By Terence Dooley
David Price and Tyson Fury stayed on course for a huge domestic heavyweight clash by dealing with Matt Skelton and Kevin Johnson, by second round KO and on points respectively, over the weekend. Price, 15-0 (13), holds the British and Commonwealth belts, Fury used to hold those two titles, but he is now ranked at number three by the WBC and has expressed an interest in going for the WBC world title in 2013.
Peter Fury, Tyson’s uncle and trainer, believes that Price, and the British boxing fans that have called for the showdown, will have to wait for the fight. Fury feels that his 20-0 (14) charge has already moved beyond the Liverpudlian’s level and is a fight or two away from a shot at one of the Klitschko brothers. Saturday’s win over Johnson in Belfast was a WBC title eliminator, Chris Arreola and Bermane Stiverne hold the number one and two spots and are to meet in a final eliminator early next year.
Indeed, Vitali Klitschko holds the WBC belt yet he may bow out of boxing to pursue a career in politics, which could elevate the winner of Arreola-Stiverne to full WBC champion and bump Tyson to the top of the queue.
“They can talk about it all they want,” said Peter Fury when speaking to BoxingScene about the clamour for a meeting between Price and Fury. “Tyson needs Tyson, he doesn’t need David Price and he’s going the world title route. We see Price as a padded record situation. Tyson’s taken 50-50 fights and he’s taken risks so why take a back step against a guy who hasn’t took any risks and give him our slot? Price has got to prove himself properly. Until he’s done that then he won’t get to fight Tyson.
“The public can demand it, but Price isn’t at the level where he can fight Tyson, he’s at domestic level fighting 50-year-old guys [a dig at Skelton, who is 45-years-old]. Not to take anything away from Price, he has got talent, but I’m questioning the opposition, why? Skelton rushed him in round one. Price went back to the ropes, leaned back and put his chin up in the air. That’s inexperience at that kind of level.”
He added: “I want to take my nephew to a world title, but I also want him to defend it and go into the Hall of Fame, along with my son [Hughie Fury]. I’m not in it for fame or fortune — I want to put our family name up there forever because these lads put their lives into boxing. That’s the passion we have for boxing. We’re travellers from Irish descendants, we’re from a boxing family and we want to get to the world titles.”
Tyson, though, has kept public interest in the grudge match alive with frequent outbursts about Price and Frank Maloney, Price’s manager. However, his trainer feels that the 24-year-old is upping the ante so that when the fight finally happens it will capture the public’s imagination. He said: “Tyson’s a lovely young man. I know he does trash talk and all that, he does it to build up fights, but there’s no badness in him whatsoever.”
As for a crack at Vitali, Fury said they would take the fight in a heartbeat yet he believes Tyson needs at least one more fight before challenging Wladimir Klitschko, who has said he is open to the possibility of a meeting with the Greater Manchester-based contender sometime in 2013.
“We would look at it,” said Fury when asked if they would take on Wlad. “If the money and deal was right then Tyson would probably agree. I’m more inclined for him to have a fight in March then look at Wladimir in August next year. That would be ideal.
“We’d take Vitali straight away. That’s a different matter, because the younger brother’s better than Vitali now. I want Tyson to fight for the title when he’s ready, we won’t rush anything, all we’re interested in is that world title, he’s got time on his side and a good ranking already.”
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