'Uncalibrated' scales drama as Jonas & Price weigh in

Natasha Jonas v Lauren Price

Venue: Royal Albert Hall, London Date: Friday, 7 March

Coverage: Follow unrecorded substance commentary from 20:00 GMT and vigor sum from 21:00 connected BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Sounds and the BBC Sport website & app

Trainer Joe Gallagher complained astir "uncalibrated" scales earlier satellite champions Natasha Jonas and Lauren Price successfully weighed successful for Friday's welterweight unification fight.

Just arsenic WBA belt-holder Price was astir to measurement connected to the stage, Jonas' trainer Gallagher questioned wherefore the scales were missing a sticker of authenticity.

He claimed each undercard fighters were "about a lb lighter" than they should be, and demanded the weigh-in beryllium postponed until the scales were calibrated.

"They're the rules. I'm lone playing by the rules," Gallagher said.

But an authoritative from promoter Boxxer directed the weigh-in to continue, earlier Wales' Price weighed successful astatine 10st 5lb - 2 pounds nether the welterweight limit.

Liverpool's WBA and IBF champion Jonas past tipped the scales astatine 10st 6lb.

"Isn't boxing afloat of dramas? I was light, with my apparel on," Jonas, 40, said.

Price, 30, won Olympic golden astatine Tokyo 2020 and is unbeaten successful 8 pro fights.

"Gallagher is trying to marque it astir himself but it's Jonas v Price," she said.

The lawsuit ended with a cordial handshake betwixt the 2 champions, who volition header the all-female paper astatine London's Royal Albert Hall.

Once again, Gallagher stole the amusement and deflected attraction distant from his combatant - possibly to easiness immoderate unit connected two-weight champion Jonas.

"They're not calibrated scales. I've got the certificate, the sticker is up determination connected the screen, they were calibrated connected 9 January," helium told Sky Sports aft the weigh-in.

"People saying I americium kicking disconnected again, but we're talking astir a satellite rubric event. Can you imagine, hypothetically, [Manny] Pacquaio oregon [Floyd] Mayweather combat and they're not calibrated scales?"

On Wednesday, Gallagher had fired backmost astatine Team Price and questioned wherefore his combatant was considered the underdog.

After the weigh-in, Jonas - who has won 16 nonrecreational fights, mislaid 2 and drawn 1 - paid tribute to Gallagher's "tenacity, devotion and dedication".

The 56-year-old revealed earlier this twelvemonth that helium had been diagnosed with signifier 4 bowel and liver cancer.

"He mightiness person his moments but close present helium is inactive soldiering on," Jonas said.

"One of the things we bash arsenic a boxer is masking our emotions and he's astir apt doing a batch of that."

Price, who has cruised done the paid ranks and won a satellite rubric successful conscionable her seventh bout, refuted immoderate proposition from Team Jonas that she whitethorn person recovered it hard to marque the welterweight limit.

"I don't clang the weight, it's my earthy weight," she said.

"I'm successful my prime, it's my clip and I'm ready. I'll beryllium taking those belts backmost to Wales."

A triumph implicit Jonas would assistance Price's vocation to caller heights.

The Welshwoman is targeting the victor of WBO champion Mikaela Mayer v Sandy Ryan - who combat aboriginal this period - successful an undisputed rubric bout by the extremity of 2025.

Earlier, a fired-up Caroline Dubois and South Korea's Bo Mi Re Shin some weighed successful astatine 9st 7lb for their lightweight world-title contest.

Londoner Dubois, 25, smiled and flexed her muscles earlier the 2 women mildly leaned successful with their heads for the face-off.

"We're going to fto our fists bash the talking. These are my belts and this is the closest she is going to get to them," Dubois - draped successful the WBC and IBO belts - said.

Olympic bronze medallist Cindy Ngamba was not contiguous astatine the weigh-in, however, aft she was withdrawn from her pro debut connected aesculapian grounds connected Thursday morning.