David Price in line for British and Commonwealth heavyweight titles following defeat of John McDermott

Purse bids for the double title contest are due in early February, after the 6ft 8in Olympic bronze medallist became the mandatory challenger in a final eliminator in Liverpool on Saturday night.

McDermott may have shared 19 rounds with Fury over two competitive boxing fights, but in just over a minute, Price had knocked him down three times.

Promoter Frank Maloney indicated that he would like Price to fight again in March, possibly on the same bill as Sergio Martinez’s world middleweight title defence against British challenger Matthew Macklin at Madison Square Garden theatre on March 17.

Price has grown quietly in the professional ranks since the Beijing Games, and now has a record of 12-0. He clearly has the potential to take mastery of the British, European and Commonwealth title belts down the line.

Contests with Fury, Dereck Chisora and Robert Hellenius, the equally tall Finnish fighter who is European champion, are within his grasp over the next 15 to 20 months.

If Fury refuses to take the challenge for the British title, he may vacate it and defend the commonwealth belt.

David Haye-Klitschko heavyweight reunion talks stalled

"It's in their hands. As far as I am concerned all the points have been agreed verbally, but subsequently Vitali came out and said the fight was 'miles away' from being made. I don't understand why he would say that. Maybe they are just using David's name just to get some publicity."

Booth and Haye have enjoyed a colourful relationship with the Klitschkos and their management since the Briton moved up to the heavyweight division in 2008.

Haye courted controversy by getting a T-shirt printed depicting him holding up the decapitated heads of both brothers and then caused more uproar by launching a mobile phone application which showed him knocking the head off "an eastern European" fighter that looked very similar to the Klitschkos.

Booth has also clashed with the Klitschkos' representatives in the past and is not surprised negotiations are dragging having experienced similar problems before.

"Until they send the contract and until it is signed, I will try not to waste too much time on it because you have to remember, I have negotiated with them four times now and there has only been one fight," Booth added.

"They probably say the same about us, but they are the hardest people I have ever dealt with."

Vitali has opted to defend his crown against Dereck Chisora in Munich next month despite the unfancied Londoner losing his last two fights while Wladimir takes on Haye victim Jean-Marc Mormeck a fortnight later in Düsseldorf.

Booth reckons neither Klitschko has any chance of losing their next fight and attacked the brothers' choice of opponent.

"Wladimir has to get through the Chisora fight, but he won't struggle against him. Neither will Wladimir against Mormeck," Booth said.

"David knocked Mormeck out in seven rounds and he was a blown up light-heavy moving in to cruiserweight. He was past his prime then.

"Now he is a blown up light-heavy who is a few years past his prime. If they are happy fighting people like that then good luck to them.

"These guys are three stone heavier and five inches taller than their opponents and they expect to be lauded as all time greats, but I don't buy it.

"Any fighter who fought someone who was three stone lighter and fives inches smaller, and they didn't deal with them easily would be kicking themselves.

"They would be disgusted with themselves. They wouldn't be lauding themselves."

Londoner Dereck Chisora predicts he will stop World Boxing Council champion Vitali Klitschko in eighth round

Former British and Commonwealth Champion, Chisora, takes on World Boxing Council champion Klitschko at the Olympiahalle Munich, Germany, on Feb 18.

"People are saying that Klitschko is the hardest fight of my career, but this is going to be the hardest fight of his career," proclaimed Chisora.

"I'm going to war with him, he won't get to use that big height and reach against me with the way I'm going to fight him and I've got the eighth round in my head that I'm going to stop him in."

"Everyone that has fought the Klitschko brothers have been scared, this is one cat that isn't scared of him or anyone and I'll thrown him off of that throne he's been sitting on for the last few years."

Don Charles, Chisora's trainer, added: "This is the best shape he's been in since we started working together seven years ago. He's physically and mentally right for the fight and is going out there to beat Klitschko and become the world champion. 15,000 fans didn't faze him in Finland against Robert Helenius and even though he was robbed of the title, his confidence is sky high and he knows what he can achieve."

"The height won't be an advantage to Klitschko if he can't use it and Dereck is not going to let him use it just like he did against Helenius,"

Dereck is going to give Klitschko an absolute nightmare."

• Vitali Klitschko v Dereck Chisora is live and exclusive on BoxNation (Sky Ch 456/Virgin Ch 546)

Lamont Peterson opposes Amir Khan rematch as Mustafa Ameen breaks silence

Ameen, the mysterious ‘man in a hat’, refuted Khan’s claim that he tried to interfere with the scorecard being compiled by an official. He insisted instead that he was simply pointing out a miscalculation by Michael Welsh, the World Boxing Association’s ringside supervisor.

Peterson’s camp revealed that they have posted “a comprehensive ­written appeal” against the WBA’s verdict that he should give Khan the opportunity to reclaim his belt. Peterson, who won on a split decision in his hometown of Washington DC on Dec 10, also claimed from Khan his ­International Boxing Federation belt.

The developments have made ­a complicated situation only worse for Khan, who is unlikely to be satisfied after Ameen broke his silence on the affair. “At the end of the third round, I looked down and I saw Mr Welsh’s score,” Ameen, an affiliate of the IBF, said. “I believe it could have been nine, nine and nine. There was an error. It might have been 26 or 28 but he was off by a point or two. I said, ‘Michael, nine times three is 27.’ He said, ‘Oh, my God’ and corrected himself. And he said, ‘I’m not feeling well this evening, thank you very much.’”

Peterson’s camp said in a ­statement that they are “confident that the WBA will overturn its decision mandating an immediate rematch and recognise Lamont Peterson as the true and final WBA junior welterweight [light-­welterweight] world champion”.

