• Heavyweight

Fury the priority but Price has other options

David Price is looking to add Tyson Fury to his list of victims © PA Photos

Enlarge

Related Links

• News: Price to make American debut in March
  
• Features: The Price looks right after powerful display
  
• News: McDermott embarrassed by Price
  

David Price's promoter Frank Maloney is eager to book a British heavyweight title fight against Tyson Fury, but fears boxing politics may scupper the deal.

Price set himself up for a mandatory challenge of the British and Commonwealth champion with a 73-second knockout of John McDermott on Saturday, a fighter Fury has previously struggled against.

Purse bids for the bout between the two 6ft 8in men will happen on February 8, with the fight set to take place before the summer - although Maloney has his reservations about whether it will actually happen.

The experienced promoter fears Fury may vacate his belts in order to avoid any chance of a damaging defeat as he eyes lucrative opportunities at world level, while the fact Fury has a television deal with Channel 5 and Maloney is linked to Sky Sports adds an extra layer of difficulty to negotiations.

"The situation we are in now is the same situation as when Lennox [Lewis] was a young professional and was ordered to fight Gary Mason," Maloney told The Times. "It is a total risk fight for Fury. I don't see it as a risk for David, because it is a stepping stone - another learning fight."

If the Fury contest does not materialise, Maloney will take Price to the United States - where he believes the 28-year-old will prove a hit with American audiences bored by the dominance of the Klitschko brothers.

"David will be out in March and there is a real possibility he will fight in America," he said. "He could fight on the March 17 at Madison Square Garden [on the undercard of Sergio Martinez's fight with Matthew Macklin] or there is another bill in Texas around the same time."

Price, however, remains hopeful that Fury will live up to his reputation as a man willing to fight anyone.

"Fury has got a mad personality and will find something bad in that performance," Price said. "He'll convince himself. Fury will want to fight to save face because he knows his 'fighting man' reputation will go, which is why he talks.

"I think his management will want to go a different route, but I hope they don't. It's a fight the public want to see."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.