Boxing Perspective: What Direction Home For Scott Harrison?

In the ring, Scott Harrison is anything but dull, and it seems from his troubles outside the ring that it is in the squared circle that he is truly at home.

But the recent farce in the run-up to what would have been his ninth defence of the WBO Featherweight title has left his reputation further tarnished and his promoter vowing that he would never work with him again. But after repeated run-ins with the law, and well-publicised problems with alcohol and depression, the question is whether Scott still has a future in boxing.

In terms of talent, Scott has never been lacking; a good boxer with an all-action style and had done remarkably to make the 9st (126 lb) featherweight limit time and again. But looking to lose that weight after an extended period of imprisonment, and being released mere weeks before a scheduled fight left him unable to drop within seven pounds of the 9st weight.

The question now is whether Scott Harrison will be seen in the boxing ring again, and whether he can overcome his difficulties to regain the focus and ambition which brought him the WBO Featherweight title for the first time in 2002.

Scott Harrison’s father Peter Harrison has openly criticized the media for heaping pressure on his son, saying: “He is under more pressure than any other sportsman or person in this country. The newspapers won’t be happy until Scott Harrison is in his coffin, then they will be nice about him.

“We are devastated about what has happened recently but Scott vacated the title, it was not taken off him. We were all fooling ourselves that Scott was going to come out and prepare for a world title fight in three weeks when it takes eight weeks to prepare for it.”

Peter has spoken a lot of truth since the fight was finally called off in the week before it was scheduled to take place, but it was always going to be a near impossibility to be in shape and to make the weight after Scott was finally bailed from the Spanish prison in Malaga.

However, to blame the media for putting pressure on his son is only partially true, as much of that pressure Scott has brought upon himself through his drunken antics which has left him without a title and facing a number of police charges in Scotland, and further bad behaviour which has left him facing various charges, including one of assault in Spain.

The aim of returning to the ring for Harrison has been openly stated by his manager Barry Hughes, who said: “Scott definitely wants to fight on, and he isn’t the first world champion to lose out on the scales.

” Scott, Peter Harrison and I spoke at length. I am confident and equally determined to make sure this is not the end for Scott and he thinks the same way. Scott has always found it hard to make the nine-stone weight limit and he has paid for his spell in prison in Spain.”

The aspiration to return to the ring depends on many things for Scott, but most importantly is to tackle those legal charges facing him at home and abroad, and overcome his problems with alcohol, and the habit of dropping promoters in trouble by withdrawing late from fights.

Since his last defence in 2005, Scott had been scheduled to fight Joan Guzman, Martin Honorio, Gairy St Clair, Juan Manuel Marquez and Nicky Cook, but between his own problems and the withdrawal of some of the high profile opponents put his title under great pressure as time continued.

The desperate desire to cling to that title by trying to make the weight for the Nicky Cook fight shows that Harrison still has a desire to be a champion, but perhaps not the discipline at this point in his life.

One must not be overly-critical of the young man’s discipline however, when we consider his background, rising from a working class area to be a world champion, he is not the first sportsman to fall victim to the temptations outside the sport.

Manager Barry Hughes has claimed that Harrison will step into the ring two weights heavier this year at lightweight, which would be much less of a problem for the 29-year old Scot, but stepping up two weights, his strength and size in the ring will be much less of an advantage than it was at featherweight.

Whether we see Scott Harrison in the ring again or not, he will be recorded in the annals of the sport as the first Scot to win and regain a world title, and as an exciting fighter to watch and a well-supported man too.

His legacy, it seems, may well be dependent on his success in dealing with the troubles and in returning to the ring. Should he claim a lightweight title, or even rise to challenge for a title, he will be remembered as a fighter who beat his troubles to rise again.

If he returns and fails, or doesn’t see a gym again, then he will always, in many people’s eyes, be the talented boxer who fell victim to his vices. As for which one Scott Harrison shall turn out to be, we will have to wait and see.