Bad Left Hook

David Price was supposed to get a test from tough veteran John McDermott today in Liverpool. He did not.

Price improved to 12-0 (10 KO) by knocking McDermott down three times in the opening round, scoring a knockout victory against an aggressive, going-for-broke opponent who said earlier that this was his final chance in his own mind. The official time of stoppage was 1:13.

The first knockdown came as McDermott charged in hoping to land overhand rights over top of Price's left hand. McDermott (26-8, 17 KO) was cracked with a counter right uppercut, which caught him flush and put him on the canvas.

Moments later, again attempting to overwhelm Price, McDermott ate a similar counter shot on the chin and went to the mat again, this time his legs clearly more wobbly than the first time down after he got back to his feet. Referee Howard John Foster gave him a chance to fight on, but it was academic: A third knockdown came on yet another right hand, and McDermott was counted out, though he did get to his feet.

If McDermott sticks to his word, this will be it in the ring for him. He's said he doesn't want to become a journeyman, and that if he couldn't get to the top of the British ranks, he saw no point in continuing.

Price, 28, marches onward by winning the vacant English heavyweight title, and this was also a sanctioned final eliminator for a shot at Tyson Fury's British crown. Price says he wants that fight with Fury, and feels that Fury wants it, too. Hopefully it gets made.

I still don't know if David Price has a chin that will carry him deep into the pro ranks. What I do know is he has dynamite in his right hand, and is one of the physically strongest men in the sport. At 6'8" with a legit amateur pedigree, Price knows how to get proper leverage on his punches and knows how to box. If that questioned beard holds up, we could be looking at a legitimate future star in the division.

In the televised co-feature, former British bantamweight titlist Martin Power looked positively finished in a losing effort against short notice opponent Kevin Satchell of Liverpool. Power (22-7, 10 KO) has moved down to super flyweight in an effort to rejuvenate his career, but it's simply not there anymore. After a fairly even first round, which I nicked to Power closely but also a round where Satchell came on in the latter half, it was all Satchell (7-0, 0 KO). In the second, he put the 31-year-old Power on the canvas, and he just could not miss with his right hand. In the sixth and final round, Power was again reeling around the ring. Had the fight been set for eight, he would have been stopped.

After the fight, Sky commentator and ex-fighter Johnny Nelson suggested that Power should retire before he gets hurt. It's hard to disagree. Power still has the guts and the desire, but his speed and reflexes are gone, and he just couldn't keep up with what is in reality a novice pro fighter.