Price looked vulnerable

[TheCobra]

It was worrying the ease with which Skelton clocked him a few times with those big overhand punches. Something to think about definitely as people were really starting to get carried away with the Price hype.

Once Price knew those punches were coming he got his hand up and blocked them, so the surprise element was gone, but just a little warning for him.

[josh fg]

He got hit a couple of times but we are criticising him in the context of a 2nd round win over a hard fighter. I think it's good that he's taken those shots because he'll be able to go away and learn to tie people up. I heard he got KOed as an armature so clearly it's something he must learn. I think we'll learn a lot from Thompson, a fighter of a similar level to Johnson in my view.

[palooka]

The vast majority will be learnt behind closed doors with very good sparring. Someone earlier said that Price is World class;he is not; he is proven domestic level and has World class power; there are a few things he needs to improve on or he will be derailed when he fights someone really seasoned. Becoming a champion who can hold onto the title takes a fair few years and he'll have to take a few lumps. He seems a good sort of fellow.

[bripez]

As we saw when he was an amateur (and less able to pick opponents) he is vulnerable around the whiskers.

He has improved technically and athletically since then, but you cannot improve a chin - and he seems too robotic and lumbering to develop defensive skills.

He has just got to keep people interested in the hope that the Klitschko's retire soon and move into politics, because he should not go anywhere near either of them.

As a boxing fan I would like to see Fury / Price and the winner facing Haye - the winner of that to face Vlad/Vitali.

[keithmoonhangover]

The vast majority will be learnt behind closed doors with very good sparring. Someone earlier said that Price is World class;he is not; he is proven domestic level and has World class power; there are a few things he needs to improve on or he will be derailed when he fights someone really seasoned. Becoming a champion who can hold onto the title takes a fair few years and he'll have to take a few lumps. He seems a good sort of fellow.

My gut feeling is that Price isn't gonna react well when he get hit hard and often. If he ends up in the trenches, I think he's gonna struggle.

Fury will knock him out IMHO.

[funso banjo baby]

The vast majority will be learnt behind closed doors with very good sparring. Someone earlier said that Price is World class;he is not; he is proven domestic level and has World class power; there are a few things he needs to improve on or he will be derailed when he fights someone really seasoned. Becoming a champion who can hold onto the title takes a fair few years and he'll have to take a few lumps. He seems a good sort of fellow.

My gut feeling is that Price isn't gonna react well when he get hit hard and often. If he ends up in the trenches, I think he's gonna struggle.

Fury will knock him out IMHO.

you thought Dallas was the real deal ;;-)

[keithmoonhangover]

The vast majority will be learnt behind closed doors with very good sparring. Someone earlier said that Price is World class;he is not; he is proven domestic level and has World class power; there are a few things he needs to improve on or he will be derailed when he fights someone really seasoned. Becoming a champion who can hold onto the title takes a fair few years and he'll have to take a few lumps. He seems a good sort of fellow.

My gut feeling is that Price isn't gonna react well when he get hit hard and often. If he ends up in the trenches, I think he's gonna struggle.

Fury will knock him out IMHO.

you thought Dallas was the real deal ;;-)

Did I? That must have been when I was on morphine mate.

[keithmoonhangover]

The vast majority will be learnt behind closed doors with very good sparring. Someone earlier said that Price is World class;he is not; he is proven domestic level and has World class power; there are a few things he needs to improve on or he will be derailed when he fights someone really seasoned. Becoming a champion who can hold onto the title takes a fair few years and he'll have to take a few lumps. He seems a good sort of fellow.

My gut feeling is that Price isn't gonna react well when he get hit hard and often. If he ends up in the trenches, I think he's gonna struggle.

Fury will knock him out IMHO.

you thought Dallas was the real deal ;;-)

You've been mocking my Fury worship for ages Funso. He's getting better and better mate.

[Bennyblanco]

I think this threads a bit of an over reaction to be honest. It was obviously skeletons game plan to rush price from the start, with big sweeping shots over the top and roughing him up. Yes price was pushed back slightly and Skelton defiantly took it to him but he got him out inside 2 rounds, whereas it took pulev 6. I personally think price will adjust his game if the same tactics are used again

[freddydoesdallas]

Is Johnson really that much of a better opponent? Neither are at their best (or near it) and have probably peaked at a similar level offering different challenges. Fury will win easily

[lillywhite14]

Johnson would beat Skelton 7 days a week. Of course he is a better opponent.

[keithmoonhangover]

Johnson would beat Skelton 7 days a week. Of course he is a better opponent.

[freddydoesdallas]

Johnson would beat Skelton 7 days a week. Of course he is a better opponent.

