Olympic bronze medal winner David Price has full knowledge of the danger involved in going forward with an immediate rematch.
Once viewed as a future superstar in the heavyweight division, Price's rise was halted when he was knocked out by veteran Tony Thompson. So Price was influenced by his handlers to take an immediate rematch, and was stopped once again only five months later.
"If I had my time again, I wouldn't have taken a rematch with Tony Thompson at all, never mind straight away," Price told Sky Sports. "Certain people around me were advising me not to but because you're a fighter and you've got your pride and you want to go and put it right straight away. But sometimes you've got to listen to your head rather than your heart."
Last Saturday night, Olympic gold medal winner Anthony Joshua tasted defeat for the first time when he was stopped by massive underdog Andy Ruiz.
Ruiz dropped Joshua four times before the contest was waved off in the seventh round, and with the win he walked away with the IBF, IBO, WBA, WBO world titles.
And now Joshua has exercised an immediate rematch clause, to face Ruiz once again in the fall.
I think it's a massive risk because Andy Ruiz is a quality operator, fast hands and he puts his shots together really well," Price said.
"Joshua seemed to struggle with the compactness, the shortness of Ruiz, his hand speed. If someone has got fast hands, they're the punches you don't see coming. If someone is a big heavy puncher, you can anticipate and brace for the punch and it helps absorb the shot better.
"Any fighter will tell you, the punches you don't see are the ones that will knock you out, buzz you or daze you. He's going to have to be completely switched on for the 12 rounds and not exchange at all, especially mid-range where Ruiz is at his best, at his quickest. He's got to keep it long and literally jab his way through a points victory.
"The key for Joshua if he fights him again, is to not punch with someone who has got faster hands than you because you're more than likely to beaten to the punch, which is what happened to him. If he can just keep it simple and only throw when Ruiz isn't throwing, then I think he can win a points decision next time if he goes and has the rematch."
