In a particularly scrappy and ugly-to-watch affair, Lauren Price would defeat American champion Jessica McCaskill to become the first female Welsh world champion; taking her IBO, WBA and The Ring Magazine titles.
The bout was brought to a halt at the start of the ninth, due to the advice of ringside doctors; McCaskill had severe swelling to her eye that made it impossible for the Chicago native to go on, despite her protests.
The swelling itself came by way of a clash of heads, although the fight was rather untidy, particularly from McCaskill, who – at the first sign of trouble – would swing wild hooks, many of which tangled the two fighters against the ropes. This was a commonality throughout the fight, as well as Price’s hitting at the back of McCaskill’s head, which happened on more than one occasion in the clinch – even as the referee was splitting the pair, or giving instructions.
Not to say that Price’s performance was bad – it was exemplary, but it was clear that both fighters were looking for something more cantankerous than anything skillful. The demonstration of advanced footwork, and smart, sharp combination punching did – however – win Price the scorecards, not that they were necessary. They read 90-82, 90-82, 90-82, giving McCaskill little in way of points.
The Caerphilly citizen can now go home with her head high, however, having reached the pinnacle of multiple sporting disciplines.
Elsewhere on the card, 18-0 super middleweight Mark Jeffers caused a stir with a fifth round TKO of young contender Darren Johnstone (8-1), with a right hand that sent Johnstone fracturing onto the canvas for a concerning amount of time. Bravely, Johnstone returned to his stool, where the bout was ended.
The return of Hughie Fury (28-3) continued with a calm, near anticlimactic stoppage over Patrick Korte (21-4-1), a German fighter who has remained largely at the national level. Some languid shots and decent feinting stumped the German in his attempts. Hopefully, with two confidence boosts under his belt, Fury can feel more comfortable operating at a slightly higher level, moving forward.
Featherweight action with a belt on the line also hit Cardiff, as undefeated Rhys Edwards (16-0) beat tough operator Thomas Patrick Ward (34-2-1) to secure the WBA Inter-Contenental Featherweight belt. Ward entered the belt the more seasoned of the two, whilst Edwards could let his hands – and superior reach – go without the fear of a stoppage from Ward, who only has five to his name.
It was a brilliant fight, with Ward demonstrating technical prowess, but being ever-so-slightly too slow for the Penygraig born Edwards. The Welshman would cruise his way to a unanimous decision victory, despite how hard-fought it was by Ward.
Ultimately, the spotlight was fully reserved for the fantastic fighters of Wales, who gave it their all in front of a home crowd, securing belts and glory in the process.