Bradley Pryce
Encyclopedia
Bradley Pryce is a Welsh
professional boxer. He usually fights at light middleweight
or the divisions either side, is a two time challenger for the British title and is a former Commonwealth champion.
, South Yorkshire
, England
beating David Hines on points over four rounds on a card which included Ricky Hatton
, Junior Witter
and Ryan Rhodes
. His career advanced steadily over the next two years with a total of nine consecutive victories before being given the chance to fight for his first career title. The fight on 28 April 2001 saw him defeat Jason Hall at the International Arena in Cardiff for the WBO inter-continental lightweight title giving him a record of 11-0. One win against Stuart Patterson followed before his first defence of the title against South African Lucky Sambo on 9 October 2001, retaining via a 12 round decision.
Gavin Down, a man boasting a 22-1 record at the time. Pryce was soon to suffer his first defeat however, when on 17 August 2002 he lost a six round contest to Ted Bami
, a prospect at the time with a record of 8-1, at Cardiff Castle
. A win over Craig Lynch on 23 November 2002 put him back on winning ways before challenging Neil Sinclair
for the full British welterweight title on 1 February 2003. The fight, at the Odyssey Arena in Belfast
, was to end in disappointment for Pryce as he lost his second professional contest and dropped to 17-2.
(18-0) in Widnes on 8 May 2003. His next fight though was to result in a third career defeat, this time to Zimbabwean Farai Musiyiwa at Cardiff's National ice rink on 21 February 2004. Another defeat followed on 6 May 2004 to the unbeaten Thomas McDonagh at the Metrodome in Barnsley
before defeating journeyman Keith Jones to win the Welsh Area title on 3 July 2004. He suffered further defeat in his next fight on 3 November 2004 when pitched against the unbeaten prospect Ajose Olusegun
(13-0) which resulted in a fourth round stoppage. His final fight of the year on 11 December 2004 would ensure that a disastrous year would end on a high however with a win over unbeaten Russian fighter Sergey Stepkin (15-0) in London
. Pryce finished 2004 with a record of two wins with three defeats and an overall record of 20-5. In 2005 he only fought once, losing again, this time to Michael Jennings on 25 October in a second attempt at the British title.
and Colin McNeil
. The fight, at the Newport Leisure Centre, saw Pryce gain the title with a 12 round decision. He would go on to defend the belt twice more that year against Tanzania's Hassan Matumla and England's Andrew Facey. In 2007 he made further defences against Ghana's Thomas Awinbono and another English fighter in Martin Concepcion
. In between those wins he also scored an impressive victory over then unbeaten Anthony Small
, a man who would go on to win the title later in his career. Only one fight in 2008 saw him successfully defend for the sixth time against Marcus Portman. In 2009 however it went wrong, when on 14 March he lost the belt to Matthew Hall
on the undercard of Amir Khan's
fight with Marco Antonio Barrera
losing via knockout in the second round.
on 26 February 2010. The contest, at the York Hall, pitched Pryce against former opponent Neil Sinclair
in the first round with Pryce avenging his defeat then with a three round points win now. In the semi-final he lost to the eventual winner of the tournament Prince Arron
. On 9 July 2010 Pryce set his sights on a shot at the British welterweight title by scoring a win over former European champion Ted Bami
, avenging a defeat by the same man earlier in his career. The fight lasted until just before the end of the 2nd round when a sharp left hook to the jaw of Bami proved the catalyst for a stoppage, Speaking of the win Pryce paid tribute to his new trainer, former pro Gary Lockett
, saying "I was in danger of turning into a journeyman but Gary's going to get me back to title level" and adding "I'll take on any top welterweight in Britain. I'm full of confidence - that fight proves how hard I hit". On 6 November 2010 Pryce continued his march towards a title chance beating former Prizefighter
champion Michael Lomax
on points over the 8 round distance despite suffering a number of cuts to his eyes. Pryce suffered disappointment however on 12 February 2011 when he lost to the former British and European light welterweight champion Colin Lynes
at the Olympia in Liverpool. The fight, very close at 78-77, was disappointing for Pryce as he had previously been in training for a shot at the British light middleweight title held by Sam Webb until that contest was called off.
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
professional boxer. He usually fights at light middleweight
Light middleweight
Light Middleweight , is a weight division in professional boxing, above 147 pounds and up to 154 pounds ....
or the divisions either side, is a two time challenger for the British title and is a former Commonwealth champion.
Professional career
Pryce turned professional in July 2001, winning his first fight at the Doncaster Dome, DoncasterDoncaster
Doncaster is a town in South Yorkshire, England, and the principal settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster. The town is about from Sheffield and is popularly referred to as "Donny"...
, South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
beating David Hines on points over four rounds on a card which included Ricky Hatton
Ricky Hatton
Richard John Hatton MBE, more commonly known as Ricky "the Hitman" Hatton, , is a former British professional boxer, and currently a promoter....
