Friday 21 October 2016 08:14, UK
David Price has told Sky Sports he is not scared to take on Anthony Joshua after taking to social media to threaten to knock the IBF heavyweight champion out on December 10.
A planned fight between Joshua and Wladimir Klitschko is hanging in the balance as the Ukrainian is expected to seek another opponent if the WBA does not agree to put its vacant belt on the line as part of any bout.
Price has previously been mooted as an opponent for Joshua and on Thursday night the Liverpool heavyweight told Sky Sports he wasn't scared of taking him on having earlier goaded him on Twitter.
The former British and Commonwealth champion, who claims to have knocked Joshua out in sparring directly tweeted Joshua, saying: "I'm coming to knock you out December 10 done it before and I'll do it again."
Promotor Eddie Hearn earlier urged Klitschko to face Joshua, with reports suggesting he has instead lined up a fight against Lucas Browne for the WBA title in Hamburg on December 10, the same date as his proposed meeting with the 27-year-old.
After the social media call-out, Price went into greater detail about his intentions and exclusively told Sky Sports: "I am just staking my claim - two Olympic medallists and obviously two big men - it would be an absolute shoot-out.
"It will be the most exciting heavyweight fight people have seen for years. Everyone seems scared to fight him for whatever reason but I'm not.
"I'd get in there and I'd be gunning across the ring with bad intentions and that would be a massive opportunity for me. That is why I am putting my name forward.
He is just a human being and not the man a lot of people are convinced he is. He is not 'The Terminator', he's just a man.
"You won't see me shying away from challenging Anthony Joshua. He is just a human being and not the man a lot of people are convinced he is. He is not 'The Terminator', he's just a man. I haven't heard from anyone yet but I hope they don't take the easy option.
"I've said I've wanted this fight for months, but as far as I can see he has no options. Klitschko seems to be doing something else, everyone else is tied up and I know they are looking for someone in the top 15 of the IBF, so they don't need to look any further than me.
"I won't have any if this 'you don't deserve to fight him' because I need to know why I don't deserve it. People will say I've been knocked out but I'll just tell them I've been knocked out twice - by [opponents who subsequently failed drugs tests] on both occasions.
"I do deserve it. If I fought Anthony Joshua I would be the most dangerous opponent he's had in the opposite corner.
"I'd be the biggest opponent, the biggest punching opponent in the opposite corner and there would be a real possibility of something going wrong for Anthony Joshua.
"I wouldn't be surprised if I didn't get the fight for that reason but they have mentioned Eric Molina, they've mentioned me and they mentioned Kubrat Pulev - but I know he's turned it down.
"If they go for Eric Molina they will be taking the easy option. He was supposed to be the man I was fighting on this [December 10] card when we thought Joshua was fighting Klitschko.
"Eddie Hearn might say I am not ready to fight Joshua. If he puts someone in who was supposed to be my opponent to fight Joshua then he's surely contradicting himself."
Price's trainer David Coldwell has said they would be keen to fight Joshua if the opportunity presented itself, with Hearn admitting he is already looking at "other options".
Coldwell told Sky Sports: "Nothing's been mentioned to us about a fight with AJ, and it's gone a bit quiet because of probably what is going on but maybe Eddie Hearn has got someone as a back-up."
