David Price, no stranger to fighting drug cheats, says he is giving Dillian Whyte “the benefit of the doubt”

BN: How settled are you in retirement?

Iโ€™m really happy. Iโ€™ve been running my own business since 2020. Iโ€™d had a good run of fights where Iโ€™d done well financially and I invested a bit of money in property and started my own business. Before that, I was only earning good money when I was British champion. Iโ€™d had a few years of worrying about the next payday โ€“ย when the next fight would even be. It was okay when I was at the Sauerlands, but the period between that and when I fought [in 2018, Alexander] Povetkin there was a bit of uncertainty.

Life after boxing was always a big thing for me. โ€œWhat am I gonna do to provide for my family [Price has two children with wife Jade, and also has two dogs] after boxing?โ€ After it became apparent I werenโ€™t gonna be a champion or make millions and go on a golf course for the rest of me life, that was always in the forefront of me mind. โ€œNow I can hang them up.โ€ It werenโ€™t an instant decision overnight โ€“ย it was gradual. I still had one foot in, one foot out. It was after Iโ€™d done a couple of weeksโ€™ training, I was lying on the bed absolutely exhausted โ€“ย wiped out. โ€œI canโ€™t put myself through this anymore.โ€ It werenโ€™t just the physical side; it was emotionally draining. You donโ€™t walk out the gym feeling a million dollars โ€“ย youโ€™re getting put through the mill.

Outlook Energy Solutions. We install solar panels; renewable energies; insulations. Kind of like what I was doing before I went full-time in boxing โ€“ย I was a central heating engineer. We help people in fuel poverty โ€“ย weโ€™ll go and do this work free of charge for them. Thatโ€™s the most satisfying part of it โ€“ย an old widow, young family, single mother is struggling to pay the bills and weโ€™ll go in and upgrade her property to be more energy efficient; warmer; save money on her bills. Thatโ€™s something Iโ€™m passionate about. Iโ€™ve got purpose to get up every morning. Iโ€™ve got things to keep me occupied through the day. Iโ€™m busy; Iโ€™m hands on.

I do have me moments where I miss the gym; the being a professional sportsman; being a fighter; the notoriety of being a fighter and everything else. But I do have to remind meself sometimes that I fucking hated it towards the end. I hated it. So every time I feel a bit melancholy or nostalgic I do have to remind meself it werenโ€™t very enjoyable towards the end โ€“ย and even sometimes before that.

It was when I started getting paid that the enjoyment went out of it. I started getting paid as an amateur โ€“ the pureness of it kind of went then. Youโ€™ve got to maintain it by succeeding; the pure joy went out of it early. The unhappiest times were travelling up to Dave Coldwellโ€™s gym in Rotherham. That was me out of me comfort zone โ€“ย away from home, in a hotel room, time on me hands to sit doing fuck all. I didnโ€™t even have a promoter so I didnโ€™t even know when I was fighting. I hated it then and wanted to retire but I needed the money. When Tommy Brooks was over as a trainer โ€“ it was just me, him and Franny Smith, who was great all through me career, in a little lock-up unit in Bootle in Liverpool. I was dwelling on the Tony Thompson fights, and donโ€™t look back on those times with great fondness.ย Even fighting [in 2017, Kamil] Sokolowski on a six-rounder in Brentwood โ€“ย I got paid ยฃ10,000, and I was lucky to get that. โ€œIโ€™ve got no oneโ€™s show I can fight on โ€“ย I might have to go back to work.โ€ Itโ€™s stressful. I got dead fortunate, got the Povetkin fight and a few decent fights and was alright. Joe McNally gave me the new lease of life I needed at that point.


BN: How satisfied are you with your career?

It depends what type of mood Iโ€™m in. If Iโ€™m in a positive mood Iโ€™m satisfied, but I might have days where I feel a little bit dissatisfied and not happy with the way things went. โ€œI could have done better.โ€ The key for me is the acceptance โ€“ย Iโ€™ve got to accept my career ended how it did, with what Iโ€™d achieved. I canโ€™t change that now so I have to accept it. But I also have to accept that, despite many people believing and me briefly believing I could have been the next big thing, I simply just werenโ€™t good enough, and thatโ€™s why I didnโ€™t do it. It doesnโ€™t mean I werenโ€™t good, โ€˜cause I was, and I had a good career, but I werenโ€™t good enough to be the very best. Accepting that is a really powerful thing. Itโ€™s liberating.

Iโ€™ll think about amateur fights in 2004 โ€“ that no one knows about โ€“ย the little things can creep into your mind. We all have little demons in our head which will creep in. It all depends what type of mood Iโ€™m in. That can depend on whether Iโ€™ve had a weekend out on the booze, or if Iโ€™m tired. Iโ€™m in a good positive mindset at the minute โ€“ long may that continue.

