DAVID PRICE beat Tyson Fury and dropped Anthony Joshua – but his toughest opponent’s career cruelly got cut short due to gang violence.
The 6ft 8in former British and Commonwealth champion retired in 2019 after a career that saw him share the ring with other big names such as Derek Chisora and Alexander Povetkin.
Back in his amateur days, Price beat current WBC heavyweight title holder Fury and he famously floored AJ during sparring in 2011.
Many would expect the Liverpool-born star to name either of the above as having the heaviest hands that he has come up against.
However, instead he claimed German-based Russian Denis Boytsov.
Speaking to the Daily Star, Price said: “I sparred a Russian called Denis Boytsov in Germany once. He only hit the top of my head, but he was a powerful puncher.
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“I think he got his career cut short, he got absolutely battered by a gang of Russian fellas and left for dead, he couldn’t fight again. But I remember him being a really powerful puncher.”
Boytsov enjoyed a three-win streak and was touted for a world title shot before a shocking incident in May 2015 left him fighting for his life and his career in tatters.
He was placed in an induced coma after being found with serious head injuries in a Berlin subway.
Boytsov was in a coma for seven weeks and lost 70kg, leaving him unable to move and eat without the aid of a tube.
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Once he was finally woken up his 36-1 career was over – although mystery surrounds exactly what happened to him on the night of the attack.
Berlin police had originally claimed, based on video footage and witnesses, that the incident looked to have been an accident.
But Boytsov released a statement on his website that suggested he had in fact been a victim of an attack that was linked to his boxing career.
It read: “It is possible that this attack was linked to the boxer’s sporting activity.
“Around two years ago, Boytsov was receiving threats constantly.’”
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
