Lauren Price is wearing red with yellow trim. Very on brand for Welsh world champion.

Mateus is in white.

Here comes Wales' first female world champion.

She is coming to the ring to You're a Superstar by Love Inc.

Bexcy Mateus is making her ring entrance now.

She's boxed for only five years, but she certainly represents the biggest puncher Lauren Price has face in the paid ranks.

We are just a few minutes away from Lauren Price's first world title defence.

Lauren Price says she knows her hopes of a unification fight will go up in smoke if she fails to beat Mateus, who is a heavy hitter and like her has a perfect 7-0 record.

"She has a very high knockout ratio record. She has had seven fights with six knockouts so she can bang a bit, she is quite raw and wild but I need to stick to what I'm good at," Price added.

"I've got experience of boxing all around the world as an amateur and I'm an Olympic gold medallist, I've come across bigger girls with different styles, I've faced every style there is. I'm confident as a long as I stick to my plan.

"I know the Tash fight is in the back of my head because I know what can be, but my focus is Saturday. I just have to listen to my team and do what I do best. I need to use my skill and boxing IQ and I believe I get the win."

Steve Bunce
Boxing expert on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

I'm not quite sure when Lauren Price last put a foot wrong in the ring.

When was it she had, not just a loss, but a bad performance?

Tom Brown
BBC Sport Wales

Back in 2019 we filmed with Lauren Price when she was an up-and-coming boxer with a dream of going to the Tokyo Olympics.

She had been raised by her grandparents, Derek and Linda, in their hometown of Ystrad Mynach. You could see how close a family they were.

Derek sadly passed away less than a year before the Tokyo Olympics, meaning he never got to see his granddaughter become Olympic champion.

Price pointed to the sky when she won that Olympic gold - and takes his memory into every fight she's had since.

Tom Brown
BBC Sport Wales

Lauren Price has pulled no punches in her view of tonight’s card.

She would have much rather taken on Natasha Jonas for a shot at another welterweight world title.

But that could come next year instead - with the winner of Price's duel with Bexcy Mateus in line to take on the winner of Jonas and Ivana Habazin.

Tom Brown
BBC Sport Wales

Lauren Price has been uncharacteristically outspoken in making it so clear she wanted a bigger fight tonight.

Sharing a stage at Thursday’s press conference with her promoter, Boxxer’s Ben Shalom, she said he still had ‘a lot of work to do’.

“I would’ve fought anyone with a world title and I still will,” she said.

“I’ve got belts now so that should make those fights come a little bit easier.

"I don’t know, mind," she added, smiling at Shalom. I’m still waiting.”

Image source, PA Media

When I'm not live texting boxing I'm writing about the Wales women's football team and nearly every senior player in that squad has a story about being smashed via a tackle or an elbow when up against Lauren Price!

Tom Brown
BBC Sport Wales

Lauren Price grew up with three dreams.

Become a kickboxing world champion; play international football for Wales; go to the Olympics.

She'd done the first two before she was 20. Then in 2021 the multi-talented athlete completed her wish list in style when she became Wales' first Olympic boxing champion in Tokyo.

As soon as she turned pro she made it clear she wanted to move fast and become the undisputed world champion at welterweight.

You wouldn’t bet against her.

Image source, Getty Images

Welterweight world champions Natasha Jonas and Lauren Price both made weight for their respective title fights which take place on Saturday in Liverpool tonight.

Jonas, 40, defends her IBF belt against WBC champion Ivana Habazin tonight while WBA title holder Price faces Bexcy Mateus.

Both fighters made the championship limit of 10st 6lb.

Despite the British pair facing tough tests, all the talk of fight week has been of a potential bout between Price and Jonas in 2025.

"We'll talk about it tomorrow" was Jonas' response when asked about the possible contest at Friday's weigh-in.

Price was a little more direct in her response.

"That's a great British fight and what I'm calling for," she said.

"I know we've both got a job to do on Saturday night, but when I turned over as Olympic champion I wanted them big fights.

