Bradley Pryce Interview 22nd october 2009
AJ: How long do you see yourself boxing for?
BP: I’ve got a few good years boxing left. I always knew when I turned professional that I would be a late developer, I always knew I’d be at my best in my late 20’s now I’m going to show people I’m the best. I know a lot of people peak around 25/26, I don’t think I’ve peaked yet I think I’ll peak around 28/29 I think next year you’re going to see the best of me. I think I can carry on and have 4 or 5 years at the top.
AJ: Sounds Good. What do you see yourself in the next few years then, title wise?
BP: I’ve got a fight coming up now on November 20th (Sergejs Savrinovics) in Newport, the opponent is not the best on paper but after my bad defeat to Matt Hall I deserve to come back with 2 fights to get my career back on track. Hopefully after this fight the boxing board will make me number 1 challenger for the British title, I’ve always been ranked quite high and it would be the first time I’ve boxed for it at light middleweight. So I think it’s my time to go for the British title, hopefully Anthony Small don’t vacate the title because to be honest the first fight it was an easy victory I knew I was going to come on strong late on. He had nothing left and I think the result would be exactly the same; I would take him into the late rounds and just destroy him.
AJ: what did you think of Smalls victory over Hall?
BP: Well I think at my best, I made my excuses for the Hall fight. At my best no-one can live with me, maybe I should have boxed more, I gave my excuses and didn’t enter the ring 100%. I didn’t see any improvement in small apparently he’s fitter apparently he’s punching harder. I didn’t see anything I thought he did exactly what he did against me. He was just pity patting and boxing with little punches that I would just walk though. Hall got tired and he (small) got to him, Small wouldn’t of been able to do that against me I’d of just walked though them and done what I done last time and just unloaded, as the fight goes on my punches get harder with Small he pita pats and they don’t get no harder they get weaker.
AJ: After the loss to Hall there was talk of you moving divisions, maybe up to Super Middle was there any truth to this?
BP: Enzo is trying to get me to move and get me to change weights he wants me to box at middle he wants me to box at supper middle. I think I’m a light middleweight, I make the weight easy and I think in my last fight was my best fight even though Mike Monaghan is classed as a journeyman, I think the performance I showed was my best performance to date and I gained a lot of confidence in that fight. So I think defiantly light middleweight but maybe in the future but like what I said I’ve yet to hit my peak. But I’ll settle at this weight because another 1 or 2 wins will get me the British title shot so ill stay at this weight for now but maybe in a few years I’ll gradually go up the weights.
AJ: is there anything you would change in your career looking back?
BP: Yeah I would have went for the Olympics, I mean just look at the guy who are rich now before there pro careers have even taken off. My Style is made for the amateurs I’m a good boxer, I won a lot of titles and never lost for my country. I think I would have been spot on for the points scoring in the Olympics. That’s my only regret not going for the Olympics and instead turning pro at 18. Obviously my lifestyle as well I’d of been a bit more dedicated to the sport, I came off the rails a bit and took the sport half hearted but I’m taking it more seriously now and hopefully I’ll achieve my goals.
AJ: You mentioned the amateurs, your brothers boxed as armatures and had short pro careers what are they up too now?
BP: Well when you turn pro you have to stick to the rules and dedicate yourself to the sport that’s something they didn’t do, they got mixed up with the other side of life, drink and drugs. They went down that path and that’s it in and out of prison. They wasted their careers, they were both top boxers but they wanted the other side of life but they are happy with it. My older brother Byron he’s the head case of the 3 of us to be honest he still thinks he’s going to come back, he wants to get in there with like Tyson Fury, he’s walking around as a heavyweight now my brother. He wants to get in there with Tyson fury and all the other top heavyweights, he wants to come back and have a go. It the case of him saying he wants to do it but he’s not in the gym training hard so I think it may just be in his head that he wants to come back and fight top boys. And Delroy is happy walking away with what he did, he lost a bunch 8 years ago and he doesn’t ever want to step foot in a boxing ring ever again. Both have different ideas about what they want to do but like I said the reality is getting back in the gym and training for it.
AJ: If Byron did get back in the gym would you support him in his comeback?
