By Tim Royner: David Price is happy to be the underdog going into his fight against Dave Allen on July 20 on Sky Box Office (DAZN in the US) at the O2 Arena in London, England. Former British and Commonwealth heavyweight champion Price (24-6, 19 KOs) says he’s going to be looking to prove the odds-makers wrong by scoring a KO win over the younger 27-year-old Allen (17-4-2, 14 KOs). Some boxing fans are predicting that Allen will send the 6’8″ Price into permanent retirement by poleaxing him with a vicious knockout.
The Price-Allen fight is taking place on the undercard of the Dillian Whyte vs. Oscar Rivas.
Price unimpressed with Allen
“I’ve been in the ring with better opponents than Dave Allen, that’s for sure, and more dangerous opponents,” Price said to Behind The Gloves. “I think his durability is something that’s his strength. I have to work on dealing with that, and taking it away from him. He’s going to come in confident, which will make him a little bit more aggressive. But I’m going to fight fire with fire. that’s the plan. Tell him not to worry about what I’m going to do about gassing out, because he’ll have more than enough on his hands when I’m trying to knock him out. Big knockout from me landing on Dave Allen’s head,” said Price in predicting what the fight with Allen will be like on July 20.
Though it’s certainly true that Price has fought better fighters than the 27-year-old Allen, it doesn’t guarantee him a victory. One can argue that Price has lost to lesser fighters than Allen in the past, and that’s not a good thing. In Price’s last fight against domestic level heavyweight Kash Ali, he came close to being knocked out in the fifth round. Ali, 27, had Price on the ropes and was unloading on him with a storm of shots after Pricey had gassed out. Price saved his own skin when he caught Ali with a big uppercut that stunned him. Ali then lost his head entirely in throwing Price to the canvas, and biting him on the midsection. The referee stopped the fight straightaway in disqualifying Kash for biting Price. Had Kash stayed composed, he would have had an excellent chance of stopping Price.
Defeat isn’t an option says Price
“As far as the winner is concerned, there will definitely be big opportunities for bigger fights,” said Price in talking to Sky Sports News about his fight with Allen. “It’s definitely going to open doors. I’m not even thinking about defeat. Defeat isn’t an option for me in this fight. It’s all about what happens when I win. There can be an opportunity for me to fight someone that would open an opportunity fight in a world title eliminator; something like that. I’d love to finish my career and say that I fought for a world title. I believe I’m better than I’ve ever been. I believe I’m at my peak mentally and physically. I want to knock Dave Allen out. That’s the plan. I can knock anybody out,” said Price.
It’s crucial that Price, 36, win this fight if he wants to keep his hope alive for a world title shot before he retires. Price has lost 3 out of his last 6 fights, and it’s not looking good for him. His 10 year pro career hasn’t gone well, and he doesn’t have a lot of time left before he’ll be hanging up his gloves. While Price’s punching power remains top notch, his stamina and punch resistance leaves a lot to be desired. That’s one of the reasons why Allen is considered a favorite to beat him.
Price falls apart physically after three to four rounds of fighting at a fast pace. What was alarming about Price’s last fight against Kash Ali is that he gassed out in the fifth round while fighting at a relatively slow pace. That’s not a good sign for Price’s chances of defeating Allen, because he’s someone that is capable of going all out for an entire 10 round fight. He may not be the most gifted of fighters, but his stamina is excellent, and he punches hard.
Being underdog doesn’t bother Price
“This is a chance for him to do everything he’s promised,” said Price to secondsout about Allen. “It is frustrating if it’s someone nibbling at your ankles. Whatever he says, on fight night that goes out the window. He’s done well. In his last fight against Lucas Browne, he ended it with a left hand to the body. It was an even fight. He’s got momentum. He’s going well. Yeah,” said Price when asked if he’s prepared for a war against Allen. “I’m prepared for a war. Everyone is telling me that Dave Allen is the favorite, and that’s fine. I’m happy to be an underdog. I don’t mind being an underdog at all. I think I’m due for a win being an underdog. This is the one, and Dave Allen is very beatable,” said Price.
It doesn’t bother Price in the slightest that he’s been installed as the underdog against Allen. He feels he’s going to go out and beat Allen regardless. The fact that Price is being made an underdog against a limited domestic level fighter like Allen shows how far he’s fallen in the eyes of the bettors. If this fight had taken place eight years ago, it would be unthinkable for Allen to be the favorite against Price.
Price says win over Allen could lead to world title shot
“Getting annoyed isn’t going to save me. It’ll probably give us a top 15 ranking,” said Price in talking about what the outcome will be for the winner of his fight with Allen. “Once you’re there, you’re eligible for a voluntary defense against one of the champions. It’s going to open doors for the winner massively. I always knew Anthony Joshua was going to lose to someone, and I think he did. It was just a matter of time, because everyone is capable of losing,” said Price about Joshua’s recent seventh round knockout loss to Andy Ruiz Jr. on June 1. “If I was him, yes, because the reward is high enough for the risk to go for it, because he can get all four [three] of his belts back. I think he can beat Andy Ruiz, but he’s got to be switched on,” said Price.
It’s doubtful that Price is going to be getting a world title shot. That’s wishful thinking on Price’s part. If he beats Allen, he might get lucky and be given a bottom 15 ranking by one of the sanctioning bodies, but he would still need to keep winning in order to get a title shot. None of the world champions are going to want to use Price as an opponent, because he’s lost too many fights. For Price to get a title shot, he’ll need to likely work his way to a mandatory position, which would involve him needing to beat some quality heavyweight. Allen isn’t a quality heavyweight. He’s a domestic level fighter. Price would probably need to beat a guy like Adam Kownacki, Luis Ortiz, Dillian Whyte, Oleksandr Usyk or Kubrat Oulev for him to get a title shot. The chances of that happening are slim.
“I’m going to go with me winning by a knockout,” said Price in predicting stoppage victory over Allen on July 20.