Tag Archives: dylan

Posted on 06/18/2019

By: Blaine Henry

Dylan Price could be TMT’s next young star. After a knockout victory on the undercard of Deontay Wilder and Dominick Breazeale, Price moved to 8-0 with 6 by knockout. I had the chance to talk with him and his father about his win, what’s next for his career, and what it was like being signed to TMT.

All athletes get their start somewhere. Everyone starts at zero. Price was no exception. He played multiple sports and just couldn’t find what he was looking for. He couldn’t find his groove. “As a child I tried every sport. I was playing football and I had to move up to the 125 pounders and I was only weighing 55 pounds. So my dad told me I had to try out boxing because it was a family tradition.” And that’s all it took. Price instantly fell in love with boxing. “[My dad] said that I didn’t have to like it but I did have to try it out. Ever since my first day in the gym I just fell in love with it.” The rest was history. After a lenghty amateur career, Price turned pro, and then signed with TMT at a 1-0 professional record

“I was just super thankful. Blessed. I was honored. It is motivation to me,” says Dylan Price about his signing to TMT. He continues: “Floyd [Matweather] is one of the best fighters ever, you know. It’s an honor and I’m super thankful.”

The lone blemish on Price’s record, if you could call it that, is a no contest to Pedro Antonio Rodriguez back in January. Originally a loss for Price, the decision was overturned due to Rodriguez failing a drug test.

“With that fight, we got the opponent late,” says Price’s father. “We had a couple of guys fall through. In December in Vegas, we got down there and the opponent didn’t make it through customs. So they set it up for January. We were scheduled to leave out on Monday and by Friday they didn’t have an opponent. At that point we were pretty desperate. They came up with this guy on Saturday. We didn’t love it, but we just had the disappointment of not fighting in December and it looked like it was going the same route so we took that chance. In hindsight as a manager, as a trainer, and as a dad, that’s something that I learned from. No matter the situation, if I don’t think it’s a good fight, we’re going to have to pass.”

Short notice and he took the loss like a true champion. They don’t see the fight as a no contest, either. Both Price and his dad see the fight as a loss. They hope, and will, grow from that without it being detrimental to his career.

Just after father’s day, dad’s are the most proud in the world. Mr. Price has more to be proud of than most fathers. “He’s worked so hard since he was 10 years old. He’s always been a hard worker. We had a lot success, disappointment, success, disappointment and then, the last three years of his amateur career, he really found his stride. Then we turned it into the pros. He was successful as well. I’m very, very proud.” Here’s that awareness of his “defeat” again: “Even with the defeat, of course we found he was on steroids, but at the time, I was proud. He got off the canvas and he made a fight out of it. A lot of people thought we still won, including myself. I’m very proud of him.”

Going into his last fight with Manuel Salvador Manzo, Price and his camp had a solid gameplan. They knew the orthodox fighter would come out guns blazing. “My dad studied a lot of tapes on him. That was a part of the game plan from the rip. I didn’t want to do a lot of moving because in the game plan, we watched a lot of his opponents were moving around a lot. Every guy we seen him fight ran around the ring and was tired after the first round. He threw 150 punches a round. My dad just wanted me to stand in the ring, not run all over the place. That was all a part of the plan. You see, the first round he wasn’t used to people standing there with him. That was all part of the game plan.”

It wasn’t until the fifth round that Price had Manzo on the ropes. While he didn’t get the finish in the fifth, he came out in the sixth and got the job done. “I hurt him bad. I hit him with a left hook and a right hand. The next round, they made him see the doctor. I knew if I could let my hands go, it was only a matter of time before either the doctor stopped it or the refs or I knocked him out. I knew it was coming. Going into this fight I thought it was going to be a dog fight.”

Dylan Price and his camp aren’t trying to look too far ahead. The “loss” has the whole camp with a straight mindset on what’s next for his career. “We’re just taking it one fight at a time. I learned from that defeat. Not to overlook any opponenent. I’m just taking it one fight at a time,” Dylan says, referring to his no decsion. “I’m not worried about a world title or anything like that. I’m just worrying about each opponent they put in front of me. As long as I keep winning and keep shining, I’ll have the titles and the money and everything I want. I’m just taking it one step at at time.”

His dad continues, “We’re looking to move to eight rounders on July 27th. Also, when we’re talking about careers, just making sure everyone is on their game. From trainers, I have to make adjustments, to managers and promoters as well. We always got the opponent a week, three days before. I had a talk with Mayweather and Leonard and told them we’re not taking any more fights unless we get the opponent three weeks in advance. I cut out my sparring ten days out. I need to know what I’m preparing for. They’ve commited to us that will be the case. So as for our career, we will have more time to prepare for our opponents.”

