By Scott Gilfoid: Heavyweight David Price (15-1, 13 KO’s) has been working under the guidance of former heavyweight champion of the world Lennox Lewis in this training camp to get ready for a rematch against 41-year-old Tony Thompson (37-3, 25 KO’s) on July 6th at the Echo Arena in Liverpool, UK.
Price was knocked out by the 6’5” Thompson last February, and he wants to make sure that doesn’t happen again. Whether Lennox Lewis can help Price beat Thompson this time is questionable.
Price is going to have to be able to take some shots from Thompson if he wants to win. Last time Price couldn’t take it and was stroked out. That was Price’s best opponent in the pros by far, and he was easily beaten.
Before that fight, Price had been matched against a lot of weak opposition that was no threat and no help to him. Before Price turned pro in 2008, he was blasted out in the Olympics by Roberto Cammarelle of Italy. That was Price’s last good opponent before running into Thompson, and we saw what Thompson did to Price.
Price said to the dailymail.co.uk “Working with Lennox took me to a whole new level of training. We got to see what he used to do when he was at the top of his game and it was an eye opener.”
Yeah, I saw some of the video footage of Lewis training Price and he was really working him hard. Price tried to take a break once to rest, and Lewis was having none of it and got back him back in gear.
At the end of the day, I think it may not matter how much training Price gets from Lewis; if he can’t take a hard shot then Price is going to get knocked out just like he was last time. What Lewis needed to be showing Price is how to clinch 24/7 and avoid getting hit. That’s what the late great trainer Emanuel Steward taught Lewis and Wladimir Klitschko.
Steward taught them to tie up their opponents when they get in close and to use their jabs a lot. I didn’t see Lewis working with Price on those things and that’s what he should have been doing because Price’s chin needs to be protected.
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