Lauren Price is set to return to the ring in Cardiff on April 4, against Stephanie Aquino.

The Welsh star is preparing for what promoter Ben Shalom calls “one of the best fights in women's boxing that you can make, back in Cardiff, in a huge fight. That'll be a big night for us.”

The gifted 9-0 (2 KOS) southpaw, who holds the WBA, WBC, IBF, and Ring belts, defeated Natasha Jonas in March last year but has not boxed since, but Shalom has huge plans for the welterweight champion, culminating in a fight with outspoken “GWOAT” Claressa Shields.

Aquino is a 10-0 (3 KOs) Puerto Rican who has not yet boxed outside of Puerto Rico as a pro.

“But it’s a big night for Lauren,” he added. “She’s been out, obviously, last year, since the big win at the Royal Albert Hall, and we’ve been trying to get her back for a while. So I’m delighted. For me, she's the best female on the planet. She's the one that's going to go all the way. She's the one that's going to beat Claressa Shields.

“She’s the only female, I think, on planet Earth that can beat Claressa Shields, and that’s a credit to Claressa. But Lauren Price is a phenomenal athlete, and for her to box in front of her own crowd on BBC is going to be a huge moment in her career.”

Shalom said he hoped April would be the first of up to three outings for the Robert McCracken trained Price.

“April will be the first of a big year,” he added. “She's getting married in May, and she'll be back out in December.” 

“Defending my world titles at home in Wales means everything to me," said Price. "I want to repay the support everyone has shown me with another great performance. I never turn down a challenge. Stephanie Pineiro Aquino is a dangerous fighter, but nothing is going to stop me from getting my hand raised on April 4 in Cardiff.”

The challenger countered: “I respect everything Lauren Price has achieved, but I have worked all my life for this moment, and I am ready to show I am the best in the world. Lauren may have the home fans on her side, but I have a country behind me too. I am coming to take those belts back to Puerto Rico.”

Welshman Rhys Edwards, 17-1 (4 KOs), will fight Gully Power for the British featherweight title on the bill. Wolverhampton’s Power is 13-1 (1 KO) at Cardiff’s Utilita Arena.