By Scott Gilfoid: David Price (15-0, 13 KO’s) believes his February 23rd fight against 41-year-old Tony Thompson (36-3, 24 KO’s) is a huge step up for him in class despite the fact that Thompson looked old and shot in his last fight against Wladimir Klitschko last July.
Thompson was blown out in that fight in the 6th round, and I can’t remember him ever landing anything other than a few slaps. It was a really, really weak effort from Thompson and he looked he’d aged 20 years since his loss to Wladimir in 2008.
It was pretty shocking how much Thompson has deteriorated in those four years.
Price is pretty excited about facing Thompson because he actually thinks Thompson still good or he sees what I see, a fighter that has slipped dramatically in that last four years.
Price said to the bbc.co.uk “To be fighting someone who fought for a world title only give months ago, it’s a massive step up in class. It’s up to me to prove I belong at that level.”
I hope Price doesn’t mean that because if he’s going to make a big deal out of every old guy that he fights, because he was also pouring buckets full of praise over the heads of his last two opponents 45-year-old Matt Skelton and 40-year-old Audley Harrison. If Price is going to make a big deal out of every old fighter that he faces then it’s hard to take him seriously because it just looks like Price is trying to big up his weak opposition to impress boxing fans.
All you need to do is take a look at how truly awful Thompson looked in his last three fights to say that this isn’t a step up from Price’s last opponent 45-year-old Skelton. 41-year-old Thompson is pretty much about the same level as Skelton right now in my view. I could see Skelton being a life and death fight for Thompson right now at this point in his career.
Price is a decent fighter but man he’s wasting his career facing all these old guys. Price is 29 and about to turn 30. At what point will the man fight someone young and with power and speed? What I’m worried about is that Price is going to waste another two years and then fight his first real opponent that can punch, and then he’ll likely get knocked out in the 2nd round like he was against Roberto Cammarelle in the Olympics. Cammarelle was the last hard puncher Price has fought.
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