We love queer representation in sports here at PRIDE, and a lesbian world champion boxer has us swooning!
On Saturday night, Wales’ first-ever world champion in women’s boxing, 29-year-old Lauren Price, celebrated winning her first world title with her girlfriend, Karriss Artingstall, who won her sixth pro bout back in January at featherweight. The boxing couple went public about their relationship after the Tokyo Games.
Price took the WBA, IBO, and Ring Magazine welterweight titles in her seventh professional bout with a convincing points decision by a passionate Cardiff crowd. Due to a clash of heads leading to a swollen eye injury, her opponent, the experienced American Jessica McCaskill, was unable to continue past the early stages of the ninth round.
Price beat McCaskill in a 5,000-capacity arena. According to her promoter, Ben Shalom of BOXXER, she has sold more tickets at this stage of her career than any of the men he currently promotes competing in stadium fights.
“I’d love to sell out the Principality Stadium, that’s the dream,” she told Sky Sports after beating McCaskill. Principality Stadium, Wales’ national stadium, seats around 78,000. While this is an ambitious goal, Price is on track to garner fan support that will become a historic sports legacy.
For now, she can bask in her current title with her girlfriend, Artingstall, in her corner, who is also an Olympic medalist for Great Britain.
Artingstall was at Price’s side as she lifted the belts in the ring and in the post-fight interviews. They shared congratulatory kisses with each other, showing moments of pride that will have particularly resonated with LGBTQ+ sports fans. The couple has been together for about four and a half years and is "still going strong touch wood!"
In an interview with Wales Online that ran before the fight, Price revealed that while the couple had already been close through boxing, Tinder helped turn their friendship into a romance.
“We were really good friends, best friends, and we were on Tinder, the pair of us,” said Price. “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."
The two boxers have been in previous relationships, and partners outside the sport haven't always understood what they go through to reach those top levels, from the diets to the training regimes.
“When I’m having a bad day, she’ll pick me up, and she understands what I’m going through, particularly during fight weeks,” Price says.
Price also shared that her girlfriend had been looking after tickets for friends and family for Saturday’s fight, which had left the latter — a former Army officer — “a bit stressed."
“We’re a team and I listen to her,” added Price. “I’m not a big-headed person but she helps me keep my feet on the ground.”
But Artingstall isn't one to shy away from singing Price's praises. In the post-match media conference, a reporter asked Price: “What was the assessment from Karriss?”
Although the world champion responded with, “She was happy!” Artingstall chimed in off-camera, asking the reporter to repeat the question, and then answered, “She’s phenomenal, isn’t she? She’s just a little superstar. What do you think?"
“I agree!” the reporter replied quickly.
While Price has won the title, she and Artingstall hold a more priceless prize — each other's love!
