Career advice for David Price

[El Kabong]

Its a brilliant post and makes a lot of very salient points. One thing though that I can't agree with it and still seems to be spoken as though it is a cast iron truth and that is the idea that Price has a dodgy chin. He took a hellacious shellacking from Thompson who landed a barrage of power punches.Uppercuts, hooks, crosses all landed On Price's head , his jaw, his body pretty much anywhere he pleased and he still couldn't bring the big man down.

"dont get anxious or try going for a shootout start using your jab and your feet a bit more" Franny his coach new what Price needed to do but I think David was so paranoid about getting hit on the ear and going down that he abandoned the game plan and used up too much nervous energy. Until the final round it was certainly not an abject performance and many of the shots Price threw and landed would have finished a lesser man than Thompson. He'll be back.

You could tell Price was tensed up and that could have been because he was amped to land the big homerun punch that redeemed himself or because he had the punch that ended his last fight on his mind.

Price just needs to settle down, relearn how to get comfortable in the ring, and just put the work in to being a more technically sound boxer. Given his size and power if he just focused on the bare bones basics of boxing he would rarely be tested. Snap the punches out, snap them back, keep your range, push off/tie up, use your weight, there are just so many very simple tactics he could use that would make him better than he has been.

Tony Thompson should fight the winner of Haye-Fury and IMO he'd be the favorite to beat both of those guys. He's too sound technically for Fury to take advantage of him ditto for Haye. Haye is very unconventional in how he fights and 1 big punch at a time won't bother Thompson's defense, you have to work to open him up. Thompson's jab alone would see him win those fights (given fair judging)

[p4pking]

That's all incredibly optimistic, I don't buy it whatsoever myself. Price isn't a Lennox or Wladimir, he is nowhere near that good or dynamic offensively in the first place and his flaws are not something he'll be able to fight around so easily. Whether it was his mentality foremost, or his stamina actually sucks and he has no idea how to react under pressure, it's still going to rear itself in future bouts because he isn't talented enough to control fights like those great HWs.

It wasn't a lot like Wlad against Brewster, because he was at no point dominating for a length of time, he didn't merely gas himself out but was getting hit well to the body from the start. Until we've seen him in with another fighter who can actually land something decent, I think it's a stretch to say it was all upstairs, or that he did it to himself via nerves. I think that's actually selling Thompson quite short, who obviously came in with a game plan to pressure him early and never had any trouble finding a home for his shots.

[El Kabong]

I see very fixable problems for Price. The Wlad-Brewster fight was similar because of the knockdowns scored. Wlad put Brewster down and when Brewster got back up, Wlad was defeated...mentally before physically... it was that "awwww fuck, stay down, I beat you....don't get up" kind of mentality he had at the time. A weak psychology, a psychology Price showed when he floored Thompson. Had Price just jumped on the obviously hurt Thompson before the end of the round OR just been patient the next rounds he would have been just fine.

Tony Thompson is a hell of a boxer, he's a very solid well rounded fighter. It took Wlad 11 rounds to stop him the first time and it was very hard work, he was pushing Wlad to the brink in that first fight. Tony is a hell of a boxer and like I said I would favor him over anyone in the division bar Wlad & Vitali.

Price's stamina is easily overcome. How you say? Well he's 6'9 250-ish...how about you clinch and lean and tie up your opponent and make them carry you a bit, that'll level the playing field quite a bit!

[p4pking]

I don't think Wlad was mentally defeated because Brewster got up, as much as he was already starting to gas out at that point. If anything there isn't a lot to take from that fight about Wlad, I think for some reason he just didn't have much of an engine on the night.

Tony Thompson was a damn fine fighter the first time Wlad fought him, but he's old and slow now and there are a number of other guys who could beat him. You obviously have a vested interest in his standing these days, as Wlad fought him within the last several years so he still must be defended at all costs I admire your persistence, but it's quite thinly veiled given everything you post about the HW division is directly tied to a Klitschko one way or another. Price losing to Thompson has nothing to do with Wlad, everyone knows he's great already just take a load off.

[El Kabong]

Who would beat Thompson? Name me 5 heavyweights outside the Klitschko's that would beat him.

[p4pking]

In my opinion, David Haye, Malik Scott, Bryant Jennings,possibly Pulev, Povetkin or even Odlanier Solis would all at least have a great chance to beat him. I think Thompson just looks so slow now, and he's not going to have an easy time hurting most fighters like he did Price, the man is not a hard puncher for his size.

[El Kabong]

In my opinion, David Haye, Malik Scott, Bryant Jennings,possibly Pulev, Povetkin or even Odlanier Solis would all at least have a great chance to beat him. I think Thompson just looks so slow now, and he's not going to have an easy time hurting most fighters like he did Price, the man is not a hard puncher for his size.

I disagree with everyone but I'll let you slide on Pulev.

Haye throws 1 punch at a time, fights from distance, and has shown he's unwilling to mix it up with a heavyweight that big. UD Thompson (in the US of course). I just really don't like Haye vs anyone he doesn't have a great shot of knocking out. He's got gobs of talent but never has used it properly...that's what he gets for having some fruitcake spin class instructor as his trainer. Haye should have hired Freddy Roach

Scott is pure garbage

Jennings is young and quick, but has he ever had to open up a fighter like Thompson? Until he does I'll side with Tony.

Povetkin is one dimensional and a flake...you'll see

Solis is fat and looks for 1 punch too

Tony Thompson is like the tortoise in the fable the Tortoise and the Hare...he's got a slow and steady workrate, an excellent defense, and he wins rounds. Hard to beat that, it's very difficult to beat that