Gerwyn Price issues fight challenge to Joey Barton after U-turning on Jake Paul callout

Gerwyn Price has challenged Joey Barton to a boxing match after an online misunderstanding led to the darts star claiming he would rather fight the former footballer than Jake Paul

Gerwyn Price has issued a fighting challenge to Joey Barton on social media after declaring he’d rather face the ex-footballer in the ring than Jake Paul.

The callout emerged from an online mix-up that prompted ‘The Iceman’ to make his bold statement, with Barton subsequently attempting to clear up the confusion.

Price shared on his Instagram story: “Never mind @jakepaul. @joey7bartonofficial get ya gloves on. I’ll show you how overweight dart players are.”

The row originated from a post on the X account for Joey Barton’s podcast, “Common Sense with Joey Barton”, which slated darts players following Luke Littler’s clash with punters 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 quickly moved to separate himself from the comments, stressing they weren’t his own words. He explained: “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 mentions states: “All views are of the Common Sense team (Not Joey Barton).” Whether Barton would take up Price’s gauntlet to enter the ring remains to be seen, though it could contribute another instalment to the expanding world of celebrity boxing bouts.

Price, who previously played professional rugby before making the switch to darts, has shown keen interest in boxing, mirroring Paul’s move from acting into the ring.

Speaking about the possibility of facing Paul in a bout, 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 revealed that he had been in direct contact with Paul, explaining: “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’s unclear if a bout with Paul will materialise, Price seems to have shelved that notion in favour of taking on Barton instead. For the time being, ‘The Iceman’ is focusing his attention back on darts following a shock second-round exit from the World Darts Championships at the hands of Wesley Plaisier.

The 2021 world champion has had a year of ups and downs in terms of performance, bagging some wins but not quite living up to his own high standards. Off the oche, Price has revealed his impressive physical transformation, shedding a significant amount of weight to get back into top shape.

The year 2026 poses a fresh challenge for the Welsh ace, as it remains uncertain whether he’ll be invited to the Premier League, following his stellar run to the semi-finals last year.