Huh? He's only been down twice (and once was Wlad.) He has 24 KO's, and 7 straight KO's in his last 7 wins. Only on ESB does that mean feather-fisted and glass-chinned. :roll: :nut
You're 100% correct about their respective styles and I know the whole triangle thing is meaningless when assessing outcomes between fighters who only have a common opponent, but I think it would mean something - in terms of reputation and marketability (not so much his chances against Wladimir, who is flat-out head-and-shoulders above every contender out there). Thompson is generally a pretty durable fighter. He doesn't do anything spectacular by any means, but has a bit of skill, doesn't block 75% of punches with his face as the majority of HW's do nowadays, has great size, and has fought solid opposition. If Price can stop him early, it'll further stamp Price as an extremely serious puncher and cement his status as one of the true heavyweight contenders. Knocking out Thompson early would also make people want to see him fight again. It'd get the hype-machine going a bit more than what it's currently at. With the lack of exciting prospects out there (further diminished by hyped Mitchell getting sparked early) Price would be seen as a breath of fresh air - and we all know fans love the knockout punchers. Especially those with an aura of vulnerability, which Price seems to have according to his amateur background and gym stories. ...but I see your point and what you're getting at.
Anyone slagging off this fight needs to get in touch with reality. This is more than respectable. It's a very, very good step up for Price at this stage. This man's had fifteen fights, nine of which haven't seen the third round. This is quite exactly the type of opponent and experience he should have, before something like a title shot. It's a recent Ring-ranked top ten fighter. As late as 2012, if you could focus on that, instead of his age. For Niko's sake, you people. :bart
Also, Thompson would be a nice deviation from the British crop of heavyweights Price has been fighting. No need to be fighting any more of those recycled domestic-level guys unless it's Tyson Fury. What I'd really love to see, but have no faith in it happening any time soon, is Price-Boytsov. Bombs away.
I know it may be hard for people like you to use your single brain cell, but Price has How Many fights under his Belt??? Exactly 15..and you call him a can crusher!! Well I can think of several of them...Wilder 25 fights... Fury 19 figts... Helinus 18 Fights.. All the above are undefeated, yet the guy with the least fights you call a Can crusher?? the worst Can crusher ( as you say ) on the list is Wilder by FAR.. At least Fury is fighting a guy ranked 29 in the world. Price fighting a guy ranked 11th in the World..Yet Wilder is fighting a guy ranked 69th in the world having fought 9 times more than price and 6 more than Fury.. Your view is idiotic
Wow......Helenius fought 3 world champions inside his 16th fight. All of them under 35 years old. He tears his shoulder BEFORE his fight with Chisora, GOES FORWARD WITH THE FIGHT, and somehow his name is included in the same sentence as the word can crusher. WTF is that. atsch
Good step up for price. 3 years ago TT would beat price, he is getting up there though and I still have him edging a decision.
Tell me what Thompson has ever done? Who has he beaten? Bombing away old Thompson who was never that good to begin with is going to prepare him for Wlad? You're deluded. Its a cash fight. When Price steps up, he's going to fall, hard.
If he had actually fought anyone with a pulse he would have an atrocious ko %. It took him 9 rounds back in 2009 when he still wasn't 40 years old to KO fraud "prospect" Chazz Witherspoon, who got destroyed by American hype job Seth Mitchell in 3 rounds. This guy has been feasting on bums after he got beat by Wlad in 2008. Another past his prime, old, shot fighter for Price to feast on. And he has never been a hard hitter, nor fast. In other words a perfect fit for Price. That being said Tony Thompson is still decent, and it's a good step up.
I think this is the right sort of level opponent for price, thompson is a decent fighter. But I don't think it's a good idea to choose to fight 3 40+ opponents in a row. People won't take him as seriously if he gets a reputation for fighting old men all the time.