Price turning pro at the perfect time as women’s boxing gains some serious momentum

AS expected Lauren Price is crossing into the paid ranks.

Winning Olympic gold established her value, allowing her to maximise entry into the professional game with a signing-on fee and a television deal.

The women’s game is gaining momentum. The opening of Olympic competition to women in 2012 was the game changer, both legitimising boxing as a sport for women and creating a pathway.

The likes of Katie Taylor (right), who won lightweight gold in London, and Claressa Shields (second right) , who took the middleweight crown in London and defended it in Rio, led the first wave of Olympic stars.

Shields presents the ultimate target for Price, who followed her to middleweight gold in Tokyo.

And of course there is Scotland’s WBA super welterweight champion Hannah Rankin (third right) and Hartlepool’s Savannah Marshall (far right), who beat Shields as an amateur and claimed middleweight bronze at the 2016 World Championships.

We have come a long way from the early pioneers of the professional age in the 1990s,

Jane Couch, Christy Martin – the Coal Miner’s Daughter, Lucia Rijker, who was trained by Emanuel Steward and was arguably the best female we have seen, and later Norway’s Cecilia Braekhus.

These were the women who opened our eyes to the potential in female boxing. Back in their day there was no Olympic competition, no way of showcasing to young girls a future in the sport.

Price is a talented athlete and was pursuing a career in football before taking up boxing in her teens, but it was Nicola Adams’ success in London that inspired her to concentrate on the noble art.

She is a lovely boxer with the grit and determination to succeed. She will need to develop her power in the pros but her potential is huge.

The appetite for women’s boxing is growing as standards rise. The way to get credibility is good fights with talented kids. In our gym we have Ellie Scotney, a world-class bantamweight, and Caroline Dubois, who missed out on a medal in Tokyo.

Both are fantastic talents. If you had seen Ellie sparring this week, eight two-minute rounds, it was the highest quality boxing, really excellent stuff.

When Caroline spars the guys reach for the ropes and start skipping instead of the bags because they want to watch her.

It is brilliant to see. The women work every bit as hard as the men and deserve the rewards that they are creating for themselves.

Price has timed her move perfectly, another terrific addition to the women’s pro scene.

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