When asked about the role that luck plays in sporting achievements, sportspeople will often tell you that luck played only the very smallest part.

The usual explanation for sporting success is hard work, graft, and no small measure of talent.

World champion boxer Lauren Price is no different. To become a world champion in one sport is remarkable enough, to become a world champion boxer, as well as a world champion kickboxer, and an international footballer all before the age of 30 is astonishing.

And yet, Price’s moniker is ‘The Lucky One’.

“‘The Lucky One’ has nothing to do with my career,” Price explains.

“I have worked my ass off to get where I am and there’s no luck that has gone into my achievements.

“‘The Lucky One’ comes from my relationship with my grandparents. They took me in when I was three years old.

“I’m the youngest sibling in my family and they did not have a good upbringing and that’s where the luck comes from. I was the lucky one that got away and was loved and told to believe in her dreams from a young age by two amazing people.

“I will be forever grateful for my grandparents.”

Price still lives with her nan in Sheffield, a remarkably humble situation for such a renowned boxer.

What is clear from talking to her, is that everything she does comes from a place of support and encouragement from her grandparents.

“When I’m in Sheffield, I come home on a Friday and my weekends are taken up by shopping with my nan,” Price adds.

“If it wasn’t for them, I would probably have ended up in care and I certainly wouldn’t be where I am today.

“That’s why I’m called ‘The Lucky One.’”

At the time of writing, Price is currently in training camp ahead of her world title fight with Natasha Jonas at the Royal Albert Hall on March 7^th.

Price had a star-making 2024, beating American fighter Jessica McCaskill to claim the WBA, IBO, and The Ring welterweight titles, as well as a dominant third round knock-out against Columbian challenger Bexcy Mateus in December.

Matheus, despite having a perfect record of seven fights and seven wins – including six knockouts – had never fought outside of her native Columbia.

“I didn’t have much footage of her at all going into the fight,” Price reveals.

“I was going in basically not knowing what the fight would be like. It was about trusting my own ability and leaning on my amateur experience of having to learn on the fly about my opponents.”

Price did not need much time to learn about Matheus, knocking her down with a hug left hook at the very end of the first round. Another lightning-fast combination ending with a left shot felled Matheus in the second

“I think the big thing for me was that I didn’t go looking for the big shot to finish it.”

Even if Price was not looking for a big shot, one did finish the fight. After biding her time in the third round, Price ended the contest with yet another left shot that left the referee with no choice but to end the fight.

A second knockout victory of Price’s career was the perfect way to further stamp her authority on the welterweight division. Yet, there was no small amount of frustration shown by the Welsh boxer in the lead up to the fight.

“I was frustrated after the McCaskill fight,” Price admits.

“I thought that it would be as simple as winning a world title and the fights would come easy. But, if anything, it has been harder because no one wants to fight me.

“Sky Sports and Ben Shalom at Boxxer did a phenomenal job in getting me that world title fight in Cardiff and I’m very grateful for that.

“I am trying to move fast; I have only had eight professional fights and right now I believe that there’s so much more to come in each future fight.”

With the ‘Battle of Britain’ fight with Jonas now confirmed, Price has the chance to make her mark as the best pound-for-pound British female boxer currently fighting.

Jonas, who beat Ivana Habazin on the same December night as Price beat Mateus, is a veteran – similar to McCaskill – and will represent the biggest test of the Welshwoman’s career to date.

“If it was down to me, the fight in December would have been with Jonas, not Matheus,” Price says.

“Every fight I fight after McCaskill, I wanted it to be for a belt. Jonas is coming towards the end of her career and it’s a massive fight for British fans. Wales vs England!

“We saw in the summer against McCaskill that I can compete with the best in the division. I didn’t lose a round against her.

“I’m in my prime, I’m motivated, driven, I train hard, and I believe I can be the best at 147 lbs.”

Price has been preparing for this fight for three months now, and no detail is spared.

“Each boxer is different,” Price explains.

“With Jonas, she is a southpaw [left-hand dominant] like me, so I’ve been sparring a lot with southpaws.

“More recently, I’ve been moving into a phase of training that is more about explosivity and endurance.”

Price adds that she has been sparring in three-minute rounds, rather than the usual two in professional boxing.

“It’s a funny one, because obviously as an amateur, I boxed in threes anyway,” she says.

“When you are in a big fight, those two minutes fly by and before you know it, it’s round eight. A lot of people don’t spar week to 10 days away from a fight, but I spar throughout that week.

“My trainer, Rob, keeps things really fresh for me on the boxing side of things. Going into a session, I never know what I’m going to do.”

Despite the Jonas bout taking place at the Royal Albert Hall, the scene of world title bouts for Prince Naseem Hamed and Lennox Lewis, Price’s real desire is to bring ‘big time boxing’ back to Wales.

“It’s going to be massive to have the Welsh fans at the Albert Hall,” Price says.

“If it wasn’t for the people who are supporting me, I wouldn’t be able to have these fights and these nights to shine.

“I don’t think it’s just boxing where the Welsh fans come out in their numbers. Looking at the support for the football and rugby teams, the Welsh just love to get behind their sport.

“I want to come back to Cardiff and fight at the Cardiff City Stadium. We’ve seen Katie Taylor do it in Ireland. I want to do that in Wales.”

There is something about football grounds that make for excellent boxing arenas. One famous example is Tony Bellew’s WBC cruiserweight title win at Goodison Park in 2016.

“The more, the marrier, in my opinion,” Price says with a smile.

“Fighting in a stadium, that’s a dream come true. I’ve played at Cardiff City Stadium as an international footballer, now I want to sell it out as a world champion boxer.”

It is a mark of how big Price’s bout with Jonas is that the media interest has been as high as has been seen for a British female fight in recent times.

There have been high profile clashes between the two, most notably on Sky Sports News. Reminding Price of these moments raises a smile from her.

“The media side is part of pro boxing,” Price grins.

“Interviews and other media events can get a bit repetitive, but it’s all about selling the fight and making it as big an event as possible.

“We can say what we want but, at the end of the day, it’s just the two of you in the ring and what happens in there is what counts.”

Throughout the interview, the overwhelming feeling that one gets is that Price is remarkably calm about the fight.

“Honestly, it doesn’t bother me,” Price adds.

“When I look at my career, I’ve always had pressure on me. Going to an Olympic Games as the favourite and winning the gold, that’s about as much pressure as you can have on you, and I passed that test.

“I don’t see this fight as pressure. I am excited for it and I believe that I can win.

“No doubt she also believes that she can win. It’s going to be a good fight, but I believe I will come out on top. I just believe that I am better in all areas.”

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