I had big anxiety issues โ€“ย I didnโ€™t realise at the time. I just thought that was normal โ€“ย the way you were meant to feel. I werenโ€™t anxious about boxing โ€“ย it was anxiety in general, and a lot of it stemmed from boxing and pressure to earn money and keep providing for my family. Itโ€™s only now I know what it is, and it was quite high anxiety a lot of the time.

Me wife used to tell me I had anxiety when I was boxing, and Iโ€™d take it as an insult. I didnโ€™t even know what the word meant, but I did have it. As you get older you start becoming aware of how you feel, and a lot more things are in the media about that type of thing. The reason I know I had it is I havenโ€™t got it anymore. It was the pressures of boxing; of performing; not wanting to let people down. General fatigue; picking up bugs and illnesses; I had it down to the physical side of training but it was definitely emotional and mental. Me moods as well, around the house; depression and anxiety comes hand in hand. When I was going up to Dave Coldwellโ€™s gym was when it was the worst for me.

[Thereโ€™s] loads of regrets. This is a regret in life as well โ€“ย I wish Iโ€™d have embraced being the size I am when I was younger, but I didnโ€™t like being so big. I wish Iโ€™d have embraced it and stood forward and been proud of being big, in life and in boxing โ€“ย and utilised me size better. But because I didnโ€™t like being tall when I was youngerย I didnโ€™t want to be the stereotypical tall boxer โ€“ย throw the jab a lot and use the reach. If I could do it again Iโ€™d have done more mental coaching early doors, but I werenโ€™t having it. I didnโ€™t believe in it โ€“ย saw it as a weakness โ€“ย working with a mind coach. I started after the Tony Thompson fight [in 2013], and it was good, and even more so at the end โ€“ย when you become more receptive of it, itโ€™s great. I wish Iโ€™d have done the small things that give you marginal gains. Staying in the gym the extra 10 minutes to do a bit more stretching. A bit more groundwork. Rehab on injuries. Little things like that. They were in my control.

Things that were out of my control were me punch resistance โ€“ย I couldnโ€™t take the best shot. The punch resistance transitioned into the engine. I got caught; buzzed; wobbled; the adrenaline kicks in, the heart rate comes up, the breathing gets heavier and the panic is there. Thatโ€™s why I struggled with me engine as well. The adrenaline dump would come in then. I [also] dread to think how many times Iโ€™ve been concussed. But overall I canโ€™t have regrets, because I have to accept itโ€™s done.

Some would give their right hand to be where I am, mentally and emotionally, after boxing. Iโ€™m definitely at peace.


BN: Who was the best you fought?

Povetkin. His accuracy; his timing. His pedigree โ€“ย Olympic champion.


BN: If youโ€™d beaten him youโ€™d have challenged the undefeated Anthony Joshuaโ€ฆ

I probably felt heโ€™d have battered me, but if Iโ€™d beat Povetkin then Iโ€™d have gone into the fight with some degree of confidence. Itโ€™d have been a different story. Before the Povetkin fight, โ€œYouโ€™re fighting Joshua nextโ€. โ€œFucking hell.โ€ Thatโ€™s something that can come into your head sometimes [in retirement], but itโ€™s all ifs and buts.


BN: Could you have beaten Tyson Fury when that fight looked likely, in 2013?

Iโ€™d have had a great chance of winning that fight then. He was still raw; brawling. I had great momentum, and was putting people away left, right and centre. Even later on I donโ€™t know how many fights I had where I didnโ€™t at least drop or wobble someone badly, but earlier on in me career me hands were in great condition โ€“ย I had injuries later on โ€“ I think I could have [beaten Fury]. Boxingโ€™s not who you fight, itโ€™s who you donโ€™t fight, and that was what the Furys knew. Itโ€™s who you fight and when you fight them, and they knew at that time, โ€œWeโ€™ll wait for this oneโ€. But it didnโ€™t come. Thatโ€™s another big, โ€œWhat if?โ€.

Part of me thought [later on] he might think, โ€œI want to beat the last man that beat meโ€. โ€œI wonder if heโ€™d go for itโ€ โ€“ if he was running out of challenges;ย running out of ideas.

I see him a couple of years ago when his baby was in hospital in Liverpool, and run with him around the park. He got in touch to reach out and go for a run, but apart from that I donโ€™t keep in touch with him.

Heโ€™s got to be [one of the best heavyweights ever]. Heโ€™s still undefeated; long career; beat Deontay Wilder, whoโ€™s a great fighter, twice.

There are fighters more deserving [of fighting Fury than Francis Ngannou]. Iโ€™d rather see him in the ring with a good fighter โ€“ a boxer.