He's a bag of shite, who has he ever beat and more to the point who has he beaten recently? This isn't to say Skelton is good etc, he's long gone by that but Johnson is nowt at all either

[crusader]

Johnson's win over Leapai is more impressive than anything Skelton has done for years. Johnson is much faster and more skilled than Skelton, and would jab his way to a clear win imo.

[jessi]

Johnson's win over Leapai is more impressive than anything Skelton has done for years. Johnson is much faster and more skilled than Skelton, and would jab his way to a clear win imo.

Disagree there both awful now ! Close boring fight

[crusader]

Johnson is still much faster, clearly has better defense, takes a good shot, and has a good jab. I think he would beat a domestic level fighter like Skelton handily.

[keithmoonhangover]

Johnson's win over Leapai is more impressive than anything Skelton has done for years. Johnson is much faster and more skilled than Skelton, and would jab his way to a clear win imo.

Disagree there both awful now ! Close boring fight

No way mate. Johnson might be gunshy, but Skelton is shot.

[freddydoesdallas]

Johnson is still much faster, clearly has better defense, takes a good shot, and has a good jab. I think he would beat a domestic level fighter like Skelton handily.

Are you watching this guy in action tonight? He's piss poor. As I said earlier, Skelton is not great either but they're both of a level where anyone with ambition should be taking them both apart

[jessi]

I know Johnson has been in at a high level, but these days he is a surviving punch bag, I'd fancy any of the British top 6 against him !

[crusader]

Johnson is still much faster, clearly has better defense, takes a good shot, and has a good jab. I think he would beat a domestic level fighter like Skelton handily.

Are you watching this guy in action tonight? He's piss poor. As I said earlier, Skelton is not great either but they're both of a level where anyone with ambition should be taking them both apart

Johnson looked no better or worse against Klitschko.

It amazes me that people don't consider the level of opponent when evaluating a fighter's performance. Johnson looked much better in previous bouts when his opponents were far from the level of Klitschko or Fury. He recently stopped a top 25/30 fighter in Leapai, and did reasonably well in a tournmanet that did not suit his slow starting, low pace style.

Over the past few years Skelton has been stopped by Pulev, Rogan, Pianeta, lost to Sprott, and was dropped by Kevin McBride ffs. He's slow, easy to hit, not durable, and gets by against mediocre opponents solely on strength and agression. Johnson is much faster, more skilled offensively and defensively, has a better chin, has recently succeeded at a higher level, and would win handily.

[freddydoesdallas]

A very weak tournament that he didn't win. You're clinging to one win against a possible top 30 guy! Both are shite and that's the truth. They being a different style to the table but would you really expect either of them to trouble a genuine contender for a title? To rank them by gcse grades, they're both boderline d/e

[keithmoonhangover]

A very weak tournament that he didn't win. You're clinging to one win against a possible top 30 guy! Both are shite and that's the truth. They being a different style to the table but would you really expect either of them to trouble a genuine contender for a title? To rank them by gcse grades, they're both boderline d/e

[crusader]

A very weak tournament that he didn't win. You're clinging to one win against a possible top 30 guy! Both are shite and that's the truth. They being a different style to the table but would you really expect either of them to trouble a genuine contender for a title? To rank them by gcse grades, they're both boderline d/e

The wins over Leapai and Sosnowski are more impressive than anything Skelton has done for years. His best recent win was over the same Tom Dallas who folded in 30 seconds against Tor Hamer.

Neither Johnson nor Skelton are great, but there are many gradations of ability; Johnson is still far more capable than Skelton is at this stage, and has recently proven himself at a significantly higher level than Skelton has. I also don't think that Johnson would be dropped and seriously hurt by Kevin McBride, or stopped by Pianeta and Rogan.

[lillywhite14]

Johnson would beat Skelton 7 days a week. Of course he is a better opponent.

He's a bag of shite, who has he ever beat and more to the point who has he beaten recently? This isn't to say Skelton is good etc, he's long gone by that but Johnson is nowt at all either

I didn't say he was any good,must that he would beat Skelton everyday if the week right now. To be fair that's not saying much as there are probably 50 heavyweights in the world that could do the same!

[JC]

Johnson's win over Leapai is more impressive than anything Skelton has done for years. Johnson is much faster and more skilled than Skelton, and would jab his way to a clear win imo.

Disagree there both awful now ! Close boring fight

No way mate. Johnson might be gunshy, but Skelton is shot.

They bring different things to the table, but nobody can argue Skelton and Johnson are the same league right now. If fury still had the glaring weakness he show vs Firtha and Pajik, Johnson would probably have found a way to expose it. I though it was a good controlled display against someone with a good chin who wasn't going to take any kind of risk.