BY GABRIEL PRINCEWILL
Heavyweight prospect David Price delivered a knockout victory against Brazillian opponent Beeto Costa, 16-2 (14) Junior in six rounds in Germany tonight, in the third successive attempt to rebuild his previously crashed career. The huge and athletic 6ft 8 inch knock out artist who was touted for great things before back to back losses to American Tony Thompson who exposed his limitations, dominated the fight against his heavier opponent before sending him to the canvas to keep alive his aspirations for bigger fights this year.
Price who has now won 19 out of 21 fights(17KO’s) was on a mission to explore the wider technical skills he says he has adopted in training, with a view to gaining more rounds whilst retaining the trademark power that once tipped him as the heir to Lennox Lewis’s throne. That power was still evident in his outstanding demolition of an opponent who himself had racked up enough knock-out wins with only two losses on his resume. His journey to winning results has resumed, but he is still a long way from restoring the former expectations that he can outshine his contemporaries in his quest for heavyweight stardom. He will need to beat the big guns to regain that buzz, and to this end he wants a clash against Tyson Fury or Anthony Joshua as soon as possible.
David Price told Eye of Media ” I knew he was a tough nut and was not going to go away easily. I had to box patiently and smartly and listen to instructions from my corner and it paid off. Gone are the days I just get into the ring and just try and blast out my opponent. I got the result I wanted with a spectacular finish and more rounds. Now I will get a top 10 opponent next, though ideally I would like a big fight with Tyson Fury if there is any delay in him getting Klitschko. I think me and Fury is a big domestic fight for British fans. Anthony Joshua is another fight I will also take in a heartbeat because he is doing all the right things now and getting the results, so a fight between me and him will sell big. I am just glad to be back to winning ways and looking forward to bigger fights for my fans”.
A fight between Price and Fury would indeed be a seller, though it is very unlikely Fury will risk that whilst waiting for a big pay day against reigning three belt holder, Wladimir Klitschko. Fury once dumped the British and Common Wealth belt to avoid a meeting with Price and is unlikely to take on such a fight at this crucial stage of his career. The unbeaten gipsy,23-0 (17) faces Christian Hammer next weekend, though the truth is that Hammer poses far less of a risk to Fury than Price does. Price is a humble fighter with genuine potential, though still has a way to go to proving himself a legitimate contender for any of the world titles in today’s comparatively weak heavyweight division. A clash with Britain’s well loved Anthony Joshua will also be very attractive and similarly risky for Price who has shown a willingness to take risks en route to his ambitions of world title glory. He fell short against Thompson and has hopefully learnt from it. It would be a fair measure to see how Fury would fair against Tony Thompson, but I doubt the outspoken leading contender will risk that. Joshua might take a similar risk as Price took in the near future in meeting David Price himself, we shall see. For now, let’s hope Price is truly back to winning ways for good.