, Junior Witter
Junior Witter
Junior Witter is a professional boxer from Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. He is the former WBC, European, British, and Commonwealth light welterweight champion.-Early professional career:...
and Ryan Rhodes
Ryan Rhodes
Ryan Rhodes is an English light middleweight boxer. Rhodes took up boxing at a young age, training at Brendan Ingle's gym in the Wincobank district of Sheffield.-Professional career:...
. His career advanced steadily over the next two years with a total of nine consecutive victories before being given the chance to fight for his first career title. The fight on 28 April 2001 saw him defeat Jason Hall at the International Arena in Cardiff for the WBO inter-continental lightweight title giving him a record of 11-0. One win against Stuart Patterson followed before his first defence of the title against South African Lucky Sambo on 9 October 2001, retaining via a 12 round decision.
Defeat and British title challenge
Three more wins followed the Sambo victory including a nine round win over Chesterfield'sChesterfield
Chesterfield is a market town and a borough of Derbyshire, England. It lies north of Derby, on a confluence of the rivers Rother and Hipper. Its population is 70,260 , making it Derbyshire's largest town...
Gavin Down, a man boasting a 22-1 record at the time. Pryce was soon to suffer his first defeat however, when on 17 August 2002 he lost a six round contest to Ted Bami
Ted Bami
Ted Bami Minsende is a light-welterweight boxer. Nicknamed "Dangerous", Bami is a former European light welterweight champion and British light welterweight title challenger....
, a prospect at the time with a record of 8-1, at Cardiff Castle
Cardiff Castle
Cardiff Castle is a medieval castle and Victorian architecture Gothic revival mansion, transformed from a Norman keep erected over a Roman fort in the Castle Quarter of Cardiff, the capital of Wales. The Castle is a Grade I Listed Building.-The Roman fort:...
. A win over Craig Lynch on 23 November 2002 put him back on winning ways before challenging Neil Sinclair
Neil Sinclair
Neil Sinclair aka Sinky is a professional boxer. He usually fights at light middleweight or the divisions either side.-Amateur career:...
for the full British welterweight title on 1 February 2003. The fight, at the Odyssey Arena in Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
, was to end in disappointment for Pryce as he lost his second professional contest and dropped to 17-2.
Difficult years
Pryce's response to the defeat to Sinclair was to take and defeat the unbeaten Ivan KirpaIvan Kirpa
Ivan Kirpa is a Russian welterweight boxer from Saint Petersberg, Russia.He won his first 19 fights, before losing to Bradley Pryce on points on May 8, 2003. Kirpa then won his next four fights against Tigran Saribekyan, Alexei Korobka, Sergey Zimnevich and then Jose Leonardo Corona, 32 months...
(18-0) in Widnes on 8 May 2003. His next fight though was to result in a third career defeat, this time to Zimbabwean Farai Musiyiwa at Cardiff's National ice rink on 21 February 2004. Another defeat followed on 6 May 2004 to the unbeaten Thomas McDonagh at the Metrodome in Barnsley
Barnsley
Barnsley is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Dearne, north of the city of Sheffield, south of Leeds and west of Doncaster. Barnsley is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, of which Barnsley is the largest and...
before defeating journeyman Keith Jones to win the Welsh Area title on 3 July 2004. He suffered further defeat in his next fight on 3 November 2004 when pitched against the unbeaten prospect Ajose Olusegun
Ajose Olusegun
Ajose Olusegun is a Nigerian-born British professional boxer. He competed for Nigeria at the 2000 Sydney Olympics Games reaching the 2nd round. As a professional he is unbeaten and is the former British and current Commonwealth light welterweight champion....
(13-0) which resulted in a fourth round stoppage. His final fight of the year on 11 December 2004 would ensure that a disastrous year would end on a high however with a win over unbeaten Russian fighter Sergey Stepkin (15-0) in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Pryce finished 2004 with a record of two wins with three defeats and an overall record of 20-5. In 2005 he only fought once, losing again, this time to Michael Jennings on 25 October in a second attempt at the British title.
Commonwealth champion
On 11 March 2006 Pryce won his first major title. His opponent, Ossie Duran, had held the belt since beating Joshua Okine on 26 December 2003, in a reign that also included wins over Jamie MooreJamie Moore (boxer)
Jamie Moore is a retired professional boxer from Walkden, Salford and is the former European light middleweight champion....
and Colin McNeil
Colin McNeil
Colin McNeil is a professional boxer.McNeil began boxing professionally late in his life, debuting in 2004 at the age of 32. In his career, he has lost only once , but has faced and beaten some tough competition. Currently, he is scheduled to box in The Contender Challenge: UK vs...
