British Boxing: Hennessy Sees Tough Fight For Witter Against Harris

Promoter Mick Hennessy sees Junior Witter’s WBC light-welterweight title defence against Vivian Harris as tougher than Ricky Hatton’s last fight.

The Yorkshire boxer faces Guyana’s New York-based former world champion at the The Dome at Doncaster Lakeside on Friday, September 7 in a show to be screened live on Sky Sports.

Harris will not be daunted about facing Witter on his own turf after travelling to Germany twice to beat Oktay Urkal in defence of his WBA version of the world title in 2004.

Hennessy believes Witter’s task against Harris is more difficult than the one Manchester’s unbeaten Hatton faced when he stopped Mexican Jose Luis Castillo in four rounds in America in June.

“I think what Ricky did by going out to Las Vegas and stopping Castillo the way he did was brilliant, but I feel Junior has got a tougher opponent in front of him on September 7th,” said Hennessy.

“Harris is a far harder opponent than Castillo who wasn’t I believe a proven fighter at light-welterweight like Harris is, who is a former world champion in this division and big at the weight.

“Harris is a dangerous opponent and this is a chance for Junior to really make a name for himself in a competitive world title fight.

“This could be an explosive fight and if Junior wins – which I’m confident he will do in style – then the public will be demanding a fight between Witter and Hatton like never before, what ever the outcome of Ricky against Floyd Mayweather.

“Since losing his WBA title in a shock defeat to Carlos Maussa, Harris has won three on the trot and is back to his best.

“He has beat some good men like Juan Lazcano and former world champion Stevie Johnston, who he stopped in seven.

“When Harris is on top of his game, which he has been in recent fights, he is a real threat.

“He has lost just twice in 31 fights and made three defences of the world title so he is well experienced at this level.”

Witter, who is trained by the Ingle family in Sheffield and is originally from Bradford, does not expect Harris to be anxious about facing the champion in his home town of Doncaster in front of a large crowd.

“He’s been abroad and done it before so I don’t think he will be too bothered about coming over here to fight me,” said former British, Commonwealth and European champion Witter.

“I’m going to be in great shape for this because I’ve had some extra time to prepare after the fight date was put back a couple times.

“He’s got a lot of skills, has come back from defeat and in America he might even be seen as the favourite, so this is a competitive fight. I’ve just got to do a job that I know I can and will do to move on to bigger things.”