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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Alex Spink

Lauren Price could defend Olympic title despite turning pro after opting to be trained and managed by GB Boxing

Lauren Price could defend her Olympic boxing title in Paris despite having turned professional after Tokyo.

The Welsh middleweight signed with promoters Boxxer in April and looked to have kissed goodbye to the Olympics.

But last night it was revealed that her and partner Karriss Artingstall, who won featherweight bronze in Japan, are to be trained and managed by GB Boxing in return for a percentage of their earnings.

And with pro boxers now allowed to compete at the Olympics, the door has been opened to the pair returning to the team in two years' time.

GB Boxing insist preference will be given to amateurs on their World Class Programme over pros, who will not receive any funding.

But they say that if there is no ‘medal competitive boxer’ in Price or Artingstall’s weight categories they will be offered the opportunity to step back in.

Rob McCracken, performance director of GB Boxing and long-time trainer of Anthony Joshua (Getty Images)

Matt Holt, chief executive of GB Boxing. said: “The world is changing, we’ve got to be adaptable, flexible, making sure that we’re keeping all our options open to make sure that we remain competitive at the next Olympic Games and then all the Games into the future as well.

“We want to make sure the opportunities are there for boxers coming through the pathway. But equally we want to win. We want to go to Olympic Games, we want to be competitive.”

Rob McCracken, performance director of GB Boxing, sees the link up between pro and amateur as a win-win.

Olympic featherweight bronze medalist Karriss Artingstall (Getty Images)

“We have previous experience of professionals, such as Anthony Joshua and Carl Froch, being based in the GB Boxing gym," he said.

“There is no doubt the boxers in the Olympic squad have benefited from training and working in the same environment as people of such high stature within the sport.”

Price, who won 52 caps for Wales in football, was a world champion in kickboxing and competed in taekwondo, outclassed Li Qian of China to win Team GB's final gold medal of the Tokyo Games.

Price on her way to victory in the Olympic middleweight final last year (Getty Images)

“All of the coaches and staff at GB Boxing know me inside out and when I thought about it, I just could not see myself being anywhere else," she said.

"It means I get to work with brilliant coaches and get access to the best possible sparring with the boxers in the GB squad. There are loads of benefits.

“When it comes to the management side, I know I can trust the people at GB Boxing and that they have my interests at heart. I’ve worked with them for years and they genuinely care about me so I want them to be involved in helping me to progress through my professional career.”

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