Lauren Price given warning as Stephanie Pineiro looks to join Puerto Rico greats

Stephanie Pineiro has warned Lauren Price she intends to live up to Puerto Rico’s great boxing tradition and take her world titles.

Price will have home advantage against Pineiro in Cardiff on Saturday night, with the 2020 Olympic champion putting her WBA, WBC and IBC welterweight titles on the line before her adoring Welsh fans.

But Pineiro has reminded Price that she hails from a small Caribbean island of true fighting stock, with some of boxing’s greatest names raised in the self-governing territory of the United States.

Former multiple world champions Miguel Cotto, Tito Trinidad and Ivan Calderon all put Puerto Rico on the sporting map.

So has current featherweight champion Amanda Serrano who holds the record for the most world titles won in different weight classes by a female, having held nine across seven various categories.

“I’m proud to represent Puerto Rico and be part of that history myself,” said Pineiro, who tipped the scales at 146.4lbs and a shade heavier than Price (146.3lbs) at Friday’s weigh-in.

“We have brought champions and championships back to the island and we have unified titles.

“I want to bring one more and this is my chance to join that great level of fighter in the history of Puerto Rico.”

Southpaw Pineiro has won all 10 fights since making her professional debut in 2019 and is Price’s WBA mandatory challenger.

But 35-year-old Pineiro has never previously fought outside Puerto Rico and will have few friends inside Cardiff’s Utilita Arena on fight night.

Pineiro said: “Even if they do boo me on Saturday that’s energy for me, I like the noise.

“I’ve had the hardest camp in my life and I’m really focused. I’ve studied her and got obsessed with this fight.”

Price – who weighed in to Dafydd Iwan’s Welsh anthem ‘Yma O Hyd’ – has an unblemished nine-fight record since turning professional in 2022.

The 31-year-old wants huge stadium fights in the future and her promoter Ben Shalom has started talks with undisputed heavyweight champion Claressa Shields, who is expected to be ringside in Cardiff.

The pair would meet at middleweight, the division in which Price won gold at the Tokyo Olympics.

Price said: “Mikaela Mayer (WBO welterweight champion) doesn’t want to fight me and I could be chasing undisputed for ever.

“I’m in this sport as an Olympic champion and I wanted to move fast.

“I’m unified now and I want to become a multi-weight world champion.

“I want the biggest fights. I do believe I’m a level above (Pineiro) and that there’s more to come from me as well.”