles here will be some feeling!
“Jessica McCaskill is the current champion. She’s game, experienced and strong but I’ll be 100% ready for whatever she brings on the night. I believe in my ability. I back myself and like I said earlier, I can’t wait to bring those world titles back home to Wales, and hopefully this will line me up to bring more massive nights back to Wales in the near future.”
The 39-year-old McCaskill (12-3-1, 5 KO) is one of boxing’s most tenacious fighters, but many felt time caught up with her last time out, where she received a controversial draw in a unification fight with Sandy Ryan.
A former undisputed champion at 147 who lost that recognition when she moved down to 140 to challenge and lose to Chantelle Cameron in 2022, McCaskill is known for her aggressive fighting style, and she took the chance to poke at a stereotype of UK fighting style.
“I don’t know much about Price but when it comes to fighters from the UK the expectation is usually lots of backpedaling and holding,” she said. “I don’t know if this will be the case but coming to Wales means Price is hopefully going to want to put on a good show. That’s exactly what I want because I plan on doing the same. I’m here to steal all of her fans. I’m going to show her what it takes to be a champion and the belts will be coming back to America with me.”