WBC heavyweight champion, Tyson Fury has compared his rivalry with Anthony Joshua, to that of his old foe David Price.
As Fury rose through the ranks, around a decade ago, Price was the man that many were picking to beat him. The six-foot-eight scouser was similarly built to Fury, and held an amateur win over the current world champion.
However, back-to-back defeats led to the collapse of the proposed fight between Fury and Price.
Speaking to iFL TV Fury said:
“It was ground-breaking. We were offered one million pounds each to fight. There was a million quid each on the table to fight two undefeated British heavyweights, both from the North West of England, Liverpool-Manchester. Great Rivalry.
I had to fight Steve Cunningham and then he had to fight Tony Thompson. I nearly got done off Cunningham and he did get done off Thompson and that finished the rivalry.”
Fury then compared Price’s defeats and the end of rivalry to that of Joshua and his back-to-back losses against Usyk.
“Me and David [Price] were simmering real good, real good simmering, coming to a boil as well. One fight away, from that massive, massive showdown. Big, big, big British rivalry, and he got beat off Thompson, rematched and got beat, then he was done wasn’t he. There was no more rivalry.
After that he fought one of my common opponents, Christian Hammer, and got knocked out by Hammer as well. Then it was totally dead in the water. That is what has happened with Joshua, we were supposed to fight, over in Saudi, in 2021. Wilder won that arbitration court case and I had to fight this mandatory. So I had to fight Wilder, nearly got done, twice down in the fourth round.
Then Joshua had to fight Usyk, lost and lost and now it’s done.”
Price is now retired, without living up to his promise, whereas Joshua went on to become a global superstar and two-time heavyweight champion of the world.
Fury went on to suggest that a fight against Price would still sellout a stadium, even though Price hasn’t fought since 2019 when he was stopped by Derek Chisora.