Lauren Price rules out Shields, signals major fight early in 2027
Lauren Price has ruled out facing Claressa Shields for now and said she expects to be involved in a “massive” fight early in 2027 after she defends her unified WBA, WBC and IBF welterweight titles against Michaela Kotaskova at Cardiff’s Utilita Arena on 20 November. The bout, which will be shown live on the BBC, will be Price’s first fight since her April title defence against Stephanie Pineiro.
Claressa Shields won Olympic gold in 2012 and 2016 while Lauren Price triumphed in 2020, and a meeting between the two had been widely discussed after Shields watched Price’s April defence in person. It had been thought the pair would meet at middleweight, but Price said talks broke down and she instead switched her attention to 34-year-old Kotaskova. Price will put her unified welterweight belts on the line in Cardiff in what represents her return to the ring after the Pineiro fight.
“There had been talks going back and forth with some big fights, but I wanted to get out before the end of the year,” said Price. “There's obviously been talks of the big fights after that. I know I've got a bit of a quick turnaround after this one. I can't think too far ahead, I've got to get through the 20th, but I'll be back out early next year in a massive fight. I can't say much but I can officially say that it's not going to be Claressa Shields. I can just say every boxer wants to hold all the belts and it'll be massive for Wales, massive for Britain and massive for world boxing.”
Kotaskova, whose only defeat in a 15-fight career came on the scorecards against Chantelle Cameron at light-middleweight in London in April, is viewed by Price as a significant test. That loss to Cameron went the distance, and Price noted Kotaskova will present a tough challenge as she prepares for her 11th fight since giving up her amateur status. The November date gives Price limited recovery time before what she described as a quick turnaround into another big contest.
Price addressed the breakdown in talks with Shields directly, saying: "There was nothing on my side. The money wasn't great, I wanted to fight in America and in Wales, but she wouldn't come here, and there was no rematch clause. Everything basically was stacked against me and it just didn't make sense. I have to stand on my own two feet and think: 'I'm Lauren Price, I'm unified champion, Olympic gold medallist.' If I was towards the end of my career or if I had a few losses, absolutely you jump on it. But there's no rush and there's equally exciting fights out there. That fight will definitely happen, but only when it's the right time and it makes sense."
Price has also been linked with Mikaela Mayer, who lost her light-middleweight titles to Chantelle Cameron in August but still holds the WBO welterweight belt she took from Sandy Ryan in 2024. Price said she has concentrated on building her professional profile and stature in British boxing rather than getting drawn into negotiations that, in her view, were not favourable. She cited frustrations with the negotiation process as part of professional boxing and emphasised patience when making high-profile match-ups.
Having delayed her ring return after suffering a cut lip in the win over Pineiro and following her recent marriage, Price said she has been inspired by Katie Taylor’s farewell in Dublin. Ireland's Katie Taylor ended her career as a three-time undisputed world champion by beating Flora Pili in front of 80,000 at Dublin's Croke Park in September, and Price said: "I've always believed that I'd be good enough, but it's not just that. It doesn't matter how good you are, it's having people behind you - which is why I feel so lucky being Welsh because we're a nation that back our own. For me to have nights like that it's about putting bums on seats and about building the journey, which is why I'm excited to be boxing on the BBC because people can see me and it gets me known. It's all about that legacy. For now, though, we have a Friday night at the Utilita Arena which will give people time to come down after they finish work, so let's blow the roof off!"
Price said she wants to feature young Welsh fighters such as Rhys Edwards and Kyran Jones on the undercard of the November show, which will help kick-start a sporting weekend in Cardiff that includes Wales men's rugby union side taking on Australia in the Nations Championship the following evening. Price will defend her unified WBA, WBC and IBF welterweight titles against Michaela Kotaskova at the Utilita Arena on 20 November, live on the BBC.