Boxing Perspective: Audley Harrison Committing Career Suicide?

You have to admire Audley Harrison. Ok, I take that back, but you have to concede that his decision to challenge Matt Skelton for the Commonwealth Heavyweight title is a bold one to say the least.

In his last two contests of any note, Audley has been on the receiving end of embarrassing losses. In December of last year, Harrison dropped a split decision to Danny Williams in a snorefest. Four months later, he lost a unanimous decision to fellow underachiever Dominick Guinn. Harrison got back to winning ways in June of this year, blowing out Andrew Greeley in three rounds. Greeley has very nearly won as many as he has lost.

Harrison is once again under the tutelage of Thell Torrance, after a brief spell with Buddy McGirt. Torrance had been sacked by Harrison for his continued work with fellow heavyweight Hasim Rahman and the trainer recently remarked that Harrison is psychologically right for this fight and back to how he was when he first worked with him. Is it just me or does that mean its all Torrance’s fault?

Joking aside, Harrison has blamed his celebrity lifestyle and wealth for his poor performances in the ring, even quoting the old adage “it’s hard to get up in the morning when you’re wearing silk pajamas”. Audley is correct in part. He was given too much too soon without having to earn it.

He was paid £1 million by the BBC for his first ten fights and probably felt that he had arrived when in fact he hadn’t even started. You would think however that getting decked and beaten by Danny Williams would serve as the perfect wake up call to get your arse in gear?

“The primary objective is to hit and not get hit, Audley Harrison sacrifices the first part in an effort to ensure the second”

I wrote the above when Harrison failed against Williams. Audley was so petrified of getting thumped that he offensively shut down. Williams did him a favour and didn’t throw much leather of his own, Skelton, however, won’t be as charitable. By his own admission, the Bedford bruiser isn’t the most polished of fighters but he brings grit and determination by the truck load and Harrison are going to have to stand up to it, or be run over.

Skelton regained the Commonwealth title he held a few years back with a unanimous points victory over Danny Williams in July of this year; five months previous he was edged out by Williams for the same title. Skelton’s promoter sees this as a keep busy fight for Matt on his way to a world title shot in 2007. Skelton was reportedly due to challenge Russian WBC heavyweight champion Oleg Maskaev but withdrew due to concerns over the size of his purse.

On paper, Skelton vs. Harrison looks like a classic “boxer versus brawler” fight. But we all know that unless you’re Floyd Mayweather Jr, at some point the boxer will have to show a bit of backbone and stand and deliver to gain the respect of the brawler. Sadly this is where Harrison has in the past, and will once again, come up short. When the chips are down, he just doesn’t seem to want it enough, and that was against Danny Williams! How is he going to react when Matt Skelton has nutted him a couple of times?

I wish I could make a case for Harrison, I really do. But for me he simply doesn’t have the firepower to keep Skelton off. Sure, he will time him onto some crisp straight left hands, but at no point will he hit Skelton hard enough to make him back off. Danny Williams managed it in the dying seconds of their initial encounter, probably the first time Skelton has been seriously effected by a punch. But let’s be honest, when it comes to punch power Harrison was at the back of the queue.

Skelton has been trying to box a bit as of late. That said, it’s horses for courses and although he might start out the boxer, it’s only as matter of time before he reverts to type and starts mauling his way to a lopsided points win or a late rounds TKO. I just can’t see a way for Harrison to win this fight.

Frank Bruno once quipped about Audley Harrison’s chances as a pro “He’s Olympic Gold Medallist, you don’t get those from the corner shop.”

Sadly for Audley Harrison, courage isn’t available from the corner shop either.