Joe Gallagher has taken aim at Lauren Price after she missed a planned face-off with Natasha Jonas on Tuesday. The two will fight for the WBC, IBF and WBA welterweight championships at the Royal Albert Hall on Friday night.

Jonas will enter as the WBC and IBF welterweight world champion after defeating Ivana Habazin at the Exhibition Centre just before Christmas. Her victory followed Price's first world title defence as she knocked out Bexcy Mateus to remain WBA, IBO and Ring Magazine champion.

The two were due to face-off in the capital on Tuesday, but Price failed to show as expected, a move that left Gallagher less than impressed. The Champs Camp trainer would later suggest that the 30-year-old’s absence could be down to the fact she is struggling to make weight.

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Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: "You start fight week on a huge event, whether it be [Anthony] Joshua-Daniel Dubois or whoever, that's just how it is. We all meet and they have the face-off and it starts fight week.

"We came down last night to be here for this morning. We did the board check weigh this morning and then at half 10 we were told we're not doing that [face-off] now. Why not?

"Lauren, she's new to the sport, but she's got very experienced people around her who have been involved in big fights and understand what fight week's all about.

"I just thought that was just a huge smack of disrespect, really, for not making the effort to come down there.

"A bit disrespectful to Tasha, and there's a lot of people that have been disrespectful to Natasha in the build-up to it. Certain press, certain media, certain things."

Before he added: "The only other reason [for not appearing at the face-off could be] that she's struggling to make weight and stayed in Sheffield to burn weight off.

"In the amateurs, she [Price] boxed at 75 kilos. She's a 75-kilo girl coming down to 67. When Natasha started as a pro at 130lbs, [she then went to] 135lbs, 154lbs and walks around at 150.

"I really do [think Price is struggling]. When they both get in the ring, I'm sure you'll see some size difference.

"It's a huge fight, not just for the two girls but for women's sport and women's boxing and the spectacle of it at a prestigious location, the Royal Albert Hall. On Friday night it's a massive event."

Responding to Gallagher’s claims, Price said: "I was told to get here at 4pm because I had a check weigh-in at 9.30am in the morning [in Sheffield], so I was never going to make 11am. I got told to get here at 4pm and that's what I done. And that's it.

"I think that there's a communication breakdown somewhere and it's not on my end.

"That's like me saying, 'Is Jonas a welterweight? Do I look like a middleweight? Definitely not. I always, if anything, had to put weight on to make sure I was over the lowest limit [as an amateur]."