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David Price: Tony Thompson says he can still be world champion

By Marc HigginsonBBC Sport at Echo Arena, Liverpool

Last updated on .From the section Boxingcomments100

David Price

Tony Thompson says Britain's David Price will still become a heavyweight world champion - despite the American's shock victory in Liverpool on Saturday.

Home favourite Price, 29, had won all 15 of his professional fights leading into the clash with Thompson, 41, but suffered a

He said: "I told David I think he will wind up being a world champion."

Price added: "It is disappointing but it is not the end of the world. I will come back stronger."

David Price, Tony Thompson
David Price was knocked out by Tony Thompson

Thompson has twice fought and lost world title bouts against Wladimir Klitschko.

The American said: "If you stay in this game long enough, and you're not Rocky Marciano, you are probably going to lose.

"If he takes this loss and builds on it, he will become world champion. It just wasn't his day, it was Tony Thompson's day."

The fight had barely started when Price's evening was brought to a shuddering end.

After a cagey opening round, Price had started to open up when, after failing to connect with a right hook, he was caught with a counter-punch to the side of the head.

He was sent crashing to the canvas and, after struggling to regain his composure, was counted out by the referee.

"It is one of those things in heavyweight boxing," said Price. "It was a funny shot which perforated my ear-drum, took my balance away and scrambled my senses.

"It wasn't that big a shot, it was where it caught me that did the damage. It was disorientating."

Price still expects to fight his way to the very top. He added: "I am still the British and Commonwealth champion and two or three fights down the line this fight will be ancient history and I will be back talking about world titles.

"I will probably go back to knocking people out in one or two rounds - one punch doesn't change everything.

"Of course it knocks me back, we have to be realistic as it is a big setback. We have a good team around me who can rebuild me.

"It is definitely a learning curve, it is heavyweight boxing and things happen. I've been knocking people and now it has happened to me."

David Price
David Price after his defeat

Price says he would be keen on the possibility of a rematch with Thompson, but the American said he would rather fight another British fighter next - Tyson Fury, who has yet to be beaten in 20 fights.

"They can talk all they want about a rematch, I am not coming over here again," said Thompson.

"They vastly underpaid me for this fight and I took this fight because of the opportunity. I have created my own opportunity now so if they want to fight me again, they have to come over to my side of the pond and pay me what I am worth.

"I want to fight Tyson Fury next. I wouldn't even put him in the same league as David Price."

Thompson was drug-tested following the fight after suggesting in a pre-bout interview that doping in sport should be legalised because

He stands by those quotes, and also defended himself against suggestions that he was not as trim as his opponent.

"I wasn't overweight," said Thompson. "I have been heavier in plenty of other fights.

"I didn't mind them drug-testing me. All they were going to find was doughnut juice and fried chicken. How can you look at my belly and tell me I am on something?"

Price's promoter Frank Maloney was released from hospital on Sunday. He collapsed after the fight, but Price told the BBC he was "fine".

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100 comments

  • Comment posted by greedkilledfootball, at 11:42 24 Feb 2013

    I love boxing but i had not seen one of price's fights as he was fed a diet of mismatches. How that led some to speculate he was the future of the division was beyond me. A fat 41 year old, thrashed by Wladimir Klitschko in July exposed him for what he was. When will the media and fans learn not to get too carried away after wins over bums like dudley harrison?

  • Comment posted by User0817589664, at 10:46 24 Feb 2013

    @24.. Happened to Lewis..TWICE ... Rated one of the best HWs.. It was a freakish punch end of story and would have done any HW...try regrouping when you've had your eardrum perforated fella... Clearly doesn't understand ... Price will comeback from this without any doubt.

  • Comment posted by User0056499456, at 13:19 24 Feb 2013

    Anyone one that has ever faced someone in the ring wouldn't be so dismissive and negative, i get sick of the words "bums" and "useless" flick your nose with your finger, it will make your eyes water, imagine a 220lb man repeatedly punching your face, it hurts, and all boxers get hurt at one time or another, many armchair critics do have boxing knowledge i know, but knowledge isn't experience.

  • Comment posted by User0906571364, at 11:14 24 Feb 2013

    Why all the hate for Fury? I mean yeah he's controversial but he's 24! Oh and unbeaten! We should get behind our fighters! My opinions on price are there because I just don't want to see him get badly hurt fighting above his level. @ 26 yeah Lewis did get caught especially by Rahman but it was the way Lewis dispatched him in the next fight! Don't think price would do that to thompson

  • Comment posted by professorfart, at 01:57 25 Feb 2013

    The truth is that in Thompson, Price met a fighter who simply didn't wilt under an assault and came back firing at him.
    Price sadly lacked the tools to deal with the situation and was caught several times by that right throughout the short fight.
    You could see the confusion and concern in his face after he had Thompson in a corner and Thompson fought his way out.

  • Comment posted by User0670991825, at 08:04 24 Feb 2013

    1.kal77uk

    Did you read the article or even watch the fight, he burst his eardrum, an injury where it is nigh on impossible to co-ordinate balance. .

