Audley Harrison decides to box on and targets second world title fight

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2010/de ... itle-fight


Audley Harrison, who has flirted with derision for much of his professional career, is going to box on. And, despite his humiliating defeat by David Haye, he is dreaming still against all odds and logic of fighting for the world title again.

"After spending some time away reflecting on the fight and outcome, I have made the decision to continue my journey in boxing," Harrison said in a prepared statement.

"I give David credit as I never expected him to hurt me as he did, but anyone could see it was a premature stoppage [in round three] and I should have been allowed to carry on and ride out the rough patch, even if that meant I would have got KO'd."

The "if" in that statement is as redundant as was his punch-free performance.

This is a declaration that will dumbfound boxing fans, more than half a million of whom paid £14.95 to watch his challenge for Haye's WBA world title on Sky Box Office. The live gate, sold out for weeks in advance, was 22,000, and those present cat-called the beaten Harrison out of the ring after a truly abject performance.

Yet, paradoxically, it is the nature of the defeat that has persuaded him to fight on. "Any sportsman would not want to finish his career like that," his promoter Eddie Hearn said.

"And what else is he going to do? If he had gone out and got battered over eight or nine rounds it would have been different. But he wasn't that hurt. He had a bit of concussion but he said later he wished he had been knocked out cold. If he had taken a beating, people would have said it was OK.

"He will probably have a couple of eight-rounders in America, and take it from there. He's still No 2 in Europe and could challenge again for that title and then, who knows, be in place for another world title shot. Our fighter, Albert Sosnowski, fights Alexander Dimitrenko for the title on Saturday night, so that's an option.

"People will say we are clutching at straws, but they said we were clutching at straws when he got the fight with David Haye."

Hearn is convinced Harrison is still a major draw. "The average Saturday night viewing figures for Sky are between 100,000 and 200,000. When Audley won Prizefighter, the number was 555,000. When he knocked out Michael Sprott in the last round, it was 590,000.

"When he fights here again, the audience will be huge, even though his credibility is at an all-time low. How do you explain that?

"When he returns to Britain, he could fight someone like Tyson Fury, because Audley fancies that fight."

The promoter said he has grown to like Harrison since they first met 18 months ago. "He came to us and said he just wanted a couple of six-rounders. I said we could do better than that. And we did.

"Audley is a nice guy, but there is no place worse than a boxing ring in which to be humiliated. He's taken a lot of stick in the past, but he wants to carry on. Despite what people might think, Audley is a fighter. It's what he does for a living. What else is he going to do?"