By Scott Gilfoid: According to Dan Rafael of ESPN, 41-year-old Tony Thompson (36-3, 24 KO’s) has reportedly been offered $40,000 to fight unbeaten British and Commonwealth heavyweight champion David Price (15-0, 13 KO’s) on February 23rd in the 8000 seat Echo Arena, in Liverpool, England.
Thompson hasn’t signed the contract yet and he wants to get a better deal, because he feels he’s worth more than just $40,000.
Thompson told ESPN “I know the fight is worth more than that, so I’m still trying to negotiate. I want to take the fight but I have other offers that are just as viable.”
You can’t blame Thompson for wanting to get more because $40,000 isn’t really that much money for the fight.
After taxes and other expenses, Thompson will likely receive a lot less than $40,000.
I just wonder how much Price is getting for the fight. If it dwarfs the number that Thompson is getting then I’d say forget it. Thompson should look in another direction and fight other guys. He just got a big payday in his fight against IBF/IBO/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko earlier this year, and he needs to be focusing on putting some wins under his belt rather than taking money that he feels is below what he should be making.
If Thompson plays his cards right, he’ll be back fighting for another world title in a year or so.
If Price and his promoter Frank Maloney really want Thompson they need to pay him what he’s worth. I’d say a guy that should at least get $250,000 for the fight at the minimum.
Price is obviously looking for a scalp with a name attached to it, and Thompson, who has twice fought for a world title against Wladimir Klitschko, definitely has the name.
I’d much prefer to see Price fighting someone like Deontay Wilder or Kubrat Pulev rather than looking to fight someone that was just knocked out in his last fight like Thompson was. Obviously that’s not going to happen, because Wilder and Pulev are just too dangerous right now.
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