Olympic champion Price aiming to fight in Wales

Former Wales international footballer Lauren Price (right) won boxing gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics

Ben Shalom believes Lauren Price can become Wales' answer to Irish boxing icon Katie Taylor and hopes the welterweight will fight in Cardiff in 2024.

Boxxer promoter Shalom says the Olympic champion can be Welsh boxing's next major star.

"We feel we've got a real chance to create a national icon," he said.

"The aim next year will to be to bring her back to Cardiff and start to build something that has not been seen before in Wales possibly since the Joe Calzaghe days."

Price has won all five of her fights - all of which have taken place outside Wales - since turning professional in 2022, with the most recent triumph coming against Lolita Muzeya in September.

She will aim to extend that record against Italy's Bortot, who she fights on the undercard of Chris Billam-Smith's WBO title defence against Poland's Mateusz Masternak.

Should Price triumph, Shalom says she could take on the winner of the Natasha Jonas' fight with Mikaela Mayer.

Two-weight world champion Jonas will defend her IBF welterweight title against Mayer in her hometown of Liverpool on 20 January.

Lauren Price: Olympic champion targets 2024 world title fight

"I'd like to see Lauren Price fight the winner," he told Radio Wales Sport.

"You look at the influence Katie Taylor has had on Irish sport. Lauren Price has the chance to do that for Wales.

"If she comes through on Sunday she will be wanting to fight for world titles as early as March, April next year. I think next year we are going to see the emergence of an absolute superstar of British boxing."