Being Lauren Price, the Welsh superstar conquering the world with her Olympian girlfriend

Wanting to improve year-on-year is the goal for all professional athletes. Few actually pull it off.

Of course, there are those that look unstoppable when they burst onto the scene, with talent and swagger in equal measure. But even they succumb to pressure, to injury, to the numerous factors that can stop an athlete in their tracks, shove them back and force them into trying again.

Setbacks, changes in direction and lapses in focus or drive are all completely natural. But it seems Lauren Price doesn't do natural.

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The Welsh boxer's career to date follows one simple trajectory - up. From winning Olympic gold in Tokyo and being made an MBE to enjoying an unbeaten start to her professional career by winning her first six fights without losing a round and claiming the first-ever female British title, Price has kept on soaring. But now, she faces her biggest challenge yet.

Returning to fight in Wales for the first time in a decade, the 29-year-old from Ystrad Mynach will tonight fight Jessica McCaskill for the WBA, IBO and Ring Magazine welterweight titles. Victory in front of a home crowd at Cardiff's Utilita Arena will not only see her claim her first professional world title, but put her on the verge of superstardom in the sport.

Of course, with McCaskill a former undisputed world champion who has never lost a welterweight bout, there is a chance that the Price bullet train could be brought to a temporary halt. Not if she can help it.

"No disrespect to Jessica," she says. "She’s a great fighter. But I believe that I’m better in a lot of areas and I believe I’m the better, more skilled boxer. She's a legitimate champion, she's been there, she's done it against the best, and obviously she’s quite tough, quite rough as well.

"But I've experienced that before. In fact, any style of boxing I've faced, I've come out on top. I respect Jessica fully, but I've got 100 per cent confidence that I'm going to become world champion. I believe in myself, my team believes in me and that's all I need."

Speaking to WalesOnline just before Christmas, Price confidently stated that 2024 would be her year. With the self-assuredness that she oozes throughout our conversation during a break in training, only a fool would doubt her. But, as we've already covered, she could lay claim to any of the last three years too.

Of them, and all those that are surely yet to come, the one she will certainly never forget is 2021. Thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, it was a year that must have seemed forever to arrive, but since the Tokyo Olympics finally got underway that summer, Price has barely had time to look back at the moment that changed everything.

She arrived in Japan a history-maker already, as Wales' first ever female Olympic boxer. But after winning gold by beating China's Li Qian in the women's middlewight final, Price became a star, not just in Ystrad Mynach, not even just in Wales - she had the whole of the United Kingdom behind her.

Having been taken in by her grandparents at three days old after her parents gave her up, becoming Olympic champion capped a remarkable journey for the then-27-year-old - one that had also seen her play international football for Wales and become a world kickboxing champion before excelling with the gloves.

"Winning that Olympic gold medal will stick with me forever," she said as she looked back on the fight. "It was one of the proudest moments of my career and to be honest, probably nothing is going to beat it, no matter what happens. It had been my dream since the age of eight and it is the pinnacle of the sport, so to be there and come away with the gold, there is nothing quite like it.

"Going into the fight, I was up against the world number two, who I knew was very tricky and quite awkward. To be honest, I thought the fight was going to be a lot harder than it actually was. I remember coming out and, even though it was the Olympic final, I felt quite calm and relaxed, probably the most relaxed I’d been throughout the tournament.

"The first round, I came back to the corner 5-0 up so I was chuffed with that," she added. "Then in the second round, I think I won it 4-1. So I knew I’d won the fight going into the final round, which I also won, but I remember enjoying myself, slipping the shots, having a little dance and just taking it all in."

While it was kept quiet throughout the Olympics, Price had a second medal success to celebrate in Tokyo, with her partner Karriss Artingstall securing a bronze at the same Games. Since then, the boxing power couple have gone from strength to strength and Price credits her with keeping her grounded as her career has taken off.

As she admits, it's rare to find two Olympic medallists in a couple, but that shared experience has proven to be their winning formula, with both women understanding the pressures and emotions of the job. They are strong both in and out of the ring, but there is no grand story to how they met, Price admits.

"It’s a bit of a mad one really," she laughs. "We were really good friends, best friends and we were on Tinder, the pair of us. We’d been in camp all week but one day I swiped for her and she swiped for me! We got together after the World Championships in 2019, but it was on the down-low at the Olympics as we wanted to keep focused on ourselves and our own journeys.

"We’ve been together about four and a half years now and we’re still going strong, touch wood! It’s funny, but they do say the best relationships start off as best friendships.

"She’s been a massive support for me, all throughout my career," Price continued. "Any professional sport can be hard, but boxing is the toughest for me, for the things we go through physically and mentally. She understands it and we just get each other, it just works out great.

"We’ve both been in relationships previously and people don’t always understand quite what you’ve got to go through to reach those top levels, the diets, the training regimes, all of that. When I’m having a bad day, she’ll pick me up and she understands what I’m going through, particularly during fight weeks. She’s been dealing with all the tickets for this [McCaskill] fight, so she’s a bit stressed at the moment! But we’re a team and I listen to her, I’m not a big-headed person but she helps me keep my feet on the ground."

With Karriss by her side, Price is determined to keep making strides forward. McCaskill, it seems, is just the start. The anticipation of fighting in front of a home crowd has reminded her of her wider goal.

She doesn't just want to win, she wants to inspire. She wants to build a legacy.

"I haven’t fought in Wales for about 10 years," she said. "So to come home and box for the world title is something I’m really excited about. Wales is a small nation, but we’re a very proud one and we support our own. I know when I walk out there I’m going to have some real noise behind me.

"We haven’t really seen big nights in Cardiff since Joe Calzaghe. For me, he’s one of the greatest ever, not just in the UK but in the world. What he has done for Wales is amazing and I don’t think he gets enough credit for that.

"But I want to put Wales back on the map," she added. "I want to have a legacy. You see what Katie Taylor has done for Ireland, I want to do that for Wales. I’m headlining in Cardiff but it will be a great opportunity for the boys and girls on the undercard, who can bring their fans along too. I don’t just want to be a one-off, I want to bring big-time boxing back to Wales."

Who's going to stop her? Not McCaskill - Price is confident of that. Of course, it's one thing to talk the talk, but this fighter has made a habit of backing up her claims in the ring.

Even if she's wrong, she will bounce back quicker than most. After all, she's not used to stopping, let alone going backwards.

"I've had six fights and won every single round so far. I've been quite comfortable and haven't really had to go through the gears yet, but I feel like I’ve stepped up each fight and the level of the opponent that I’m facing.

"I’m sure I’m going to have questions asked of me against Jessica, but this is where I want to be. I want these big fights, I want to be involved in these world title bouts. It’s a real step up but I’m going to be 100 per cent prepared for anything that comes my way."

Whatever happens on Saturday night, what's clear is that - remarkably - the best is still yet to come from Lauren Price.

"Even though I know I can win this fight, I feel like there’s still a lot more to come from me as a pro boxer," she said. "I keep improving on every fight and I never stop learning, so I believe I can go all the way and become a legend in the sport, a legend for Wales.

"I want to make history - and I want to be a champion."