There's no better way for a young prospect on the rise to showcase his skills and boost his profile than to fight in a main event on live national television. Darwin Price and Javontae Starks will soon get such an opportunity.
Darwin Price follows through on a punch that knocked Juan Ovalle down and out in the first round back in May 2015. Price will carry a 10-0 record into his September 3 bout against Javontae Starks in San Antonio. (Lucas Noonan/Premier Boxing Champions)
In a battle of up-and-coming fighters, Darwin Price (10-0, 5 KOs) will risk his undefeated record when he takes on Javontae Starks (13-1, 7 KOs) on September 3 at Cowboys Dancehall in San Antonio (NBCSN, 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT).
The scheduled eight-round bout headlines a card that also features Rickey Edwards (11-0, 3 KOs) against Yordan Frometa (10-0, 7 KOs) in a showdown of unbeaten 130-pounders.
A native of St. Louis, Price now resides in Houston where he works with renowned trainer Ronnie Shields. Price has rarely been tested in his three years as a pro, winning half of his bouts by stoppage and the other half by wide unanimous decision.
In his last two contests, the 27-year-old Price went a career-high eight rounds in defeating Alvaro Ortiz (November 2015 in Biloxi, Mississippi) and Semajay Thomas (June 25 in San Antonio) by unanimous decision. Price shut out Ortiz and nearly did the same to Thomas, who won just a single round on one scorecard.
“This is another step for me after my win in June,” Price said. “I’ve prepared hard in training, and I’m anxious to return to San Antonio to fight Javontae Starks. I’m planning on another impressive performance.”
A 27-year-old native of Minneapolis, Starks has been fighting professionally for nearly seven years. He kicked off his career with four consecutive stoppage wins (including a trio of first-round TKOs) and was 13-0 when he faced fellow unbeaten Samuel Figueroa in his most recent fight on October 30 in Orlando, Florida. However, Starks came out on the short end of a close eight-round unanimous decision.
While Price has gone the eight-round distance in each of his last two outings, Starks has done so in his last four bouts.
“I’m very thankful for this opportunity to return to the ring and fight Darwin Price,” Starks said. “This is a perfect time to show the boxing world that I’m recovered from my loss and that I still have what it takes to become a world champion.”
For complete coverage of Price vs Starks, check out our fight page.
