By Jake Donovan
Yet another injury, yet another bout involving David Price that falls off the schedule.
The latest comes courtesy of a pulled neck muscle. With the injury comes ordered rest and rehabilitation for a minimum of two weeks, which has forced Price off of a planned June 26 homecoming appearance at Echo Arena in Liverpool, England.
An opponent had yet to be named for what was to be his first fight at home in nearly two years.
"Of course I’m disappointed,’’ Price claimed in a statement through his promoter, Sauerland Event's press office. "I had been looking forward to returning home at the very top of my game and fighting in front of my home fans once again, but unfortunately that will have to wait.
"My neck muscle needs resting and that has disrupted my preparations and made it impossible for me to be at full fitness for June 26.’’
The show—promoted by Eddie Hearn's Matchroom Boxing—will still go on. Topping the bill are a pair of super middleweight fights, with unbeaten Callum Smith facing Christopher Rebrasse in a super middleweight eliminator, and undefeated Rocky Fielding facing veteran Bryan Vera.
"Fortunately the neck injury is nothing too serious but the decision has been made to withdraw David from the June 26 card," noted Price's promoter, Kalle Sauerland. "David wanted to be at his best for his first fight back in Liverpool for (nearly) two years, and we would not risk him fighting at anything less than 100%.
"It’s a shame for the promotion but with Tony Bellew, Callum Smith and Rocky Fielding all in action, it’s still a great card that Eddie Hearn has put together and fans can still look forward to a great night of boxing at the Echo Arena.’’
Price (19-2, 16KOs) hadn't fought at home since back-to-back knockout losses to Tony Thompson in 2013. The bouts mark his lone two defeats to date, but forced a major transformation in his career.
Following the second loss to Thompson came a complete overhaul, with Price bringing on board a new trainer, manager and—in Sauerland Event—a new promoter. Four fights have followed, taking place in Germnay and Denmark.
What has also been a constant, however, is Price being scratched from shows for a variety of reasons. His originally scheduled debut under the Sauerland banner was delayed when a virus forced him to withdraw from a Dec. '13 show. He eventually made his ring return last January, with three comeback fights under his belt in a span of less than five months.
The active schedule gave in to injuries. Price nursed a hand injury that put him on the shelf for nearly six months, followed by a bicep injury that led to his being removed from a show in Germany last December.
His last fight has come in February, scoring a 6th round stoppage of Irineu Beato Costa.
Since then, he has been linked to an ordered EBU heavyweight title fight with unbeaten Erkan Teper. The bout went to purse bid, won by Z!-Promotions, Teper's promoter who planned to stage the heavyweight clash on July 17 in Germany.
Price's scheduled June 26 homecoming appearance would have killed such a fight, as EBU rules state that you cannot compete in a title fight within 28 days of your last ring appearance. Curiously, that fight remains very much on the table. Price had never formally withdrawn from the fight, although an official announcement as to his participation (or withdrawal) likely will not come until he is physically evaluated and receives a clean bill of health.
According to a statement from Sauerland Event's press office, fans requiring refunds for the show as a result of Price's removal should contact their point of purchase.
Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