Posted on 04/18/2018

By: Sean Crose

On the night of April 22nd 2017, a fight card was held at the Claridge Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. During the earlier portion of the six bout event, a young super flyweight from Sicklerville, New Jersey entered the ring to face the 1-3 Christopher Nelson of Kentucky. The young Jersey native appeared to be taken by surprise at first, as the taller Nelson employed footwork energetically and effectively kept his distance. Yet Dylan Price appeared calm and focused through it all.

“I was a little bit frustrated,” Price admits almost a full year later. “My dad just told me to stay calm.” And stay calm Price did, landing his fast, solid shots when possible and gassing his opponent out. By the third round, Nelson was drained and ready to go down. Price made sure he didn’t make it to the bell. Price left the ring that night 2-0. He also left that ring with his first victory since signing up with Floyd Mayweather’s Mayweather Promotions.

Price’s rise has been steady since then. Three more victories, all by knockout, one being on the undercard of the Shawn Porter – Adrian Granados fight, another being on the undercard of this past winter’s Errol Spence – Lamont Peterson bout, have made the fighter from Sicklerville one to keep an eye on. Price’s next fight will be against the 2-2-0 Edson Eduardo Neri this Saturday night on the undercard of the Adrien Broner – Jessie Vargas match at Brooklyn’s Barclay’s Center.

“I feel great,” Price says about this weekend’s bout. “I’m ready to go…he (Neri) is a tough, rugged guy. I know I’m going to be way too much for him.” And if Price wins yet again, as expected? “I’m just taking it one fight at a time,” he says. As for winning by knockout for the sixth time in a row (which would make for a 100% knockout ratio) Price isn’t overly concerned. “It’s a good thing,” he says in regards to getting a knockout. Still: “Every time I go into the ring, I ‘think this guy’s going the distance’.”

Boxing is a family affair for Price. His father, David, boxed himself, as does a younger brother. “My dad was a professional fighter,” Price says. “He was 1-0.” The elder Price eventually moved on to focus on his studies. The family’s ring background, however, stuck with Dylan. “That’s also how I got into it,” he states. “I always wanted to do it.” There’s clearly a close bond between David and his prodigy son. “I’m super excited,” says David of Dylan’s success. “I always felt that I had something special.”

Not that the two men always agree. Like all father-son teams, differences of opinion are bound to come up. As David says: “I’m not just a dad. I’m a trainer.” One such issue arose when Dylan, who was too young to qualify for the 2016 US Olympic Team, decided he wanted to go pro. “Tough for my Dad,” Price remembers. “He wanted me to stay amateur.” Ultimately, however, the elder Price relented. “He let me turn professional because that’s what I wanted,” Price says.

The two men remain a team to this day. Yet Price is also part of another team right now – the Mayweather Promotions team. “It feels great,” Price says about being part of the elite Mayweather lineup. “They definitely treat me great. I’m definitely thankful.” Price has even had the chance to speak to Floyd Mayweather himself on occasion.

“He gave me a few pointers,” he says of the all time great. “He’s motivated me to keep striving and working.” Being the source of great expectations comes with a price, however. Price is not a young man who spends large amounts of time lounging about. “I enjoy going to the movies,” Price says, “hanging out with my friends…I don’t really party at all.” What Price does do is train religiously, for he wishes to fight “three to four times a year.” Unlike some modern fighters, Price clearly aims to stay active.

Having been boxing since the age of nine, Price is well aware of the discipline required of his craft. “The only difference (between amateur and pro training),” he says, “is more rounds sparring and on the bag.” And roadwork?“I do three to four miles (daily),” he says. To Price, focus and drive are extremely important. Ask him what his top priorities are and he’ll respond: “My Heavenly Father and my family.”

“My family means the world to me,” he states. “My family will always be there for me.” In response, Price wants to always be there for his family. He speaks admiringly of seeing Floyd Mayweather in camp for last summer’s Conor McGregor fight, how the iconic fighter had clearly taken care of his own family financially. “My main goals,” says Price “are – one – become a world champion. Two – become a millionaire.” And yes, there’s a third. “I don’t,” he claims, “want to be ordinary.”

Still, it’s the thought of taking care of those closest to him that drives Price the most. “I want that probably even more than being a world champion,” he says. Giving himself and those around him “a stress free life” is the dream of this nineteen year from New Jersey. “That’s really my goal,” he says. “That’s what I admire about Floyd.”

Reminiscing about his upbringing, Price states that “everything I needed, I had…I didn’t come from nothing. I came from something. I just want to take it to the next level.” Continuing to win will certainly help Price achieve his goals, as will the guidance of David and Mayweather Promotions. Still, this is a young man who happens to be less than twenty years old. Surely Price must feel the stress of being a rising star. “Honestly no” he says. “I love what I’m becoming.”

“I didn’t think that I would be in this position,” he adds. “I’ve still got so much farther to go.”