Gerwyn Price offers Joey Barton fight after ‘I never said that’ claims | Other | Sport

Gerwyn Price has challenged Joey Barton to a fight on social media after stating he would prefer to box the former footballer than Jake Paul. The call-out follows an online misunderstanding that led to ‘The Iceman’ making the claim and Barton seeking to clarify the mix-up.

Price posted on his Instagram story: “Never mind @jakepaul. @joey7bartonofficial get ya gloves on. I’ll show you how overweight dart players are.” The controversy stemmed from a post on the X account belonging to Joey Barton’s podcast, “Common Sense with Joey Barton”, which criticised darts players following Luke Littler’s confrontation with spectators at the Alexandra Palace during the World Darts Championship.

The account posted: “Darts is only a pub game anyway, it’s just a pantomine sport. Overweight smelly men dressed in Hawaiian shirts coming out WWE style to cheesy songs throwing metal pins at a round board isn’t a real sport is it. Little is just playing the panto baddy here that’s all.”

Barton moved swiftly to distance himself from the remarks, insisting they were not his words. He clarified: “Not me that said that mate. It’s the admin from @Common_SensePod as its states in bio! I respect the Darts. Top skill.”

The bio Barton refers to reads: “All views are of the Common Sense team (Not Joey Barton).” Whether Barton would accept Price’s challenge to step into the ring remains uncertain, though it could add another chapter to the growing trend of celebrity boxing matches.

Price, who was once a professional rugby player before switching to darts, has expressed his interest in boxing, following Paul’s transition from acting to the sport. Discussing the prospect of fighting Paul, Price told talkSPORT: “That’s easy, I look forward to that. He’s a YouTuber, he’s not a fighter, is he? I think it would just be one punch, and it would be all over. Out cold. It would be a waste of money for people to tune in.

“He’ll never beat me in Wales. Nobody beats me in Wales. He’d probably beat Canelo, but he’s not beating me, no.” The 40-year-old also said that he had exchanged private messages with Paul, saying: “He’s seen it and messaged me. He wrote back to me and said, ‘Come to Greece, man. Just name a price.’ I don’t know why he’s in Greece.”

While it remains uncertain whether a match with Paul could happen, Price appears to have abandoned that idea in favour of challenging Barton. But for now, ‘The Iceman’ is channelling his energy back towards darts after an unexpected second-round departure from the World Darts Championships at the hands of Wesley Plaisier.

The 2021 world champion has experienced an inconsistent year in terms of performance, securing some victories but falling short of his own expectations. Beyond the board, however, Price has unveiled his remarkable physical transformation, having shed considerable weight to regain peak fitness. The year 2026 will present a new challenge for the Welsh star, as it is yet to be determined whether he will receive an invitation to the Premier League, following his impressive run to the semi-finals last year.