Heโ€™ll fight [Oleksandr] Usyk if he sees Usyk with a bit of a sluggish performance. He might go, โ€œRight, nowโ€™s the timeโ€. Thatโ€™s just wise, really โ€“ย clever. Itโ€™s being business-minded. If he was backed into a corner Iโ€™d back him and say heโ€™ll beat him, but you want everything in your favour.


BN: Did you ever get over those defeats by Tony Thompson?

Only years later. I was unforgiving to myself. I was my own worst critic, so it took years to let that go. It took years to let losing in the [Beijing 2008] Olympics semi-final go [Roberto Cammarelle was Priceโ€™s opponent]. When I won the British title [in 2012, stopping Sam Sexton] I let that go โ€“ I felt like Iโ€™d redeemed meself.


BN: How much do the challenges Joshuaโ€™s faced in recent years resonate?

I know what heโ€™s thinking; what heโ€™s going through. Heโ€™s his own worst critic, and heโ€™s a perfectionist, and perfectionism โ€“ย although itโ€™s good to a degree, itโ€™s not good โ€˜cause youโ€™re never happy, because youโ€™ll never be perfect. Youโ€™re very rarely happy โ€“ย even when youโ€™re winning fights, unless your performance has been spot-on. He probably doesnโ€™t feel like he won his last fight, against Jermaine Franklin โ€“ he feels like he lost that fight. He needs to let go of wanting to please people โ€“ย impress people โ€“ย and just enjoy being a fighter. I can see the traits. He just needs someone who knows him โ€“ย knows how to make him tick and get the best out of him.

I donโ€™t think heโ€™ll feel comfortable [against a late-replacement opponent on Saturday] โ€˜cause the last time this happened it all went wrong for him โ€“ย thatโ€™ll be in his head. Thereโ€™ll be more pressure on him to win convincingly. He wonโ€™t get the same satisfaction of winning, because the opponent came in at short notice. โ€œIโ€™ve won, but I didnโ€™t impress everyone, so I donโ€™t feel like Iโ€™ve won.โ€ When I fought Kash Ali [in 2019] and he got disqualified I didnโ€™t feel like Iโ€™d won. You start trying to fight opinions. โ€œIโ€™ll show you โ€“ย I need to get people impressed again.โ€ That ainโ€™t ever going to happen โ€“ย once theyโ€™ve made their mind up, theyโ€™re gone. Heโ€™s trying to win back the adulation when thatโ€™s not possible. Heโ€™s stuck between a rock and a hard place.


BN: How do you feel about your former promoters, the Sauerlands, backing Misfits Boxing?

Iโ€™ve seen Kalle quite heavily involved in that. I suppose they lost the big TV deal they had for years in Germany, and tried to break the UK market a couple of times โ€“ย I was the first port of call to try to do that. Theyโ€™re involved in big fights and big shows [outside of Misfits] but theyโ€™ve probably just seen an opportunity, and theyโ€™re businessmen at the end of the day. If they donโ€™t do it, someone else will. It hasnโ€™t altered me respect for them.


BN: How about your former sparring partner Dillian Whyte becoming caught up in a drugs-testing controversy?

When I see fights called off because of drug testing Iโ€™m not really surprised, but I was surprised when it was Dillian, only โ€˜cause heโ€™s had the issues before. I donโ€™t think heโ€™d do anything at this stage to jeopardise his career. Iโ€™m giving him the benefit of the doubt. Last time it happened [when Whyte defeated Oscar Rivas in 2019] I was part of a show that could have got called off and didnโ€™t [Price defeated Dave Allen].

Itโ€™s probably more rife at the lower levels than the higher levels, where thereโ€™s less chance of random drug testing. The more advanced you are in your career the more there is to lose, but Iโ€™ve always said that and then turned out to be wrong, โ€˜cause people are willing to take a chance to get that extra percentage itโ€™ll give them. You suspect itโ€™s rife, rather than know, but thereโ€™s way too many grey areas in boxing.

Itโ€™s got to be a ban for life [for those found guilty]. But there are circumstances where it may have been an innocent mistake โ€“ย a supplement; contamination. Itโ€™s finding the evidence to prove it wasnโ€™t. Look at Jarrell Miller โ€“ he was on every steroid under the sun. Look at Erkan Teper who knocked me out [in 2015]. They should have got banned for life, โ€˜cause they were on performance-enhancing drugs โ€“ all the ingredients that it takes for someone to get really hurt in a boxing ring. They could well have just gone to jail for that. But when youโ€™re talking a banned substance that might be a stimulant, then maybe not โ€“ย but these things can be masking agents for the naughtier stuff. Thereโ€™s that many grey areas โ€“ย itโ€™s like the wild west. Thereโ€™s just no way of policing it.

I donโ€™t think thereโ€™s intent or malice in whatโ€™s been found. Itโ€™ll be interesting to see what it is. Why would a man coming towards the end of his career, in the last big-money fight, risk it all? I just donโ€™t see it. That might be me being naive.

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