THIS time a year ago David Price was in the frame for a shot at Anthony Joshua. The IBF heavyweight world champion’s team had opened negotiations for a fight with Wladimir Klitschko, which would ultimately take place the following April. His tune up for the Ukrainian was set for December in Manchester and Price was considered for the bout before it went to former world title challenger Eric Molina.
“That was another one where there was a chance for me to swap in and it didn’t work out. I would have loved to have had that fight. It’s like I’ve always said. Although most people lost any type of belief in me, there’s always that chance with me. It would have been an exciting spectacle, me versus Joshua, rather than him versus Eric Molina. I’m not saying I would have won, I’m saying I would have gone in there and tried to. If I would have got the Joshua fight, I would have trained to go all out for three or four rounds and try and knock him out. That was my plan at the time anyway. I’d have a different approach now but that was the plan then and it would have just made for a barnstormer,” Price told .
“I don’t regret it,” he continued.
“It works in funny ways. He’s obviously gone on to massive things, he’s made the sport, he’s took it to another level.”
Joshua fought Klitschko in front of 90,000 fans at Wembley stadium. Against lowly Carlos Takam, over 75,000 fans filled the Principality stadium in Cardiff. These are major events in British boxing and Price for one thinks it should be appreciated.
“The Klitschko win was a great fight, he got through a bit of a crisis in the middle rounds. He done well, he proved he’s more than just brawn type of thing in that one. With Takam he had to deal with a different type of fighter at late notice. And Takam wasn’t what people expected, as in coming forward like a Joe Frazier type of style, he was like a world class journeyman style. People who are small with a compact style, they’re hard to land clean shots on and get your shots off against. He had to deal with that and he did. You can’t really fault him,” David said.
“I don’t know if we’ll ever see anything like this again. That’s why I think people should appreciate it for what it is, instead of moaning. People always find things to moan about but we haven’t seen anything like this before and we might not ever see it again. So appreciate it while it’s here, I say.
“Long may it continue.”
