By Johnny Walker
British heavyweight rising star Tyson Fury has vacated the British and Commonwealth titles he won last year in a big victory over Dereck “Del Boy” Chisora.
The move nixes a proposed clash of the giants matching the 6’9” tall Fury with fellow British sensation, 6’8” David Price, who recently scored a smashing first round knockout over John McDermott.
“Fury vs. Price was a quality fight and in my opinion it should go out to the widest possible audience, that’s why I offered David Price £100,000 to fight Tyson Fury on Channel 5, which unfortunately was rejected by his promoter on Monday,” Fury’s promoter Mick Hennessey said today in The Sun.
Price’s promoter Frank Maloney, however, had a different view. “I don’t believe Hennessy or Channel 5 had the financial backing to put this fight on and this why they have pulled out,” he said.
“We submitted our bid and crossed our fingers like all the other promoters did, but Hennessy and Chicken Fury could not take the gamble and have clucked away instead.
“Fury will regret the day he gave up his belts and the chance to earn his biggest pay to date.”
Fury (17-0, 12 KOs) says he now intends to go after a world title, meaning of course that he intends to go after one of the champion Klitschko brothers. He intends to announce specific plans in the next few days.
David Price (12-0, 10 KOs), meanwhile, will go ahead and make his American debut against Josue Blocus (16-2, 14 KOs) in Atlantic City on March 24, on a card that also features rising Polish heavyweights Mariusz Wach and Artur Szpilka.