. The fight, at the Newport Leisure Centre, saw Pryce gain the title with a 12 round decision. He would go on to defend the belt twice more that year against Tanzania's Hassan Matumla and England's Andrew Facey. In 2007 he made further defences against Ghana's Thomas Awinbono and another English fighter in Martin Concepcion
Martin Concepcion
Martin Concepcion is a professional boxer.Concepcion began boxing professionally on 6 December 2003, with his first bout being won by knockout, a theme that would be repeated 6 more times until 3 December 2004, when he won his first bout by decision. He racked up another KO before two more points...
. In between those wins he also scored an impressive victory over then unbeaten Anthony Small
Anthony Small
Anthony Small is a professional boxer who has held both he British and Commonwealth belts at light middleweight. He goes by the alias 'Sugar Ray Clay Jones Jr.' , in homage to Sugar Ray Robinson, Sugar Ray Leonard, Cassius Clay, and Roy Jones Jr. Small converted to Islam at the age of 24 and is...
, a man who would go on to win the title later in his career. Only one fight in 2008 saw him successfully defend for the sixth time against Marcus Portman. In 2009 however it went wrong, when on 14 March he lost the belt to Matthew Hall
Matthew Hall (boxer)
Matthew Hall is a retired English professional boxer who competed in the light middleweight division. He comes from Manchester, is a former Commonwealth champion and has also competed for the European light middleweight belt.-Early professional career:...
on the undercard of Amir Khan's
Amir Khan (boxer)
Amir Iqbal Khan , is a British Pakistani professional boxer who is currently the unified WBA & IBF light welterweight champion....
fight with Marco Antonio Barrera
Marco Antonio Barrera
Marco Antonio Barrera Tapia is a Mexicanprofessional boxer. He has won numerous world titles in three different weight classes; he is a former two-time WBO super bantamweight , WBC, Lineal, & The Ring featherweight , and WBC & IBF super featherweight champion...
losing via knockout in the second round.
Prizefighter and Comeback
Pryce returned to winning ways against journeyman Micheal Monaghan at the Newport Leisure Centre on 21 August 2009 before taking part in the Prizefighter seriesPrizefighter series
The Prizefighter series is a knock out boxing tournament created by boxing promoter Barry Hearn and aired on Sky Sports. The format has an initial eight fighters, who compete in four quarter-finals of 3 x 3 minute rounds followed by two semi-finals and one final all on the same night...
on 26 February 2010. The contest, at the York Hall, pitched Pryce against former opponent Neil Sinclair
Neil Sinclair
Neil Sinclair aka Sinky is a professional boxer. He usually fights at light middleweight or the divisions either side.-Amateur career:...
in the first round with Pryce avenging his defeat then with a three round points win now. In the semi-final he lost to the eventual winner of the tournament Prince Arron
Prince Arron
Prince Arron is an English professional boxer fighting in the light middleweight division. He was the winner of the tenth Prizefighter tournament featuring boxers in the light middleweight category...
. On 9 July 2010 Pryce set his sights on a shot at the British welterweight title by scoring a win over former European champion Ted Bami
Ted Bami
Ted Bami Minsende is a light-welterweight boxer. Nicknamed "Dangerous", Bami is a former European light welterweight champion and British light welterweight title challenger....
, avenging a defeat by the same man earlier in his career. The fight lasted until just before the end of the 2nd round when a sharp left hook to the jaw of Bami proved the catalyst for a stoppage, Speaking of the win Pryce paid tribute to his new trainer, former pro Gary Lockett
Gary Lockett
Gary Lockett is a retired professional boxer from Cwmbran, Wales, who fought in the middleweight division.-Professional career:...
, saying "I was in danger of turning into a journeyman but Gary's going to get me back to title level" and adding "I'll take on any top welterweight in Britain. I'm full of confidence - that fight proves how hard I hit". On 6 November 2010 Pryce continued his march towards a title chance beating former Prizefighter
Prizefighter series
The Prizefighter series is a knock out boxing tournament created by boxing promoter Barry Hearn and aired on Sky Sports. The format has an initial eight fighters, who compete in four quarter-finals of 3 x 3 minute rounds followed by two semi-finals and one final all on the same night...
champion Michael Lomax
Michael Lomax
Dr. Michael Lucius Lomax is, since 2004, the president and chief executive officer of the United Negro College Fund of the United States. Lomax is the son of Lucius W. Lomax, Jr...
on points over the 8 round distance despite suffering a number of cuts to his eyes. Pryce suffered disappointment however on 12 February 2011 when he lost to the former British and European light welterweight champion Colin Lynes
Colin Lynes
Colin Lynes is a British professional boxer from Hornchurch in London. He is a former IBO World, British and European champion at light welterweight and is the reigning British champion at welterweight.-Early Professional Career:...
at the Olympia in Liverpool. The fight, very close at 78-77, was disappointing for Pryce as he had previously been in training for a shot at the British light middleweight title held by Sam Webb until that contest was called off.