BP: Yeah definitely, I think he needs to get training and get a bit of weight off but I don’t think he’s putting 100% into it you know what I mean he’s still have the odd can and smoking and what have you. But he still thinks he’s going to come back I still have words for him some encouragement and I would like to see him come back, he’s undefeated. Like he used to be Joe’s sparring partner and Joe (Calzaghe) knows he’s a head case he’s proper hard you can hit him and bang him but he’ll keep coming, he’s got big heart he has.
AJ: Well if he does come back I hope he takes it seriously so he wouldn’t get hurt
BP: Well if he does take it back he needs to have 4 or 5 months training hard and that, a lot of people would like to see him get back in the ring. A lot of people in my areas always say “your brother Byron was always the best” there’s always been talk about Byron being the best and wasted a good career, but I was the only one who carried on and took it more serious. Yeah I’d like him to come back, I mean he could give a lot of people trouble because that’s the type of fighter he is, but like I say he’s got to get back into it but if he wants to dedicate himself to it.
AJ: Going back to yourself, you’ve battled with bulimia and recently you’ve brought in a nutritionist how has that affected your training and dropping weight?
BP: Well I’ve never had trouble dropping the weight just when you get to the Hall fight, Enzo wasn’t really in the gym training us because of everything that was going on between (Frank) Warren and Joe, Enzo was obviously part of that so he wasn’t in the gym. But like Maccarinelli blames the training side for his defeat. I Believe I trained myself good enough to beat Hall but obviously the weight loss, I was going home eating what I wanted and just bringing it back up and I was back on to a habit because the weight was coming off so quick and I was eating what I wanted and it was just simple. Like on the day of the weigh in with Hall I couldn’t stand my legs were buckling, I couldn’t stand up. And obviously the food I had taken back into me obviously hadn’t given me any energy what so ever, I’m just thankful that after that defeat I can come back and box. I mean I could have died on that night the way that I done it I was unbelievably weak but obviously I had to change my lifestyle around. So I went and brought in a sports nutritionist, me and Gavin Rees. He set us a plan for the 6 weeks for the fight in Newport, the last fight like I said for me it was my best fight ever against anyone. And I’ve had fight of the year a few times, I showed so much skill, stamina, power and speed – everything no matter who was in front of me that night I would have beaten them with my style.
AJ: Well you looked good on the before and after pictures you had posted on Facebook.
BP: Yeah I’ve watched it back on DVD and was so happy with the performance I’ve realised within myself I can go on pick up the British and pick up the titles and be back on the world scene. But I proved in the last fight and ill prove it again in this fight then I’ll prove it against Small and I’ll beat him like I did last time.
AJ: do you have any predictions about your next fight against Savrinovics?
BP: Well in his last fight he was stopped by I think a welterweight (actually a Light middle) with a couple of body shots. I know his record and his wins have been mainly knock outs (7 wins 4 Ko’s) so he’s a bit of a banger but the way my style is I’ll take him into the later rounds and then I’m gonna stop you. I mean in my last fight against Monaghan if that had been Small or anyone else in my last fight they would have been gone. Monaghan is a tough cookie he walks around at super middleweight and he took them well the ref could have actually stepped in and stopped it with the punishment he took. So i would like going the distance and going the later rounds, that’s what I want to do I want to take this guy to the later rounds, I want to be in front in the later rounds winning the fight quite comfortably and stop him towards the end in rounds 8,9 or 10.
AJ: Sounds like a good plan. You’re currently with Calzaghe promotions, do you see yourself staying with them for the rest of your career or would you consider joining another promoter to secure title fights?
BP: Well I’ve been told by the promoters that title fights are gonna come, I think the first one on my list I think is going to be the British one because I’ve been in the top 10 for years now and I haven’t had that British title opportunity yet. I think after a couple of wins that will be my next fight. Obviously I’m being told by the promotion that world title fights are going to come and big fights are going to come. At the moment I’m not sure what’s happening, I don’t want to keep fighting on these small 10 round shows you know, I want to be fighting for titles so hopefully I’m going to pin my faith in the promotion and see if that happens. But like I said I’m not at my best yet I’m not at my peak and next year I need these big fights and hopefully Calzaghe promotions can do that for me. I mean Gavin Rees is going down a different route he’s obviously fighting in Prizefighter with Barry Hearn so I’m not sure what he’s going to be doing but I’m sticking with Calzaghe promotions for a while and hopefully the options come and if they don’t I’ve obviously got to do what’s best for my career.
AJ: Would you ever consider doing the Prizefighter route?
