Hopey Price, fast-rising star of British boxing, at home in Dubai as he forges ahead in quest for world glory

Teenager is busy taking his game to the next level at Real Boxing Only Gym

Up-and-coming British boxer Hopey Price during training at the Real Boxing Only Gym in Dubai. All pictures Chris Whiteoak / The National

Dave Coldwell trains with Hopey Price in Dubai ahead of a series of fights in the UK.

Hopey Price has made a name for himself at the amateur level.

Hopey Price turned professional last October after agreeing a multi-year deal with Matchroom Boxing.

British boxer Hopey Price uses Dubai as a warm-weather training base.

Hopey Price is part of the Dave Coldwell stable.

Hopey Price with Dave Coldwell during training in Dubai.

Hopey Price sparring at Al Quoz, Dubai.

Hopey Price made his pro debut in Manchester in November, securing a points victory against Joel Sanchez.

British boxer Hopey Price is seen as the next big thing in the sport.

Hopey Price during training in Dubai.

Hopey Price at the Real Boxing Only Gym.

Tucked away in Al Quoz, at the burgeoning Real Boxing Only Gym, one of Britain’s brightest prospects is plotting a path that promises much.

At 19, Hopey Price has achieved a lot already. A hugely decorated amateur, he won gold at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games, to sit alongside the two European Championship crowns and seven national titles.

Price turned professional last October, agreeing a multi-year deal with Matchroom Boxing, kingmakers in the promotion business. Subsequently, he made his pro debut in Manchester in November, securing a points victory against Joel Sanchez.

A month later, Price was on the undercard to Anthony Joshua-Andy Ruiz, a heavyweight and historic clash in Saudi Arabia. He stopped opponent Swedi Mohamed in the third round.

Now, Price has sights set on plenty more starry nights.

“Matchroom is the best promotional team out there in the world – they’ve got DAZN in America and Sky Sports back in England – it’s just massive for us,” the super-bantamweight says. “There’s that many shows, once the season gets rolling, it’s non-stop.

“For someone as young as me and just starting out, who can box maybe six, seven times a year, I’m getting to box all over, getting put on the biggest shows right away. There’s no better for me to showcase my skills.”

True to that, they didn’t come much bigger than Joshua-Ruiz.

“Probably one of the biggest ones that’s ever been done, to be fair,” Price says. “My profile’s gone sky-high. I got a good slot too, boxing live on pay-per-view. There was a good bit of pressure on me, but I think it turned out OK.

“To be honest, I wasn’t that nervous. I’m not the sort of person who gets bothered by pressure – I think I thrive under it. The more pressure that’s on me the better I box.

“From when I was 14,15, I’ve had everyone know who I was in the amateur game; I was always expected to win. I felt good that there was pressure on me, that I knew I had to perform on the big stage.”

With the platform has come the recognition. Whether than be inside his hometown Leeds, throughout the UK, and even when he rocks up, typically twice a year, to Real Boxing Only.

The gym, founded and run by Michelle Kuehn, has a partnership with Dave Coldwell’s stable, so the team usually relocate there in between fights. It provides quality time in the ring, while also the opportunity to get away from that famously less-than-favourable British weather.

“It’s like our second home really,” Price says. “Coming out here and training, it’s just different. It gives us a break from everything else. But the facilities and the people, they couldn’t do any more for us, so it’s just great.

“Every time I come back, more and more people recognise me. The big shows are starting to come out here in the Middle East, with Saudi and Dubai, and hopefully this will build a fan base in Dubai.”

A steady build is what Price envisages going forward, despite Coldwell enthusing that “the world is his oyster”. Price’s third pro outing, scheduled for the Kell Brook comeback card earlier this month, was ruled out by an elbow injury, but he reckons a return to the ring, and a step up from four to six rounds, should come around April or May.

Thanks to Coldwell, he is ready for whatever comes his way. The transition to the pro ranks, he maintains, has been seamless.

“Dave's helped me a lot,” Price says. “He has a lot of experience and really knows his boxing. He’s not just a trainer; he’s become more of a family member.

“He speaks to you like you’re a son, that’s how he makes you feel. When he speaks, you listen. He really knows his stuff, in and outside the ring.”

It helps keep Price focused and forging forward. Not that he appears easily distracted. Still a couple of weeks from his 20th birthday, he is far from your average teenager.

“I’ve a lot of mates who are always out doing whatever, but I know where I want to get to in life,” says the southpaw, who ranks pound-for-pound supremo Vasyl Lomachenko as his favourite boxer. “I want to be a world champion, and not just a world champion, but a multi-weight world champion.

“All that sort of stuff is not going to help me get there. Just stick in the gym, stick in training and live and breathe boxing. That will give me the best opportunity to get to where I want to be.”

Asked where he wants to be through 2020, Price says: “Hopefully back on some more big shows and big fights and putting in some good performances.

“I’m just going to take my time. Next year I’ll be 21; Dave said he will let me off the leash and that’s when whoever’s in my way at that time…

“I’ll fight anyone. Once I’m off the leash there’s no going back. Whatever belt I can pick up, whoever I can beat and however he wants to progress me, that’s how far I’ll go.”