The Ludwigsburg MHP Arena in Germany hosts a 12 round heavyweight bout as Turkey’s undefeated Erkan Teper (14-0) facing Britain’s David Price (19-2). Right now the books have installed Price as the (-350) favorite, with Teper returning at (+250). There is no over/under posted for this bout as of yet. The year 2015 has seen the Heavyweight division really start to stir under long-time number one Wladimir Klitschko. The lone major World title not under Klitschko’s control changed hands and is now with American Deontay Wilder. The appearance of Wilder at the top of the division has many of the men who have been trapped behind Klitschko to look at Wilder and his newly won world championship as a solid consolation prize. This leaves several dozen fighters in the top 50 of the Heavyweight division who are looking to improve their position and move up the rankings. Teper and Price both qualify as two of those types, though both have a lot to prove. Teper is 33 years old, and he has worked his professional record to (14-0) since his debut in 2010 at the age of 28. Turkey is not a known hotbed of boxing, but most of Teper’s matches have come in Germany where the scene is more robust. He has held regional titles including the European Heavyweight belt, and unlike a lot of fighters, the great majority of his opponents have had winning records. But this is a step-up fight for Teper if he wants to make some noise in the Heavyweight seen. His is big at 6’5 and he has 9 KO’s and he has already managed to crack the top 25 in the world. He is going to need an impressive win here to continue ascending the rankings. Price fancies himself a potential champion. He comes with a strong amateur background that saw him capture an Olympic bronze medal before turning pro. At 6’8 and with 16 KOs in 19 wins, he is a big, rangy heavyweight with thudding power. He had run his record to a perfect (15-0) by the end of 2012, with his best wins coming against British work horses Audley Harrison and Matt Skelton. He was considered to be stepping up in competition when he signed to face veteran Tony Thompson in February of 2013. Thompson landed a crunching blow that turned price to jelly, but Price was convinced it was a fluke and pushed for his re-match. Thompson, the cagey veteran, pulled off the upset a second time, getting the stoppage in the fifth when Price fell apart after getting hit. Since then, Price has faced lesser competition to go (4-0) since, and he is on the cusp of a top 25 ranking at heavyweight because of the winning streak. Price cannot afford to take a fighter like Teper who is going to lack the polish and pedigree that he supposedly and make him look good. Additionally, Price is going to have his chin questioned for the rest of his career after the dual losses to Thompson and he should not give Tepper a chance to check it.
