By Jake Donovan
Two days after fallen heavyweight David Price was suddenly without a trainer, an old veteran has stepped in to help fill the void.
Longtime trainer Tommy Brooks answered the call to handle the rebuilding process for Price, according to a recent press release from the British heavyweight's publicity team.
"I have been waiting for the phone to ring to work with a fighter who can make it to the top," Brooks said in a statement.
The move helps fill the void left behind following the news of noted trainer Adam Booth parting ways with the heavyweight . The two joined up in mid-October, shortly after Price's split with longtime trainer Franny Smith. With the new corner also came a change in promoters, as Price signed with Germany-based high roller Sauerland Event.
The marriage barely lasted about as long as Kim Kardashian's stint with Kris Humphries, though nothing was lost in terms of career progress. Booth was preparing Price for a comeback fight in mid-December, only for the fighter to have to withdraw after suffering an untimely injury during training camp.
Where one trainer left off, the next will immediately step in, a role with which Brooks is historically familiar.
Brooks played a major role in turning around the careers of Evander Holyfield and Junior Jones in the mid-1990's. His credentials also include guiding Charles Murray and career journeyman Freddie Pendleton to world titles, as well as a two-year stint with Mike Tyson following the heavyweight's two fights - and one bite - with Holyfield, whom Brooks trained during that series.
While's it has been a long time since Brooks has been at the top level, his services come at a time when Price needs fresh eyes on a product that quickly went stale.
Price was riding high after a breakthrough 2012 campaign, but his career potential hit a wall following a shocking knockout loss to American heavyweight Tony Thompson in his first bout of 2013. Many attempted to dismiss the upset as a fluke, but Price's shortcomings were confirmed when Thompson repeated the feat in their rematch this past July.
The first step towards ring rehabilitation for Price was to come in a scheduled tune-up versus Evgeny Orlov. That same matchup remains on deck for whenever the Brit is ready to return to the ring, a fight that his team believes will be the first step towards his reemergence as a player in the heavyweight division.
"The heavyweight division is becoming very exciting again with a fresh young crop of talent coming through and Britain has some of the best prospects, but David has all the attributes needed to dominate the division," Brooks believes.
Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of Boxingscene.com, as well as a member of the Transnational Boxing Ratings Board, Yahoo Boxing Ratings Panel and the Boxing Writers Association of America. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox