Newbridge’s Bradley Pryce is back to winning ways after travelling to Michael Lomax’s back yard on Saturday and beating the Londoner on points in an all-action eight round encounter.
Referee Mark Green separated the boxers by one point and while acknowledging that scoring is open to interpretation, Pryce believes the bout was one of his best performances.
He said: “Lomax was the home boy, I know how it is but I won it well. It was more than a round in it. I think we saw some of the old Sugar Sweet mojo. I felt relaxed in the ring, when it gets going I fight with a chip on my shoulder, that’s when I’m in the mood and at my best.”
The pair first met three years ago in Newport with Pryce prevailing on points but the Welshman has suffered mixed fortunes since and he entered Saturday’s bout on a three fight losing streak.
The Lomax rematch marked the beginning of a new chapter in Pryce’s career following a link up with his new trainer Jamie Arthur at Arthur’s Gym in Rhydyfelin and Pryce admitted that if he had lost on Saturday then he’d be destined to finish his career as a journeyman.
Pryce said: “Before the fight I’m thinking ‘what if I lost again?’. Don’t get me wrong, I’d still box but it would be as a journeyman, to be fair. I’ve had a couple of fights that have been last chance saloon. There was Billy-Joe Saunders and Chris Eubank Jr but I didn’t think them as my last chance because it wasn’t my natural weight.
“Then the last one against Rick Godding, I was only with Jamie two weeks but I felt there was a lot of improvements, he won it fair enough but the work we’ve continued showed tonight. There’s still a lot of work to be done with me and Jamie’s the man to sort me out and get me on the right track.”
It’s almost 14 years since Pryce began professional boxing and after 47 bouts that once saw a successful Commonwealth title reign, the 32-year-old is adamant that there’s still more to come in his career. Pryce hopes Saturday’s win puts him ranked amongst the top 15 domestic welterweights but he’s under no illusions of his standing and he’s still eager to prove himself.
He said: “On Friday, Frankie Gavin showed he’s a class act and why he’s a worthy British and Commonwealth champion. I’m not going to call him out but I am working towards fighting for those titles.
“There’s a really good pack of fighters chasing Gavin, I’m in that now and I don’t see why we can’t have some eliminators between us. Look at my career – I’ve fought anyone, anywhere and I’ll still do that.”
One of the key focuses of the new trainer/boxer relationship between Arthur and Pryce was for the boxer to effectively manage his weight. It’s been no secret that in the past Pryce has struggled with it and the natural welterweight contested three divisions higher but Arthur insists he’s now learnt his lessons.
Arthur said: “The penny has dropped with Bradley, it’s never been a case of teaching an old dog new tricks, he’s seen it all in his career. I just had to refocus him and remind him of certain things. The only main issue that we had to address was his weight, he should have never been as high as super-middle.
“We got Bradley on the BodyViUK programme and it really did work for him. For the last five weeks he’s been coming in to the gym weighing 10st 11lbs. He hasn’t seen that weight for about eight years. I know in the past Bradley’s said he’s this weight and then that weight but he really is a welterweight and he knows that now.
“On Saturday he weighed in 10st 8lbs and that was only six hours before the fight, he then went and fought eight hard rounds and he could have gone longer. Hopefully we’ll get some opportunities at welterweight, all we ask for is good notice and he’ll fight anyone domestically.”