Liverpool's David Price beats John McDermott to take English heavyweight title.

Price won a bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games

Liverpool's David Price needed only 73 seconds to beat experienced opponent John McDermott and claim the English heavyweight title.

Price had McDermott down three times before the fight was called to a halt.

Price could now challenge Tyson Fury for the Manchester fighter's British and Commonwealth heavyweight titles.

Price said: "Fury will go the same way as McDermott. I won't expect to beat him in the first round, but this is how people have responded to my shots."

Essex fighter McDermott, who weighed in at a career heavy 19st 5lb, came out swinging from the first bell.

But less than 20 seconds in it was Price who connected first with a superb uppercut which flooring McDermott.

It was to get worse for McDermott with two further knockdowns, each as a result of crashing right hands, and the referee eventually saw enough.

"That uppercut was a peach of a shot," Price said after the bout.

Asked about whether he wished to challenge Fury, Price conceded that he would like to take on his fellow Englishman and acknowledged that Fury is "a fighting man".

"It is the fight the public want to see, it is the only fight people have been talking about so it is an exciting prospect," said former Olympic bronze-medallist Price, who now has 12 wins (10 KOs) and no defeats.

Frank Maloney, manager of Price and formerly of Lennox Lewis, predicted big things for his boxer.

"David will dominate the heavyweight division. We now go to the next level," he said. "Tonight we saw a real heavyweight star born."