Dan Azeez vs Thomas Faure and Lauren Price vs Naomi Mannes join Yoka vs Takam

A distinctly British undercard is coming together for Tony Yoka vs Carlos Takam on March 11th. British and Commonwealth light heavyweight champion Dan Azeez battles Thomas Faure for the European title in the co-feature, while Olympic gold medalist Lauren Price meets Naomi Mannes in her third professional bout.

One more televised bout “will be announced later this week.”

Azeez (18-0, 12 KO) is on a nice little run that’s seen him knock out Hosea Burton, beat Shakan Pitters for the British belt two fights later, then sent Rocky Fielding into retirement last December. A win here would go a long way towards helping him stand out among the Smith/Buatsi/Yarde logjam, and at 33 years old, time’s definitely of the essence.

France’s Faure (21-4-1, 2 KO) hasn’t fought since last January and has yet to score a marquee victory in 10 years as a professional. He’s somehow 1-2 against journeyman Eddy Lacrosse, though, so that’s something unique at least.

Dan Azeez said: “My goal has always been to become a world champion and I believe that the European title is the perfect stepping stone for me in this mission. I’m training hard and I’m excited for the fight.”

Price (2-0, 1 KO), who recently received her MBE, capped off a standout amateur career by running the table in Tokyo as a middleweight. She’ll be fighting at 147 against Mannes (6-1, 4 KO), who fell short in a bid for the European title last November.

Lauren Price MBE said: “I was proud to represent Great Britain all over the world in my amateur career and going to Paris, where I qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, for my third professional bout gives me a similar feeling. “I know that Naomi Mannes recently challenged for the European title so she’s definitely a step up in competition. I can’t wait to get over to France and show the world what I’ve been working on.”

Source: Olympic Gold Medal Hero Lauren Price Added To Yoka Vs Takam Undercard - Latest Boxing News (https://boxingnews.co/olympic-gold-medal-hero-lauren-price-added-to-yoka-vs-takam-undercard/)