By James Slater: It seems there is a very good chance U.S fight fans will be able to see British heavyweight sensation David Price in action as soon as March. Fresh off his highly impressive 73-second destruction of the usually sturdy John McDermott, 28-year-old Price is the talk of the town. But he could soon be the talk of New York.
According to an interview his promoter Frank Maloney gave with The Daily Star, the plan now is for Price, 12-0(10) to fight in America, possibly Madison Square Garden, in March – with an all-British showdown with fellow unbeaten Tyson Fury tentatively pencilled in for either April or May: if Fury will agree to take the fight, that is!
Promoter Maloney and Price himself have there doubts:
“I think his [Fury’s] management might go a different route, but I hope they don’t,” Price said. “It is a fight the public want to see and that I want.”
Maloney spoke of his fighter’s upcoming plans:
“The Fury fight is unlikely to happen until late April or May, so David will box in March and there is a real possibility that fight will be in America,” Maloney said. “ I have spoken to a couple of U.S promoters, Lou DiBella and Kathy Duva. I am going over there next week to try and finalise something.
“He could fight on Lou’s show at Madison Square Garden (the Sergio Martinez-Matthew Macklin fight on St. Patrick’s Day) or there is another bill in Texas around the same time which would give exposure on American terrestrial television.”
Maloney, who helped guide all-time great Lennox Lewis to the undisputed heavyweight championship, says Price will be the next big thing at the weight and that he “will dominate” the division. It’s still early days of course, but fans are excited about the 2008 Olympic bronze medallist. The excitement will only grow if Price bangs out a recognisable name in America in March. Then, if the Fury fight gets made and if Price wins, by KO especially, the hype machine will really go into first gear.
Will Fury, who has an amateur loss to Price, agree to defend his British belt against the 6’8” talent from Liverpool, or will he do as some feel he will and vacate the title? I for one would have no hesitation at all in picking Price to defeat Fury if the fight went ahead in April or May. If Nicolai Firtha can badly wobble Fury, and if Neven Pajkic can deck him (neither guy is recognised as a huge puncher), then what would Price’s wrecking ball of a right hand do to the defensively-sloppy Fury?