David Price faces Irineu Beato Costa Junior on 2/21

By Boxing News - 01/21/2015 - Comments

price5By Scott Gilfoid: If you were hoping that British heavyweight David Price (18-2, 15 KOs) would be stepping it up for his next fight on February 21st, then I have some sad news for you because he’s not.

Price, 31, will be facing little known 34-year-old Brazilian fighter named Irineu Beato Costa Junior (16-2, 14 KOs) at the O2 Arena in Berlin, Germany. The Price vs. Irineu Beato Costa Junior fight will take place on the undercard of the rematch between WBO super middleweight champion Arthur Abraham and #4 WBO Paul Smith.

Price, a former 2008 British Olympian, hasn’t fought since beating Yaroslav Zavorotnyi in June of 2014. Price has since been dealing with an injury that has kept him out of action for six month.

Earlier this week, Price talked about 2015 being a big year for him. I’m not sure what he meant by that comment, but unless he starts stepping it up against a better class of opposition than the 34-year-old Beato Costa Junior, I don’t see 2015 being any different for him than 2014.

At this point Price is just spinning his wheels, stuck on a seemingly endless cycle of 3rd tier fighters. It’s hard to understand what Price and his promoters at Sauerland Events are thinking about in having him face the guys he’s been fighting lately. I mean, Price will be turning 32 in July, and that’s kind of an advanced age to be still fighting 3rd tier opposition.

Sauerland needs to find out whether Price has the chin, stamina and talent to fight at the upper level, because if not then they should be looking to cut their losses rather dragging the process out until infinity.

“I can’t wait to get back in the ring and remind everybody what I’m all about,’’ Price said. ‘’Costa Junior is exactly the type of opponent I wanted. He’s got a decent record, similar to my own, with sixteen wins and only two defeats. Last year, he went twelve rounds with Christian Hammer, so we know he’s no mug. It will be another step up, but I think he will bring out the best in me. I’m confident I will get the win.’’

Well, Costa Junior has lost two out of his last three fights, so he can’t be too much of a step up, can he? He was knocked out in 4 rounds by Joseph Parker in December of 2014. Before that, he lost a lopsided 12 round unanimous decision to Christian Hammer in October of 2014 in a fight in which Costa Junior lost every round. I mean, I fail to see how Costa Junior is any kid of s step up from the last fodder opponent that Price faced in Zavorotnyi. If anything, Costa Junior is a step down from Price’s last opponent, not a step up.

Price has a chin problems so there’s a remote chance that Costa Junior can bang him out of there. I don’t see it though. If Costa Junior couldn’t get to Parker, who doesn’t have the greatest chin either, then I doubt he’ll be able to do much with Price.



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