• Heavyweight

Price p****d off with himself for defeat

David Price says he is p****d off with himself after revealing complacency played a part in his loss to Tony Thompson.

The 29-year-old heavyweight from Liverpool admitted to Steve Bunce on his Boxing Podcast on ESPN that he took his opponent for granted, and has promised not to allow himself to think in the same manner when they face one another in a rematch on July 6.

Price suffered the first defeat of his career after being floored in the second round by the 41-year-old American, and initially found it difficult to move on from what happened in February.

"I'm trying my best to crack on but the truth is when you go to bed at night you do think about it and you go through what happens," Price said. "It's not a nice experience to lose a fight in such a fashion but it happens and you've got to deal with it. And I am dealing with it.

"I'm getting on with it but at the moment I'm more frustrated and p****d off at myself. I've gone from being heartbroken and now I'm frustrated and angry with what happened so I think it's just part of the process of getting over something bad happening to you."

With over three months to go to the bout with Thompson, Price is delighted with the support he has received, and is determined to convert his anger into a victory he craved the first time he faced Thompson at the Echo Arena in Liverpool.

"It's just a natural feeling I've got. I'm not forcing it but I am angry. I think you do need to feel like that after the initial feeling of feeling sorry for yourself," he said.

"I don't want to feel sorry for myself and I don't want to feel sorry for myself but you can't help it at first. But then you get over that stage and then it turns to anger and I can use this to turn this into something positive."

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