To nobody’s surprise (hopefully), undefeated British heavyweight sensation David Price made quick work of Matt Skelton on Friday night in Liverpool. After a first round mostly spent feeling one another out, Price’s size, athleticism and power all came out in the second.
He hurt Skelton to the body, and continued applying pressure until Skelton was left on the canvas. Skelton was unable to beat the count and the fight was called at an official time of 2:56 into Round 2. With the victory, Price improves to 15-0, with 13 knockout victories, and Skelton falls to 28-7, with 4 stoppage losses.
Of course, Price was expected to roll right through the greatly overmatched Skelton. So what’s next for David Price?
He apparently is looking at Tony Thompson in early 2013, a fighter who would present a clear step up in close. It would also be following in the footsteps of fellow undefeated British giant Tyson Fury, who fights another American Klitschko-victim, Kevin Johnson, tomorrow night (also televised in the United States on WealthTV). Surely everyone will also be watching the Fury vs. Johnson fight to see how Tyson looks as he steps up the level of competition.
British fight fans are certainly clamoring for a Fury-Price battle, with the winner being earmarked for direct Klitschko consideration, however, it appears as if that fight might wait until one or both men have already had their title shots. Fury vs. Johnson is an eliminator for the WBC strap, and Fury’s people are talking about a fight next summer against one of the brothers.
Neither team may want to ruin their standing with a domestic loss before cashing in with a Klitschko fight. Now, if one of the two manages to grab a belt – through the retirement of Vitali or otherwise – then suddenly an all British rumble for a heavyweight world title, with one defending his belt against the other, becomes an incredibly intriguing and lucrative fight to make.
