David Price slams heavyweight 'coward' Tyson Fury

English heavyweight champion David Price has dismissed Tyson Fury as a "coward" and insists the former British and Commonwealth champion opted to vacate his titles in order to avoid losing to him.

Price was the mandatory challenger to Fury's British title and, like many of the boxing community and promoter Frank Maloney, is disappointed he won't get the chance to face Fury.

"I'm sick," said Price. "I'm just disappointed, really. I was excited because an offer was sent across by Mick Hennessy to Frank [Maloney] so I'd got me hopes up that they wanted to fight and were going to put a bid in for purse bids.

"If they wanted the fight they'd have seen me turn down the original offer and put a purse bid in, because that's what they do. The fact that they didn't even attempt to put a purse bid in tells me they had no intention of making the fight in the first place.

"I'm just sick, really. I've got to move on from it, and move forward. I just expected a bit more of him as a fighter, to be honest.

"I think he knows I've got his number and I'll take him out. I'll end Tyson Fury if I ever fight him – that'll be the end of him; I'll end him – the myth will be gone; I'll destroy the myth that is Tyson Fury and I think he knows it.

"He doesn't believe he'll beat me because otherwise he'd have at least said to Mick Hennessy, 'let's see what happens with the purse bids', but no, he's just pulled out. He had no intention anyway. He's saying he wants to move forward because he knows I'll stop him moving forward.

"I'm just disappointed because of all the talk in the past and everything he's had to say about me, and disrespecting me as a fighter. I wanted the chance to get in there and prove who's the best heavyweight in the country."

Price beat Fury when the pair were amateurs and believes that though Fury is targeting a world title fight, he has no chance of victory.

"That fight in the amateurs was a completely different time, and we're two completely different animals," he added. "He's matured – I'd say he's improved a little bit; I've matured and improved big time. There'd only be one winner in the fight and that'd be me. A lot of people believe that and I think he ended up believing that.

"He said he wanted to win the Lonsdale belt outright, so what's happened to that? What's happened to that statement?

"He's got no chance of winning a world title whatsoever. I'm interested in seeing what his next move is going to be because there's no one for him to fight that's going to give him credibility.

"The European title's tied up for the time being. The WBA title [Alexander] Povetkin's got that he says he's going after – that's tied up for a couple of fights. It's going to be interesting to see his next move but I'm not interested in him anymore. As far as I'm concerned, he's a coward – leave him to it."

Price is expected to fight for the British title in May and hopes to imminently learn who his opponent will be.

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