    2.muscleover40

    You think Fury can box? Same thing will happen the moment he faces a puncher, it will be lights out. No defense and the most overated, hyped boxer ever.

    Selling him to Irish America doesn't make him a boxer.

  • Comment posted by fairplay2u, at 16:29 24 Feb 2013

    No matter what your physique is like or whatever bombs you through a boxer with a glass chin will never ever ever make it to the top. Don't let money grabber Moloney tell you anything else.

  • Comment posted by SteveR, at 10:23 24 Feb 2013

    The point is Davids reaction to the one punch was pretty frightening (After the live coverage the replays never showed it again)

    Improving his defence is sadly just shuffling the deckchairs. No really successful heavyweight in living memory has been unable to take one punch. The certain thing is he is going to get hit.

    He is a genuine big hearted man and I sincerely hope he does not get hurt!

  • Comment posted by SteveR, at 09:37 24 Feb 2013

    Much as I warm to David Price I was dreading this. (He was hurt badly with a single punch in the amateurs).

    The truth is you can't "learn" punch resistance and now it is in the open it is ten times worse!

    David is an exciting puncher but that is irrelevant if you can get knocked senseless by a punch, especially in the heavyweights.

    Yes, Frank Bruno had a weakness too...but not to one punch :-(

  • Comment posted by User0389694704, at 09:17 24 Feb 2013

    Whichever way you look at it Price has failed his first real test. He can come back stronger for this but if he gets in with the best he'll need to up his defence and develop some meaness and bad intent in his personality and work. Straight in next with Fury should help see what's really in there.

  • Comment posted by professorfart, at 11:52 24 Feb 2013

    The price was paid for cherry picking 'name' domestic opponents way past their best in his last 5 contests; fights from which Price learned very little but padded out his record and reputation.
    A few more rounds under his belt in fights against decent,experienced US or Euro journeymen would have been far more beneficial than blowing away the likes of Dallas, Harrison and Skelton.

  • Comment posted by User0906571364, at 09:17 24 Feb 2013

    There was a lot of love for price in the article on here regards price vs fury. I said then, he had fought little of note and his chin would be suspect against a better class, harder hitting opponent. This was rebuffed by a lot of people. I said time will tell and in his next fight looks like I'm proved right. There is a lot of talk of levels in boxing and I think price's is European at best

  • Comment posted by Inmyopinion, at 15:52 24 Feb 2013

    @58 day dreamers dream and dont do. price is training very hard and doing it for real. What in all your wisdom should he do? IMO he should get back in the gym, watch the tapes and look what he did wrong. He actually said himself that he dropped his left hand and knew TT was looking for the counter. Why did he put himself there? He didnt need to. Maybe he should train with Virgil Hunter.

  • Comment posted by SteveR, at 12:18 24 Feb 2013

    Re 26. It's all opinion I know but Lewis showed over a long career he could take regularly take punches from the best of them. The punches that decked him were huge punches but he had taken plenty beforehand in each fight.

    The problem I have with David Price is that I have yet so see him absorb a decent punch and he just seems so fragile.

    I hope he proves me wrong as I genuinely like the guy.

  • Comment posted by User0549322667, at 15:12 24 Feb 2013

    The concern is that whichever way Price's camp spin it he got hit with a relatively light shot and it completely finished him. If a behind the ear shot generally had that kind of effect on top heavyweights then everybody would be throwing them !
    Price seems like a nice guy and I wish him well but he doesn't look tough enough in this business at the top level.

  • Comment posted by AndSleep, at 12:29 24 Feb 2013

    Haters gonna hate! Not convinced Price or Fury are top drawer but all those writing off Price on the basis of this fight don't understand the game at all. This could actually be the making of him. He has the character to pick himself up so we'll see in time if he has the tools.

  • Comment posted by kehoe86, at 08:36 24 Feb 2013

    Why in this country do we write people off so quickly its ridiculous. Its impossible to carry on fighting with a burst ear drum. Tyson Fury is just a big oath he has no defense, he is slow and he just plods around the ring.

    Wladimir Klitschko ealry in his career was knocked out early on a few times now look at him.

  • Comment posted by Inmyopinion, at 08:45 24 Feb 2013

    @5 I agree. Corry Sanders smahed Wlad to pieces and truly KOd him yet he worked with Manny Steward to sort his defence and tactics out and look where it has taken him. Many, many boxers have come back from losses and Price can do the same.

  • Comment posted by User0335908173, at 13:45 24 Feb 2013

    Price is decent but he has a LOT to work on.

    Low work rate and worst of all, a poor defence.

    Get back to work.

    Kick Fury's and Harrison's butts and then Thompson, and then have a crack at a Klitschko.

  • Comment posted by ocube, at 13:37 25 Feb 2013

    @JayRed - Couldn't agree more. I wondered what would happen if Price faced a fighter who could slug it out. Also disappointed Price claims the shot was lucky as there was nothing lucky about it, Thompson feigns a punch with his left, then ducks under Price's counter and swings round with his right. I could see that punch coming from a mile as Price had no head movement at all the entire 2 rounds.

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