Former fighter and fan-favourite, David Price, discussed a fight that came close but ultimately never was with Ali Drew on the latest Boxing Social podcast.
It was in the early 2010’s that the Liverpool man was rumoured to be facing Tyson Fury. Price, then British and Commonwealth Heavyweight Champion, had previously beaten Fury in the amateurs. As it turns out, he fancied his chances in the professional game, too.
“I think at that time I’d have beaten Tyson Fury. I think I would’ve beat him. He was a bit reckless at the time, he’d just gone with Peter Fury but he [wasn’t] quite as polished … and that was when I had great momentum.
I think it was my best chance to beat him. I don’t know whether I would have. I think the best chance to beat him was there or just before there.”
Of course, it never materialised. In terms of how close fans were to seeing the fight between, at the time, two promising prospects, very close is the answer according to Price.
“I don’t know how close it was. From our side of things, it was close, because it went to a purse bid and Frank Maloney came up to Liverpool.
I think he worked out he was going to bid something like just over £400,000 for the fight – that was a lot of money for a British Title fight … I think Frank sent someone to Cardiff with the bid in an envelope to make sure it got hand delivered.
And then, on the day the bids were opened, I got a phone call that he’d [Fury] withdrawn. But I had heard at the time that his baby was in hospital, and he’d been eating loads of sh**e and gone overweight. Peter Fury knows his boxing and he’s still the same now. He won’t take fights that aren’t necessary unless they’ve got massive upside … It wouldn’t take much for him to pull a fighter out of a fight, because everything’s got to be right. I think at the time he probably thought ‘what do we gain from this fight now?’”
It’s another intriguing opportunity missed that’s bound to boxing’s history books. Whilst Price is happy in retirement, ‘The Gypsy King’ moves forward with his WBC world title – another all-British scrap potentially on the cards before the year is out.