LAUREN Price made her appointment with Olympic middleweight champion destiny, but was denied by her Dutch opponent Nouchka Fontijn.
Fontijn and Welsh wonder Price have been battling for supremacy for five year, with Fontijn holding a narrow lead. Fontijn was formerly a part-time cabbie in Newport.
Lauren Price from Team GB tries to read Nouchka Fontijn
After three rounds of exhausting matches at the Kokugican Arena the 27-year old, who had lost one point in round two, was able to get through with a 3-2 majority. Two judges awarded her the victory on tie-breaks when their cards were even.
Britain's boxers delivered six medals at Tokyo 2020, with Price and Galal Yafai still in with a chance for gold.
Fontijn and Price were just beaten by Fontijn in the race to lift the European and world belts in 2019.
The Brit southpaw seemed to have used her speed and ducked inside Fontijn's orthodox leads to score her shots. However, the Dutch fighter won the fight with three out of five judges.
This increased the pressure, and Price was also deducted one point for holding.
Despite taking the round with three judges, she was still behind on four cards after two. She had to win the last round to advance.
She didn't do it in three more minutes, which could have been decided either direction but was shaded off by the Welsh fighter, according to four of them.
Fontijn was ahead with two cards, Price on one, and Fontijn level with the Argentinean and Moroccan judges.
Both gave their tie break votes to Price. Price howled with delight when the verdict was delivered to confirm Price's passage to Sunday’s final.
Price, who was thrilled to be leaving the ring, thanked her fans and said: "It means everything."
According to her, it was "pretty crazy, to be fair."
"Obviously, I knew that I was up against today, we are the best two people in the world.
"We have met many times and know each other well. It was the person who was more successful on that particular day.
"I started slow but that's how it goes. After listening to my side, I was able to go out in the second round and win the fight.
"I am just overwhelmed that I won. She deserves my respect.
"Obviously, she has been around for a while, Olympic silver medallist, and she is world-class as she is.
"So, I'm just really happy that I got the choice today."
