By Ian S Palmer
British and European Heavyweight Champion David Price will be taking on American veteran Tony Thompson in his hometown of Liverpool on Saturday Feb. 23. There’s a lot of size in this matchup as Price stands at 6-feet-8-inches and weighs about 250 lbs. with an 82-inch reach, while Thompson is 6-foot-5 and approximately the same weight with an 81.5-inch reach. Price won the bronze medal at the 2008 Olympic Games, but hasn’t taken on anybody with the southpaw Thompson’s boxing skills as of yet in his young career.
The bout is scheduled for 12 rounds and it should give Price a bit of a test. He’ll enter through the ring ropes with an unbeaten record of 15-0 with 13 Kos while Thompson of Washington D.C. has a 36-3 record with 24 Kos. The 41-year-old Thompson has been a bit of an underrated boxer throughout his career and the only two bouts he’s lost in the past 12 years both came to heavyweight titleholder Wladimir Klitschko.
But on the other side of the coin, while Thomson has put together a pretty good record, he hasn’t really beaten anybody of note since making his professional debut in 2000. He’s done well against Grade B boxers, but was stopped by Klitschko in the sixth round last July and was halted in the 11th round back in 2008.
The 29-year-old Price definitely isn’t a world-class boxer yet, but he very well could be in the near future. He’s got the size and possesses quite a lot of power, but he hasn’t really faced stiff opposition in his 15 fights since turning pro in 2009 by taking on the likes of Sam Sexton, John McDermott, Matt Skelton, and Audley Harrison. He’s beaten everybody he’s faced though, but needs to step up the opposition. Thompson is a start, but he still needs a tougher test.
Thompson is basically the best of the bunch so far, but he just doesn’t seem to have the offense to pose much of a problem to somebody like Price. This bout is the old tale of an up-and-coming prospect meeting a solid pro on his way down the rankings. At this stage in his career Thompson is more or less a name opponent who is being used to pad Price’s record.
Price will be trying to land his powerful right hand, but he’ll need to adjust to Thompson’s southpaw style first before getting too adventurous. Thompson might be thinking of defence first, but he’s going to have to throw some punches along the line if he hopes to win here. It’s highly unlikely that he’s got the power to stop Price, but he could have the skills to outbox him if he’s active enough. Once Price lands a couple of bombs on him though, Thompson might just try to survive.
Since he has the height advantage, Price can remain on the outside at first until he figures Thompson out. If Thompson tries to get inside he’ll have to be wary of Price’s powerful uppercut. Thompson shouldn’t be underestimated, but he doesn’t fight on a regular enough basis to remain sharp. He’s only had two fights in the last couple of years and at his age that’s a detriment. Thompson should be able to hang in there for a few rounds, but look for Price to eventually stop him in the second half of the fight.
