By Andy Clark-Ringside
Pro Boxing Insider was ringside in Liverpool, UK to witness a surprise KO victory for Tony Thompson, whose record improves to 37-3 (25 KO). David Price falls to 15-1 (13 KO). Before the fight you could get 80/1 on Thompson via a 2nd round KO, yet Thompson upset the odds and caused the first major upset of 2013. Thompson, a two time world title challenger, was given a hostile welcome to the ring but neither the crowd, nor David Price saw the short right hook land just behind Price’s ear Price’s legs crumbled beneath him and although Price did make it back to his feet before the count of 10, the referee rightly waved the fight off as Price was in no fit state to continue.
The first round was a quiet one, whereby both fighters attempted to find their range and time their opponent. Price landed a couple of decent straight right hands and Thompson answered with a decent counter left hand, which Price half blocked. Thompson’s feints and footwork were working well and he looked comfortable boxing on the back foot. I gave the first round to Price as he was the busier, more accurate fighter.
The first minute of the second round followed the pattern of the last round. However, Price appeared to be becoming more aggressive and took the fight to Thompson with two minutes remaining. Price trapped Thompson in the corner and unleashed a flurry of right hooks to the head which Thompson managed to block, but Price connected with what appeared to be four very powerful hooks to the body.
Although Thompson appeared to be receiving heavy blows to the body, he was watching Price through his guard the entire time. Thompson got back on the back foot, using head movement and footwork to evade Prices thunderous straight right hand. With 58 seconds left of the second round Price lead with a right uppercut. Thompson evaded and threw a quick right to the body and then followed it up with a perfect short right hook just under Price’s ear.
With 57 seconds remaining Price’s legs collapsed beneath him. The entire Echo Arena in Liverpool was in absolute shock as Price struggled to lift himself back up. Price got back to his feet before the counter of 10, but his legs failed him and the referee rightly called an end to the fight.
The absolute silence in the Echo Arena was quickly broken as Thompson unleashed an emotional outburst at press row. At ringside Thompson was gracious in victory. Thompson said he was comfortable with the hostile atmosphere and if anything, it electrified him. His game plan was to make David Price walk onto something heavy. When asked what’s next for Tony Thompson, he immediately called out “that sissy” Tyson Fury for his disrespectful comments on the lead up to his fight with David Price.
A shocked David Price said at Ringside that he didn’t see the punch and it’s the punches you don’t see that hurt you most. Price fully intends to continue his rise up the profession ranks and I’m sure this will just be a footnote, in what could turn out to be a very good boxing career.
Price’s first loss came at a similar time to former Heavyweight World Champion David Haye’s, and Price is with the promoter who took Lennox Lewis all the way to the top (after KO losses along the way). Frank Maloney, Price’s promoter, was already talking about the rematch, so we may well see Price vs Thompson II before the year is out.
On a personal note, Frank Maloney suffered a health scare after the fight and had to leave the Echo Arena on a stretcher. Pro Boxing Insider & the wider boxing community wish Frank well.
Photo: Andy Clark
