2025: Price v Jonas unification fight agreed for March

Lauren Price (L) and Natasha Jonas

Lauren Price and Natasha Jonas will fight each other in a mouth-watering world title unification bout on 7 March 2025 at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

The British rivals both successfully retained their welterweight world titles with wins in Liverpool last weekend.

Wales’ Price, 30, defended her WBA title against Bexcy Mateus, dropping the Colombian three times before the referee stopped the contest in the third round.

IBF champion Jonas, 40, added the WBC title, outclassing Ivana Habazin over 10 rounds to become a two-weight unified champion.

The winner between Price and Jonas would then likely target WBO champion Mikaela Mayer in a fight to become the undisputed world welterweight champion.

About 4,000 people were at the Exhibition Centre to watch Saturday’s fight card, but a meeting between two of British boxing’s brightest and best female fighters is sure to pack out the Royal Albert Hall which can host more than 5,000 fight fans.

Price has already stated a meeting in the ring with Jonas is overdue, saying she would have preferred to fight her now arch-rival last weekend rather than Mateus.

“If it was down to me I would have loved to have been boxing for another belt, whether it was against Tasha [Jonas] or Ivana [Habazin],” said Price, who won Olympic gold in 2021 in the delayed Games in Tokyo before turning pro.

“But that didn’t happen this time round, so now I’ve got through that fight on Saturday the big fight is next year.”

Jonas has won 16 and lost two of 19 career fights – including nine wins by knockout – while Price has won all eight contests, with two KOs, since the former Wales football international turned professional.

“As soon as I won the world titles in Cardiff I wanted more belts. I want to be in the biggest fights and it makes sense, we’re [Price and Jonas] both with Sky, we’re both with Boxxer, it’s an easy fight to make.

“My dream was to go to the Olympics, I won the Olympic gold medal, and now I’ve got more dreams, I’ve got more goals. I want to go on and create greatness, create a legacy. I want to bring big nights back to Cardiff. I want to win more titles.

“She [Jonas] has two belts, that’s the main aim. I have nothing against Tash, I respect her, but at the end of the day I’m a world champion, she’s a world champion and if you’re a world champion then you should fight anyone.

“I think it’s a great fight, it’s a fight that I believe that I win, I believe I’m in my prime, I believe I’m too quick and too skilful, I’m just better overall, and I believe I come out on top.”

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NFL: Vikings beat Bears to secure seventh straight win

Sam Darnold scrambles to avoid the pressure of defensive end DeMarcus Walker

The Minnesota Vikings claimed a seventh straight NFL victory with a 30-12 win over the Chicago Bears in Minneapolis.

Minnesota, who had already booked their place in the play-offs after the Seattle Seahawks lost to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, are now 12-2 and level with Detroit Lions at the top of the NFC North.

Quarterback Sam Darnold completed 24 of 40 passes for 231 yards, one touchdown to Justin Jefferson and one interception as the Vikings boosted their chances of achieving the top seed in the NFC.

Aaron Jones and Cam Akers had touchdown runs in the second half as the Bears fell to an eighth consecutive defeat.

A tight defensive performance from the Vikings saw the Bears held without a touchdown until late in the fourth quarter when quarterback Caleb Williams found Keenan Allen with a 16-yard scoring pass.

A tight defensive performance from the Vikings saw the Bears held without a touchdown until late in the fourth quarter when quarterback Caleb Williams found Keenan Allen with a 16-yard scoring pass.”It was about our defence’s effort tonight,” said Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell, whose side were 13-0 up at half-time.

“It just felt like when we needed a play, those guys made it.”