Khan had lodged an appeal with the WBA and IBF over the decision of referee Joe Cooper to dock him two points for pushing and for “scoring irregularities” relating to Ameen’s conduct. The WBA reached its verdict last week, but the IBF hearing, due to start in Newark yesterday, collapsed late on Tuesday night when Khan and his promoters Golden Boy withdrew after it emerged that Welsh would not attend.

Welsh has been unavailable for comment since the controversy erupted and appears to have gone to ground.

Shah Khan, Amir’s father, told The Daily Telegraph from the United States last night that, without Welsh present, it would have been impossible to have a legitimate process. “How could it have been a fair hearing if there was only going to be one side of the story,” he said.

However, the IBF said: “The only person the IBF could not produce and failed in its attempt to secure attendance for the hearing was Michael Welsh. The IBF has no subpoena power and therefore could not ­compel Mr Welsh to be present."

Ricky Burns targets Battle of Britain against Kevin Mitchell after Paulus Moses bout

"I would say the two of us are the best lightweights in Britain just now so it is a fight that I would really want.

"When I beat Michael Katsidis he (Mitchell) was saying he would love the chance to fight me.

"They are talking about the venue being down in London or up here.

"I was on the same bill when Michael Katsidis beat him down at West Ham's football ground.

"I know that was the venue that was mentioned if I was to fight him in the summer. I would prefer it to be up here.

"Hopefully we can show them that we can get Braehead sold out and get the fans behind me. But for now, I just need to concentrate on my next fight."

Burns will enjoy one last week of regular living before the hard work starts - albeit it will not be quite as difficult to make the weight now that he has moved up to the nine stone nine pounds division.

"The hard dieting will start next week," he said. "At the moment I have a wee bit of leeway and if I want something I can have it. But I start pushing it seven weeks before the fight.

"I started training just after the New Year so we are in full training, two and three times a day.

"But the countdown is on to the weigh-in and then it's time to get on with the job. No matter what weight you have to make it is always hard.

"But again, making nine stone nine is a lot easier than having to boil down to nine stone four. I am much happier now that I have moved up a weight."

Burns will not watch any DVDs of Moses, preferring to let the challenger worry about him.

"I can only go with his record which makes him dangerous," he said. "One loss in 29 fights and 19 knockouts, that shows he is a big puncher.

"But I have always said whatever happens on the night is going to happen.

"I can adapt to people's styles so I'm sure when I get in the ring, I will know what to do to win. If I get the chance to knock him out I will do it."

Burns, though, will be informed by trainer Billy Nelson as to what to expect on the night.

"I have been studying DVDs every night and Moses is a very good fighter," said Nelson.

"He has a different style to Katsidis but world class fighters have the ability to adapt to different styles. I expect Ricky to stop this guy.

"Once that fight is done, there is the blockbuster with Kevin Mitchell and then he will get it as well."

Fears grow for Amir Khan-Lamont Peterson fight supervisor Michael Welsh after claims he is 'depressed'

As well as ordering a rematch, Mendoza gave Peterson 10 days from Jan 14 to appeal. Peterson, in turn, has filed an official protest against the WBA’s order.

On Wednesday, the IBF had to cancel its hearing in Newark into the fight after Khan and his handlers, Golden Boy Promotions, withdrew from proceedings after learning Welsh would not be present to give evidence.

“We were unable to reach Mr Welsh after repeated attempts to contact him,” IBF public relations director Jeanette Salazar had told Telegraph Sport earlier this week.

“We have no jurisdiction over Mr Welsh as an official, and therefore could not demand his presence. We could only ask him to appear.”

Welsh’s testimony has assumed even greater significance after Mustafa Ameen, the mystery ‘man in the hat’ - seen in video footage querying Welsh’s decisions - claimed on Wednesday that he had “corrected errors” in the scoring.

Ameen has denied any wrongdoing ringside, in spite of having had no official credentials to be at the supervisor’s table.

Ameen, an affiliate of the IBF but an unpaid official, said: “At the end of the third round, I looked down and I saw Mr Welsh’s score. I believe it could have been nine, nine and nine. There was an error. It might have been 26 or 28 but he was off by a point or two. I said, ‘Michael, nine times three is 27.’

“He said, ‘Oh, my God’ and corrected himself. And he said, ‘I’m not feeling well this evening, thank you very much’.”

Khan won the first round 10-8 on all three judges’ cards, having knocked Peterson down in the first round.

Khan announced on his Twitter page that he would never fight for an IBF title again - before removing the comment on Thursday.

Peterson, meanwhile, insisted that despite reports to the contrary, there are no talks ongoing between the two camps for a re-match.

Floyd Mayweather Jnr contacts Manny Pacquiao personally to discuss possible megafight

Unbeaten US star Mayweather and Pacquiao, regarded as the world's top pound-for-pound fighters, nearly made a deal for a fight once before but the American's insistence on unique anti-doping blood tests helped kill the talks.

Ellerbe told ESPN that Mayweather called from Las Vegas to the Philippines after earlier this month calling out southpaw Pacquiao on Twitter, taunting "Step Up, Punk" to the world welterweight champion.

Mayweather has spoken with Pacquiao adviser Michael Koncz several times in recent weeks, according to all reports.

Pacquiao, 54-3 with two drawn and 32 knockouts, has won his past 15 fights over a span of nearly seven years while Mayweather, 42-0 with 26 knockouts, must serve a 90-day jail sentence starting June 1 after a domestic violence conviction.

Arum said that the issue of who Pacquiao would next fight would be resolved this coming week. Arum presented four other possible foes.