Boxing Profile: Junior Witter

It’s Now Or Never

He is a faceless title holder in an increasingly faceless sport, but come September 7 WBC Light Welterweight champion Junior Witter will get the opportunity to stand up and be seen.

Witter, 33, is only weeks away from a career defining showdown with number one contender Vivian Harris, and has declared that the winner of their upcoming clash should be regarded as the best ten stone fighter in the world.

A bold assertion that has gone virtually unnoticed, just as the majority of his words and actions seemingly do.

Although he has fought and defeated some of the top names in the light welterweight division in recent years, including Lovemore Ndou and DeMarcus Corley, Witter has failed to attract the attention of HBO or Showtime executives, and remains virtually unknown in the United States. His status in Britain and Europe could be described as similar.

Witter’s mounting frustration has manifested itself in a string of verbal attacks against fellow Brit and chief rival Ricky Hatton, who signed a multi-million dollar contract with HBO shortly after his victory over Kostya Tszyu in 2005. He has since headlined in Las Vegas, not once but twice, and has a showdown with pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather on the horizon.

Witter, who is defending his title in Doncaster, cannot hide his bitterness.

“Harris is big at the weight and is a boxer,” said Witter in a recent interview. “He is a tougher opponent than someone like Jose Luis Castillo, who Ricky Hatton beat last time out.”

However, should he take care of business against Harris, himself a former world champion and regarded as one of the most talented fighters in the division, Witter will have taken a significant step towards escaping his Manchester rival’s ever growing shadow.

He will also have carved out an identity of his own, one that will be difficult for anyone to ignore.