David Price says he can beat WBC champion Deontay Wilder after American defeats Eric Molina
Monday 15 June 2015 09:09, UK
David Price was unimpressed by Deontay Wilder's win over Eric Molina and insists he could beat the WBC champion.
Wilder improved his record to 34-0-KO33 with a ninth-round stoppage of the Texan but was visibly shaken by a left hook in the third - and the British heavyweight feels the performance will do little to discourage Wilder's potential challengers.
I believe that in a fight between me and Deontay Wilder, I can come out on top
"I said before the fight that I'd love to challenge Deontay Wilder and I say the same after the fight," Price told Sky Sports.
"That performance doesn't make a difference - it's what I know I'm capable of. I believe that in a fight between me and Deontay Wilder, I can come out on top.
"It's something I've got to work towards, which I'm in the process of doing but there was nothing there tonight that made me think I'd avoid fighting him
"He looked like he's gone backwards but we're all allowed a bad day at the office. Maybe it was difficult to get up for Molina because he was much better against Stiverne.
"He looked like he was afraid of making a mistake and that resulted him making numerous mistakes throughout the fight."
After suffering back-to-back stoppage defeats to Tony Thompson in 2013, Price has steadily rebuilt his career.
He was forced to pull out of the Liverpool card at the end of the month due to a neck injury but now has a chance to become European champion when he takes on Erkan Teper in Germany on July 17.
"It's a European title shot and it'll put me right among that level," he said.
"My juices are really flowing for this fight because it's a massive opportunity for me to gatecrash the world scene and get back up there. I intend to take it with both hands.
"It is a 50-50 fight on paper. If you watch him, he wouldn't look out of place fighting Wilder, especially compared to Eric Molina. He's a tough man, strong and doesn't take a backward but everything I've been doing in the gym is working towards a fight like this.
"I've got the spite back and the fire in my belly which is there but when you're fighting on undercards in 8-10 round fights against relatively unknown fighters, it's not quite the same. But this is a massive fight for me and I can call myself the champion of Europe and then move on from there."
