By Scott Gilfoid: Based off of one fight British heavyweight prospect David Price (12-0, 10 KO’s) is now considered a future champion by a lot of Brits after creaming the out of his class John McDermott (26-8, 17 KO’s) in the 1st round last Saturday night at the Olympia in Liverpool, UK.

The fight was a British heavyweight title eliminator and it means that Price gets a shot at British champion Tyson Fury if he’s willing to take the fight. I doubt he will but that’s not the point of this article.

I’ve gone over Price’s fight with McDermott with a fine tooth comb and I hate to say this but unless Price learns how to defend himself, he’s going to be getting knocked out a lot in his career.

Price was getting hit at will by McDermott and that shouldn’t have happened if Price was all that. Granted, the fight only lasted 73 second but it’s pretty clear to me that Price is a knockout waiting to happen. He’s not been exposed yet in the pro ranks but he sure was in the amateur ranks when he fought guys that could punch.

We saw Roberto Cammarelle make short work of Price in the 2008 Olympics, and we also saw Canadian Bermane Stiverne knock Price silly with a looping right hand in the amateur ranks as well. Price is basically the same fighter now than he was then. He still rarely throws his jab and when he does it’s just a pawing jab.

Price doesn’t set up his right hand very well and just unloads with the thing instead of using strategy. That’s why he was hurt in the Cammarelle and Stiverne fights. Price got caught in both fights while trying to throw right hands. Had he used his jab, he might not have had that problem. Of course, he’s got to develop his jab first to where it’s got some power behind it and then he needs to use it a lot more than he does.

Here’s my view of what will ultimately keep Price from winning a world title at heavyweight:

• Doesn’t use his jab enough
• Weak jab
• Poor defensive skills
• Telegraphs his right hand
• Throws uppercuts from too far away
• Uses his uppercuts too often
• Doesn’t block shots
• No head movement
• Doesn’t move laterally very well
• No left hook to speak of
• Questionable chin

Price has got some good fundamental skills going for him in terms of right hand power and hand speed. However, he’s got fix the problems on my list for him to become a champion and get to the next level. As I’ve said before, he needs to lose his trainer, come to American and get with great trainers like Emanuel Steward, Pernell Whitaker or Floyd Mayweather Sr. so they can fix his many flaws in his game. Right now, Price is like a lump of clay that needs to be sculpted and molded into a great fighter. Unless he makes the move, he’ll likely be getting knocked out a lot in the future.