Olympic boxer eyes the big time

Craig Lowe
BBC Radio Merseyside boxing reporter

Price is eager to prove himself in the paid ranks

On Saturday, Liverpool heavyweight David Price becomes the fifth Beijing Olympian to enter the ring as a professional.

The Olympic bronze medallist will meet Morecambe's David Ingleby and, perhaps learning from James DeGale's recent experiences - the middleweight gold medallist was booed on his pro debut, is predicting victory and nothing else.

"Dynamite", as the 25-year-old is known, thought long and hard about his options after securing a medal in China.

For his team-mates, the choice appeared simple, with all four recognising the massive earning potential in the pro-game.

Tony Jeffries and Billy Joe Saunders had grievances against the ABA, while Frankie Gavin's Olympic dream turned sour when he failed to make the lightweight limit.

For his part, Price, who captained the boxing team in China, says his "heart is just wasn't in the amateur game any more".

He told BBC Radio Merseyside: "I think the bronze medal was the pinnacle of my career, although I could have tried to win a gold in London in 2012."

I'm just looking for a good performance which shows I'm a good professional

David Price

Price, a fiercely proud Scouser, has mixed emotions about his Olympic experience.

He brims with pride at the fact he was the only Liverpool athlete to win a medal but remains devastated at how his Games ended at the hands of Italian Roberto Cammarelle in the super-heavyweight semi-finals.

"It's plain to see I can be hurt in a fight but which heavyweight can't?" said the 2006 Commonwealth Game champion.

"Cammarelle wobbled me in the Olympics and he hurt me I'm not going to lie about that. But I think the amateur style with my chin in the air and bouncing on my feet was a recipe for disaster."

Price, a three-time ABA Champion, is aware that being a top amateur is no guarantee of success in the professional code but he feels he is adapting well.

"I keep thinking when I'm training that it seems so much more comfortable for me, slowing my feet down and having more upper body movement," he said.

"It begs the question, was that the way I should have fought anyway?

"The computer scoring wouldn't have suited that but I'm 18 stone and 6ft 8ins, and I was trying to move around like a middleweight at a frantic pace. I don't think that really suited me.

"I'm just looking for a good performance which shows I'm a good professional," said Price.

Price has signed a three-year contract with Hayemaker Promotions, set up by British heavyweight hope and former cruiserweight king David Haye.

He has already impressed Haye's trainer Adam Booth, who has described him as being "better than the Klitschko brothers", who hold three of the four major world title belts.

For now Price has more realistic ambitions, starting with a win on his professional debut in the relative comfort of his own backyard.

"I'm not going to start making any bold predictions," he said, "but If I can perform to the best of my ability I know people are going to be impressed."

David Price fights David Ingleby in a six-round contest on the undercard of the British super-middleweight title fight between Tony Dodson and Tony Quigley at the Liverpool Echo Arena on 28 March.