The difference between Joshua and Price

After Price's huge knockout I watched some of his older fights and noticed he was regularly getting tagged. Matt Skelton landed huge shots in the opening round, Price looked a bit helpless at times.

Compare this to AJ handling Skelton. Much better reflexes. AJ seems in control for the duration of the bout, seemingly anticipating everything Skelton does. He seems to have a good sense of range and seems to be much more quick-footed than lumbering Price. Not saying AJ doesn't have a soft chin (we simply don't know yet), but it seems his defense is simply on a whole different level.

David Price vs. Matt Skelton
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Anthony Joshua vs. Matt Skelton
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It's one problem, but not the main problem.

Thing is Price has no means of exerting control over opponents to establish a distance. You can have soft chin and be very successful if you know how to keep your chin out of harms way. For all we know AJ could have the same soft chin that Price has but he doesn't allow himself to be tagged in mid-range like Price does.

 

Those who think Prices nerves were his downfall vs. Thompson #2 and Teper don't know his history. I checked many of his past fights now. He has a history of getting tagged by journeymen. Skelton is just one example, the Sekston fight and the 10 round labored decision over Zavorotnyi are others. Also check his (standing) KO loss to Cammarelle in the amateurs. That was a world-level amateur fighter he lost too but the problem still is obvious:

Price doesn't exert any sort of control over his opponents. He lets them dictate the pace and lets his opponents take control over the range. He never ties them down, he never peppers them with jabs, he never makes it clear to them "No I won't let you do this. I am the boss here". He's not assertive enough.

I think think whole "He had no confidence after the Thompson" fights is the wrong argument. He seemed to have plenty of confidence vs. Skelton and STILL got tagged with massive flush shots like a drunken sailor. There's something fundamentally flawed with Price's boxing style, since day 1 of his pro career.

 

Here's a quote from Price about him growing up as a kid: "“I was quiet, shy and got bullied a little bit,” Price said. “I was always bigger than everyone but because I was quiet, people singled me out when I was a kid."

I think it explains a lot of what we saw in the ring.

 

We'd all love to see that but that won't ever happen :yep