Since two devastating back-to-back knockout losses at the hands of wily old American veteran Tony Thompson in 2013, David Price’s career has been undergoing something of a ‘rebuild’, and Friday night sees the first real test of those efforts to get back on track, when the giant Scouser fights unbeaten German Erkan Teper for the vacant European heavyweight title in Ludwigsburg, Germany.
Speaking of the fight in ‘The Liverpool Echo’ recently, Price knows that defeat will end any chance of ever achieving the lofty heights that many boxing writers and trade insiders had once predicted for him.
The former Olympian said;
“This is an absolutely massive fight for me. To win the European title and be the first heavyweight from Liverpool to do it would mean the world to me. It’s something no one would be able to take away from me and would confirm my credentials as a world title contender.”
And Price is confident he has the goods to beat his 33 year old opponent, who has only been a professional 5 years and brings a 14-0, 9 early slate with him – insisting he has studied plenty of footage of the German fighter in the build up and knows what he needs to do to beat him;
“I’ve watched all of Terper’s fights and he’s the perfect opponent for me. I’m 100% confident I will win. He is exactly the type of fighter I’ve been looking to fight, so to do it with the European title on the line is an added bonus.”
It has surely been a frustrating couple of years for Price, once touted for world success ahead of Tyson Fury in many people’s estimation, and watching his countryman soon to fight for a world title has given the 32 year old the extra incentive to get back in the mix.
“I’ll tell you now, he (Terper) has never been in the ring with anyone who can punch like me, who can move like me, and with my ability. I’m not messing around anymore. I’m coming with bad intentions.”
David Price v Erkan Teper will be screened by Boxnation in the UK
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