Current mandatory challenger to Joshua, undefeated Joseph Parker, is closing in on an appearance on the champion’s undercard in Manchester and Price is the number one choice to oppose the New Zealander.
Inadvertently, this gives Price the opportunity to earn Parker’s stipulated shot at fellow-Briton Joshua for himself next March, should the Merseysider throw a spanner in the works when opposing Parker.
To gain his chance, Kubrat Pulev has to sign on the dotted line to meet Joshua in the headlining contest and then leave Parker free to introduce himself to the UK fans, which Price explained.
“We all discussed the Parker fight, everyone on the team from MGM, the Sauerland’s, myself and Dave (Coldwell) and we all agreed to go with it,” the former British title holder exclusively told World Boxing News.
“We’ve agreed the fight, and as far as I’m aware, it’s just a case of Pulev taking the Joshua fight or agreeing terms. If it gets to the point where the fight’s on, then I’ll get the Parker fight.
“But if Pulev doesn’t agree to the Joshua fight then I believe Parker will step into the main fight. Obviously, I’m hoping they come to an agreement with Pulev. We’re still in limbo a little bit at the moment. We just need to find out what’s going on with the Pulev situation and we can go from there.”
Asked how much he knows about his potential opponent, Price revealed he’s been an avid viewer of Parker’s exploits for some time now.
“I’ve followed him from early on when he was fighting the usual suspects just racking the wins up, but Parker’s win against Takam stands out as Takam is a serious contender,” he pointed out.
“Parker seems to have momentum, he’s young and has fast hands but I do believe if I fight him I’ll knock him out.
“I don’t think he’s been hit properly yet and obviously, my power is my main asset. He’s a big puncher and it will probably be the first fight I go into as the underdog so the pressure is off for me, really.
“But if it happens I’ll be going into it with everything to gain. Fear of failure is not in my make-up anymore. I’m really, really fancying this fight.
“I want a couple of warm ups before I fight Parker so it’s just a matter of waiting and seeing but the sooner we know, the better.
“If I beat Joseph Parker, I then become Anthony Joshua’s mandatory. And that’s the reason why the fight is so attractive. The upside to a victory is huge.
“We’re just hoping everything falls into place. The ball is in my own promoter’s court, funnily enough, with the Pulev situation (promoting him too) so we’ll see how that plays out.”
