Dylan Price ready for Golden Gloves title fight

Even with his father's history as a boxer and manager in the sport, Dylan Price didn't immediately jump into the ring. He tried his hand at several sports as a youngster, including football.

"I was pretty small, about 55 pounds, and was moving up to the 105-pound division," the 16-year-old said. "That's when my dad said to me, 'It's time for you to try something else.' "

Price took his first competitive step in boxing when he was 9. "I knew on the first day that it was for me," he said. "It was different from anything that I had experienced before. I just took to it."

The Sicklerville, N.J., resident is one of the top amateur boxers in the country in the light-flyweight division (108 pounds). His father, Dave, trains him at several area locations, including the Joe Hand Boxing Gym in Northern Liberties.

"You get the best competition there," said Dylan Price, the 2013 Junior Olympic national champion at 101 pounds. "And it's the home of the world champion Bernard Hopkins. He's a nice guy. We've talked a couple of times."

Price claimed a light-flyweight title in January at the U.S. Junior Open and youth national championships in Reno, Nev. The 5-foot-4, 108-pounder defeated Hawaii's Kawelo Alcos, 2-1. He was also named the tournament's most outstanding boxer.

"He's really like a fish in water when's he in the ring," Dave Price said. "He's got speed, keep-you-honest power. You have to respect it. He has a good, natural ability."

That figures, since Dave Price boxed while growing up in Southwest Philly. He had one professional fight, winning as a cruiserweight at 190 pounds.

"I was getting ready for the ministry and seminary school, so I stopped there," Price, 47, said before an afternoon training session with Dylan at Victory Boxing and Fitness in Cherry Hill.

Dave Price, a father of six, is a pastor at New Genesis Christian Church in West Philadelphia. On Tuesday and Thursday evenings, he directs a free self-defense class at the church.

As part of D & D Management, Price and Alfred "Doc" Nowicki represent four boxers. One of the D-Boys, Jesse Hart, a 25-year-old super middleweight, is on the undercard of the Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Manny Pacquiao fight May 2 in Las Vegas.

To devote more time to his goal of turning professional at 19 or 20, Dylan Price is home-schooled. A student at Commonwealth Connections Academy, a cyber charter school, he studies before and after workouts.

Price is preparing for the New Jersey Golden Gloves next Saturday in Jersey City. His title-round opponent in the open tournament is Leroy Davila, a 26-year-old from New Brunswick and two-time USA Boxing champ.

"The kid can definitely fight," Dave Price said of Davila. "But I feel Dylan will be OK if he listens and follows the plan."

Said Dylan: "It's going to be tough, but I believe in my ability. It's time to go out there and perform."

Dylan Price is also preparing for his first international competition. The Commonwealth Youth Games are scheduled for Sept. 5-11 in Samoa, about halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand.

There, to take home the crown, the quick puncher would have to win three or four bouts.

"It's a marathon," he said. "One fight at a time. You can't get too high or too low. You focus on getting the win and moving on."

Dave Price has to find the right balance as a father and coach. "You have to know when to push him, know when to pull back a bit," he said. "You have to be a dad, a trainer, a motivator, a friend. You have different roles."

Said Dylan: "He's taught me everything I know in the sport. He's the reason why I'm here. We're working together to make big things happen."