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Price leaning on Lewis for advice

David Price is determined to get his revenge on Tony Thompson © PA Photos

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David Price feels a pre-fight sleep will set him on his way to gaining revenge over Tony Thompson.

Price suffered the first defeat of his career when knocked out by Thompson. The Liverpudlian has secured a rematch and has been working hard under the gaze of Lennox Lewis to get in shape for his shot at revenge.

Former undisputed heavyweight champion Lewis has been offering advice to Price, and one tip he will use is to have a pre-fight sleep to remove tension.

"I will have to get a king size bed but I will certainly have one there [in the dressing room] after listening to Lennox telling me what he used to do," Price told the Daily Mail. "He always had a bed in his dressing room and had something like two hours' sleep before the fight after getting to the arena early.

"He said that helped him get rid of all the pre-fight tension because he would switch off, go to sleep, and then wake up. It's a good idea and something I will certainly be trying. Look - if someone like Lennox Lewis benefited from that approach, it can't do me any harm, can it?"

Price has conceded that he made the mistake of underestimating Thompson when they met in February, but he will not make the same mistake on July 6.

"I thought I was just going to have to get fit in the gym, turn up, get in the ring and knock him out," Price added. "You can do that at domestic level but you can't do it at the world level - which I found out the hard way.

"If I don't become a better fighter because of it I am in the wrong sport. "My mentality about everything has changed."

Lewis will play a part in Price's build-up and and he has tremendous respect for Lewis.

"We always work hard before every fight, but working with Lennox took me to a whole new level of training," Price said. "We got to see what he used to do when he was at the top of his game and it was an eye opener."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.