by Edward Chaykovsky
British heavyweight champion David Price (15-0, 13KOs) is ready to turn up the heat when he faces Tony Thompson (36-3, 24KOs) on February 23rd in Liverpool. Thompson has only lost twice since 2000, and both of those defeats came at the throne of the heavyweight king Wladmir Klitschko.
Price wants to send a message by doing a job on Thompson, which in turn will get him close to a potential shot at the title. The undefeated heavyweight says he is finished with the domestic scene in the UK and now he wants the best opponents on the world stage.
"By the time I've had another two fights after Thompson, the only people left to fight will be whoever holds the world titles," Price told BBC Sport. "Without a doubt I'll be fighting for a world title in the next five fights."
"I've proved I'm above and beyond domestic level, now I've got the platform to move on to world level. To be fighting someone who fought for a world title only five months ago, it's a massive step up in class. It's up to me to prove I belong at that level."
"I'm currently ranked ninth with the WBC but a good win will propel me forward, especially if I can do it in style. If I can do a cleaner job than Klitschko did on him that will send a message out."