BP: No because like what I said I’m a 12 round fighter, it doesn’t matter who I’m boxing I’m usually behind at the half way point then I go on and stop them or win on points. That’s my style, my style is not made for 3 rounds, and I don’t get started till half way. It wouldn’t be no good for me to be honest, it would be a losing fight for me to start.
AJ: Like what happened to Danny Williams in the last Prizefighter?
BP: Yeah he was terrible weren’t he? Yeah like I said a 3 rounder is different that a 12 rounder. Like I said I’m a 12 rounder, I’m a title fight guy. I would love to go back to 15 rounder’s to be honest they would be more suited to me, 3 rounds I think is just too short. It would suit Gavin obviously, I can’t see him losing in 3 rounds he just goes out and throws leather. A lot of people can’t do that, they can’t keep up with the pace. He should win it quite easily.
AJ: I think he would be the favourite because of fighting at the higher level.
BP: yeah he has fought at the higher level but I just think that people won’t be able to keep him of them But the likes of Bami and a couple of the others who are in there who are bangers so it’s going to be good, it’s going to be a slug fest. So I think that’s what it’s going to be, a slug fest but it’s going to be the battle of the chins.
AJ: What are your thoughts about the Calzaghe clan TV show?
BP: I think its good actually, I think the first two didn’t make Enzo come across very well but I watched the one on Monday when they were showing Newport and I think it was really good. They got a few of the boys a bit more involved; I thought it was a good show. But Enzo you know what I mean, that’s Enzo he likes to bark his orders and shout them but that’s Enzo you know. He didn’t come across too good but he’s won trainer of the year so he must be doing something right but yeah its pretty good.
AJ: Have you ever had any problems with Enzo?
BP: Yeah if you go back a few years when I was suffering some defeats I decided to leave. I didn’t feel that the attention was on me so much because Joe was in the gym and you had a lot of champions in the gym so I wasn’t given enough attention. I blamed that for some of my loses and I moved on for a while with Tony Booth. Whilst I was with him for 9 months I had about 3 fights I think but obviously my lifestyle resulted in what my results was, they weren’t very good and my record slumped for a while. Then I decided I wanted to pick my career back up and take it a bit more serious and I made the move to go back with Enzo.
AJ: Are there any young lads in the gym that you think will be future stars?
BP: Well we’ve got a new boy just turned up called Chris Evangelou I think he’s from London. He’s just moved down here to start training camp for 4 or 5 weeks for this show. I think he’s a Light Welterweight he should be having his first fight on the bill, there’s a lot of talk about him. He’s not too bad but there are a lot of things he needs to be doing. Enzo has been pushing him and for me he kept by people who do very well. Also there is Ryan Evans he’s another decent fighter, I was sparing him last night I think he’s a lightweight (Welterweight in his debut) and he’s a good boy so he can go on and do himself proud. Obviously my main aim is myself I just want to be in there and be in them big fights, these unknown’s I’m boxing is just no good for me what so ever. I need to be in there with names it’s somewhere I’ve always been, I’ve never said no to a fight. So like I said I know Small’s don’t want to fight me, he thinks he’s got bigger things but there is nothing bigger than coming back and beating someone who beat you bad you know what I mean. So I think that’s my next fight I want to beat Small and I want to fight for a world title, I want to push on and follow in Joe’s footsteps.
AJ: Are there any of the big 4 title holders out there that you would like to fight? Cory Spinks for example.
BP: Well I’ll fight anyone you know what I mean? The names don’t bother me. To be honest I’m not a massive boxing fan I don’t really follow any boxing, if boxing was on TV I probably wouldn’t watch it. I mean I don’t really follow the champions; you’d have to tell me the name of the 4 champions to be honest. I’ll fight anyone that’s all, I train hard myself and I don’t check their records and I don’t get tapes of them. I don’t do anything, I just get in there and I know I can beat them. That’s how I beat them, I prepare myself and that’s how I would do it if I fought any of the world champions.
AJ: Finally I know you will be getting married soon is everything sorted and how much are you looking forward to the big day?
BP: Well the wedding has been pushed back going on a year from what we were planning. My fiancé is now pregnant so we are expecting our first baby together so the wedding is going to be put back a bit. So yeah our future looks good together, that’s it we are looking forward to having the baby and tying the knot and plan our life together.
AJ: let me just say Congratulations of the wedding and the pregnancy, and thank you for taking the time to do this interview with me.
