#bradleypryce

Adam Johnston: You have taken a few fights recently on short notice, is that something you are going to continue or are you going to try and get back into the title picture?

Bradley Pryce: Yeah I want to get a title but at the moment fights keep coming up at short notice and obviously I’m not having the time to prepare. I’m confident of getting in there with anyone short notice or not and that’s why I’ve been taking the fights as I know I can give as good as I get. So I’ve been putting the work in but last year I didn’t win a fight which was disappointing (Bradley did win against Michael Lomax in 2013) . So I’m back in the gym now, I’m training hard and hopefully I can open up the year with a win, so yeah hopefully it will be good now.

AJ: You Performed a lot better in some of those short notice fights than a lot of people thought you would, how do you feel you performed in those fight such as the (Sergey) Rabchenko and (Frankie) Gavin fights?

BP: Yeah I didn’t have time to prepare properly when I boxed both. The first (Rabchenko) fight was very close but the second he won it clearly but it was a short notice fight and it was for his title and I knew his best punch was the left hook to the body.  But like I said I didn’t have the time to prepare and I knew he’d use it but I hadn’t had any preparation but we took the fight and I think it would have been a different outcome if I had more notice.

The Frankie Gavin fight I lost over half a stone the day before the weigh in, obviously that left me drained as they wanted me as close to ten and a half stone as I could. I was coming down from close to eleven and a half stone so I got down to the eleven stone limit and it didn’t take that much out of me. I felt okay I the fight but it was short notice, it’s a lot of weight and obviously I wasn’t going to be 100%. He surprised me a lot with his movement and that, I was hoping he was going to come and have a slug fest. But obviously he used his head and out boxed me and that’s how he won using his skills and that. I’d of liked to have dragged him into a war but he boxed and stayed away and boxed to a points win. After a few rounds my trainer wasn’t happy I was cruising around he didn’t want me to be in there but I told him “he (Gavin) can’t punch”. None of his punches had an effect and I thought if I could catch him I could turn it around but he stayed away from me and boxed smart. But like I said there was no power there, nothing really troubled me but he boxed smart and boxed a clever fight.

AJ: You mentioned about having to lose a lot of weight for the Gavin fight, recently you have been fighting Welter to Middleweight are you planning to campaign at either of the weights?

BP: Ideally I’d fight at welterweight as that’s my natural weight and with the move to 10 stone 7ibs the gloves drop from 10 ounce to 8 ounce I think and that will help my power as well. Yeah I’d like to be welterweight ideally but who knows, I know that the guy from Liverpool what’s his name, the light middleweight?

AJ: Liam Smith?

BP: No, it’s Selkirk. That’s come up a few times but has been knocked back a few times, he pulled out twice due to injury, I meant to box him last title for the title but he pulled out due to injury the second time. I’m in training for March if it’s offered for that but other than that I’m looking for a fight at welterweight.

AJ: Looking at the rankings in Boxing news and you’re ranked 10 places above Selkirk so is that a fight in the right direction?

BP: Yeah, but he talks the talk but two times I was due to fight him but he pulled out due to injury and hopefully now they still want to make the fight. I’d like it now with fair notice that there’s the fight because then he would get the best of me. Like I said the way it is (now) it could be the week before and they will phone me saying “will you take the fight?” and expecting me not to be at my best. That’s how it’s working for me at the minute, nothings working in my favour but let’s do it now, if people want me to fight Selkirk then let’s do it now rather than wait until a few days before then call me in.

AJ: In your fights in the last few years you have been in with some highly regarded talents such as Chris Eubank Jr, Frankie Gavin, Billy Joe Saunders have any really impressed you once you got in the ring?

BP: I think boxing wise Frankie Gavin and Billy Joe Saunders, yeah they had good skills and boxing ability but I don’t think any of them have that power to move onto world level. They are good boxers but Eubank I didn’t rate him really and don’t think he’s going to go nowhere to be honest. He’s a middle and he boxed me, a welterweight and he didn’t have the power with me going up to middleweight. Yeah I like I said they were at short notice and this year I want to get my career back on track and obviously have a good year and be ready when the fights come. I took a lot of fights on short notice but I know if I come back with a win I’ll be back in the picture.

AJ: Have you got any fights scheduled so far for this year?

BP: Nothing really yet, I’ve only just been back in training now for just under two weeks so I’m just slowly building back up and I won’t take nothing now until I’m fully fit and that won’t be until the beginning of march. So obviously from the start of march I’ll be looking for a fight so ideally I’d be boxing on march the 1st as I’ll be up to full fitness by then. If a fight doesn’t come up I’ll keep training until I find something, I’m up for fighting anyone ideally a minimum of 8 rounds. I don’t really want to get in with a four rounder just for the sake of it.

AJ: So you’re aiming for the British title by the end of the year?

BP: Well yeah I don’t know if they will put him (Frankie Gavin is British champion at time of writing) in or in an eliminator. I think a lot of promoters realise I’m willing to fight at short notice especially with my last two fights so I expect a phone call to come up pretty soon but lie I said I’ll turn it down until march to make sure I’m 100% ready and I want to bounce back with a win and have a good 2014.

AJ: If your career ended today what would have been your career highlight?

BP: Probably winning the commonwealth title vs Ossie Duran I suppose, no one expected me to win it and that turned my career around. I think I kept that title for around 3 years and made 7 defence I think (Bradley lost his title in his seventh defence). Obviously I want to do that again and I think this year I can do that.

AJ: Thank you for your time Bradley and good luck in your next fight.