"I'm world champion now. I want more belts. I want to create a legacy. I want to bring big-time boxing back to Cardiff, create greatness."

It has been a good night for several local fighters on the undercard in Liverpool.

Liverpool’s Frankie Stringer, an unbeaten prospect managed by former world champion Liam Smith, dominated Tatenda Mangombe and put him down in the last round as Stringer moves to 9-0.

Another home favourite Mikie Tallon moved to 6-0 with victory over Benn Norman and another up and coming Merseyside fighter, Jamie Devine, moved to 5-0 with a points win over Jayro Fernando Duran in the opening bout of the evening.

Mason Cartwright was victorious via a shut-out point win over Dzmitry Atrokhau and Mark Jeffers has just made light work of Joshua Quartey, stopping him in the third round.

Image source, Getty Images

As well as following my mutterings on here, there are plenty of ways to stay across tonight's action on the BBC.

Natasha Jonas and Lauren Price's world title defences on Saturday in Liverpool will be broadcast live from 20:00 GMT on BBC Sounds.

Jonas, 40, defends her IBF title against Ivana Habazin in the main event at the Exhibition Centre and she will also look to add the WBC belt to her welterweight collection.

Radio coverage begins on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra from 20:00 before switching to BBC Radio 5 Live from 21:00.

Video highlights of Price and Jonas' fights will be available to watch on the BBC Sport website and app on Sunday.

Tom Brown
BBC Sport Wales

Unless you are Steve Bunce or a boxing expert, very little is known about the 29-year-old Colombian who takes on Lauren Price tonight.

She has had seven fights as a pro - but this is her first outside of Colombia.

Mateus spoke through a translator at Thursday's press conference. Here's what she had to say...

“I’m very grateful to be here," she began, "and I’m very grateful for the team that I have and how well they’ve treated me and how well the country has welcomed me.

“I know perfectly well who Lauren is. And I know who I am. So I’m just going to give everything I can and have a good fight.”

Asked about her style in the ring she was pretty coy, saying “the only thing I can say is that it’s going to be a great fight.

She still managed to fit in a prediction for tonight's main event though, finishing by saying "if I win on Saturday night, I know I’d be fighting against Ivana [next].”

Image source, PA Media

Dylan Griffiths
BBC Radio Cymru at Liverpool Exhibition Centre

The atmosphere is certainly building here.

Not too long to wait now until Lauren Price steps into the ring as as defending world champion for the first time.

She is certainly the favourite to beat Colombian Bexcy Mateus but with six KO wins from her seven victories, Mateus represents an interesting challenge.

Don't forget you can listen to all of the action of the Lauren Price fight in Cymraeg on Radio Cymru with Ioan Croft on co-commentary.

Image source, Dylan Griffiths

Lauren Price has won all seven of her professional fights since winning Olympic gold.

Her opponent tonight, Bexcy Mateus has also won all seven of her professional bouts.

However, Price has seen six of her contests go the distance, whereas six of Mateus' seven wins have come by way of stoppage.

Image source, Getty Images

Lauren Price is not expected to emerge for her ringwalk later than 20:45.

We haven't seen many stoppages tonight, so it looks like we've got a bit of time to really focus on tonight's two key fights.

Image source, Getty Images

Steve Bunce caught up with Natasha Jonas and Lauren Price ahead of tonight's huge card of boxing in Liverpool.

While we await the main action, catch-up with the podcast below.

Listen here:5 Live Boxing with Steve Bunce

Image source, Getty Images

Good evening and welcome to what should be an exciting night of boxing in Liverpool.

We have two British world champions in action tonight as Lauren Price defends her WBA world welterweight title against big-hitting challenger Bexcy Mateus.

Then in our main event of the evening, hometown favourite Natasha Jonas defends her IBF world title and claim the WBC belt from the dangerous Croatian Ivana Habazin.

If Jonas and Price are both victorious a huge unification fight beckons, but this is boxing and we know what can happen to best laid plans in this sport.

There should be plenty to keep us entertained, so grab a drink and let us guide you through the last big women's boxing show of 2024.

Image source, Getty Images