Posted on 18 January 2012

Price Looks to Klitschko Dominance as DNA for Success

There are very few sights more intimidating than seeing David Price hammering down blows on his opponents. Whether simply sparring in the gym or delivering the sort of brutal right hand that devastatingly knocked out his good friend, and last opponent, Tom Dallas. The Liverpudlian is no gentle giant inside the ring. Instead he uses his 6ft 8" frame to dissect and dispatch whoever is placed in front of him.

On January 21 the man that will come face-to-face with Price is fellow Brit John McDermott. The pair were due to meet in November of last year before an injury to the 28-year-old put the bout on hold. In that time Price has had plenty of time to reflect on the near three years since he signed his first professional contract with the now defunct Hayemaker Promotions.

With just 11 fights to his name in nearly three years, Price has perhaps gone under the radar to the general public, with many casual fight fans simply recognising David Haye as the only top British heavyweight. That is far from the truth, below the Hayemaker we have three fighters in Dereck Chisora, Tyson Fury and Price, who truly believe they can force their way into contention at world level. Should Price safely navigate his way past McDermott, as most observers fully expect him to do, then we could soon see a clash of two giants as Fury waits in the wings.

However, Price is solely focused on the task at hand and that is McDermott. He refuses to underestimate the Londoner but at the same time is confident that he can get past the man that so nearly upset Fury on his route to becoming the British champion. "I think if I perform anywhere near to the best of my ability then I should make it an easy fight," declares the man who signed his first professional contract on the pitch of his beloved Liverpool football club.

"Everything has gone to plan in training and I am just happy that it got rearranged so quickly. I have previously fought with hand injuries against lesser opponents but I knew that I couldn't take the risk at this level. I'm confident that I will perform on the night and that everyone will be able to see an improvement in my work."

There is every reason for the 2008 Olympian to sound confident. As an amateur Price competed against the very best both at European and World level. At the 2005 World Amateur Boxing Championships he was narrowly defeated by Robert Helenius, now the reigning European heavyweight champion, while his performance in Beijing saw him return home with a bronze medal.

One man that Price is familiar with from his time in the amateurs is he aforementioned Fury. The undefeated heavyweight holds the British and Commonwealth titles as well as a comprehensive points victory over Chisora, the man that hopes to break the stranglehold on the division, currently held by the Klitschko brothers, when he faces Vitali on February 18.

"Once I get this fight out of the way I can concentrate on Tyson as he has the belt I want," admits Price, who I then ask to tell what he has made of Fury's career to date. "He's done well since he has become British champion and he has had a couple of good wins, but he has a lot of flaws and I would love the chance to expose them."

Fury is still just 23-years-old and despite his impressive stature, he has sometimes appeared unconditioned. Five years his senior, Price knows his body and is focused on getting in the best shape possible. He may already possess an explosive right hand, but he has warned future opponents that he is still getting stronger and lifting more weights in the gym.

"Remaining as an amateur until my mid twenties allowed me to learn how to fight against different types of opponents and I was always coming up against top class opposition. Since then I have learned even more and I am lifting more so I know that the power is improving and that I am getting stronger."

It is a worrying claim for future challengers. Price has already secured a number of single punch knock-outs, including his last two outings against Dallas and Raphael Butler. Yet, the hulking Price is not relying solely on his ability to turn the lights out on his opponents. Having mixed it at elite level as an amateur he is all too aware that there will come a time when someone can handle his power.

"It gives me confidence to know that I can stop people with one punch, but I am not trying not to get too carried away with it," explains the extremely level headed Price, who has grown up in an era dominated by the Klitschko brothers and their superb boxing skills behind a ramrod jab. "I know that I will need a plan B, and that I will be forced to rely on my boxing skills. If i see an opening then I will try and expose it, but I certainly don't try and force a knock out."

There is certainly a hope among British boxing fans that Price could be the man to step into the limelight vacated by David Haye. He may not have the same conceited personality, but his skills inside the ring make him a real contender to make the step up to world class. Price has spent time sparring with the former WBA champion who was full of praise for his fellow British contender.

"I've sparred David plenty at various stages of my boxing life and it goes without saying that he's better now than ever before. In addition to his great fundamentals, David now has the confidence to throw his hands freely and I've got no doubt he will shock a few people next weekend in Liverpool," revealed Haye before his clash with Wladamir Klitschko. "I can see David looking a million dollars against McDermott. It will soon be time for new faces in the domestic and world heavyweight division and I feel Price is the man to make the move and become this country's next world-class big guy."

Price refuses to look to far into the future but with this resounding endorsement from Britain's last heavyweight champion he will certainly approach his future with plenty of confidence. But where does the avid Liverpool fan feel his focus will be in the coming twelve months?

"Well I boxed Helenius in the amateurs and I consider myself to be better than him so that is the level that I want to get to in the next 12 months and then move on from there. You do set targets but it's hard in professional boxing as there are a lot of other factors that influence decisions from the outside. It's whether or not your promoter can get you the fight, so what I try to do is just concentrate on each fight as it comes."

As I continue to quiz Price on his long term goals it becomes plainly evident that this is one heavyweight who will very rarely been drawn into a war of words. He may well be opinionated but his responses are concise and he certainly does not share the view of many heavyweights that the Klitschko's are killing the division.

"I think they are excellent fighters as they have got what they do down to a tee and no-one can get near them so far. They are certainly doing something right and because I am a similar size to them I try and incorporate what they do into my style as it seems to be the blueprint for success for someone who is 6ft 8".

"It's not there fault there isn't enough competition. They are wiping the floor with everyone in front of them so it's up to the other people to work out a way to beat the pair of them. It isn't the Klitschko's that have killed the division, it's the so called contenders."

The duo act as an inspiration for what Price can achieve. He shares physical attributes with both Vitali and Wladamir and if he can learn to combine his natural boxing ability with his raw power then he could well find himself in the firing line.