Popov pulls out, old man francis in

stujones · Post by **stujones** » 01 May 2004, 07:26

12-18 months ago this would have been an excellent contest, now its not. Francis always had the valid excuse in his losing run that he was losing to good solid European / Fringe world opperators. However, his conditioning and his pre-fight talk of retirment for the Skelton fight signalled his intentions.

Who ever Harrison would have fought he would have moved above Long for my end of May rankings (and of April's will be up today). Its not his fault, but its still a dissapointing match.

I think it will be a late stoppage, Skelton would have stopped him if he knew how to fight - Harrison, although I think doesn't have Skelton's raw power, will have the technique to big his shots and I think Francis will quit somewhere around the 7-8th round.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » 01 May 2004, 07:28

"Max Schmeling" would be an even bigger name, but that still doesn't mean I want to see that matchup.

Yes but to be fair, he is a last minute replacement, and most of the people who are against Audley Harrison usually say; "When is he gonna fight somebody we've heard of?"

overhand_right · Post by **overhand_right** » 01 May 2004, 08:20

finally aduley faces a recogniseable brit ish contender... looks like another quit job + payday for old blob jules.

KOJOE90 · Post by **KOJOE90** » 01 May 2004, 09:11

Bit of a no-win situation for Harrison really. If he does a number on Francis people will say "So what! Francis was fat and old with no ambition". If it goes the distance people will say "Why didn't he KO an old fat fighter?".

Bard of Boxrec · Post by **Bard of Boxrec** » 01 May 2004, 10:28

The Original Hurricane wrote:
"Max Schmeling" would be an even bigger name, but that still doesn't mean I want to see that matchup.
Yes but to be fair, he is a last minute replacement, and most of the people who are against Audley Harrison usually say; "When is he gonna fight somebody we've heard of?"

the worst thing is those kind of people know nothing about boxing and have not heard of any heavweights not called Lewis or Tyson. Thus, they expect Audley to fight Lewis or Tyson.

jameswilson · Post by **jameswilson** » 01 May 2004, 10:45

Yeah, a few mates always say to me 'He hasnt fought anyone apart from one armed bifftas.' The answer I always give is 'who did he fight in his last fight' there is always a blank look then I then say 'name me 10 current Heavyweights and Ill accept that you have enough boxing knowledge to make such statements.' Then its Tyson, Holyfield and then, 'who is that black guy again.' lol. They dont talk so much after that, but I usually need to come and talk to people who know what they are talking about to let off some steam.

steve689 · Post by **steve689** » 01 May 2004, 13:46

A pathetic matchup, i won't be tuning in.

Bard of Boxrec · Post by **Bard of Boxrec** » 05 May 2004, 09:33

yes you will.

J · Post by J » 05 May 2004, 11:27

its a reasonable gauge seeing as Skelton couldnt put him down and is making noises, if Aud doesnt spark old Jules then I feel he may well have to fight Skelton.
I f he does he will be able to continue the path he is taking withouth conscience as such.

BubiScholz · Post by **BubiScholz** » 05 May 2004, 12:14

J, please forgive me. But it is another "A-Farce". He should have cancelled the fight date and should face Sam in June.

J · Post by J » 05 May 2004, 12:16

no worries dude I dont think its a bad yardstick tho in honesty, its not Aud's fault popov is ill.

And that seems bona fide, maybe he will have to after this I think he will be in action again July at the latest.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » 05 May 2004, 14:03

That is true. A lot of people who bash Audley do so because they have only heard of Lennox, Tyson and Holyfield.

bugs · Post by **bugs** » 05 May 2004, 14:06

I think people bash Audley because of all his talk leading up to and continuing through his career. Really built himself up and yet at this stage in his career he is at a much lower level than Lewis, Tyson and Klitscko at the same stage. also he looks ponderous in the ring, even aginst the level of opponent he has hand picked.

I must admit to being pleased whenever he is booed and gets angry.

Still with the heavyweights the way they are maybe he can get to the top in the time he has left, I wont shed any tears if he doesnt.

jameswilson · Post by **jameswilson** » 05 May 2004, 15:54

bugs wrote:I think people bash Audley because of all his talk leading up to and continuing through his career. Really built himself up and yet at this stage in his career he is at a much lower level than Lewis, Tyson and Klitscko at the same stage. also he looks ponderous in the ring, even aginst the level of opponent he has hand picked.

I must admit to being pleased whenever he is booed and gets angry.

Still with the heavyweights the way they are maybe he can get to the top in the time he has left, I wont shed any tears if he doesnt.

Right bugs clearly never watched an Audley fight. Ponderous he is not, did u watch the combos that put Diaz, Nix and Hersisia down, those are good accurate shots and not just the random swinging of Skelton.

Also you say Aud is operatinjg at a much lower level than Lewis, Tyson and the Klitschkos. OK Vitali in his 16th fight fought a guy with a record of 7-11-2 and 5-0 in his 15th. Wladimir 16th fight 9-3-1 15th 4-13-1. Tyson 16th fight 19-5-0 (better than Aud yeah) 15th 8-6-0 (oh dear.) Lewis well the guy was fighting at abetter level yes, he won the Euro title in his 14th fight however look at the defending champs record and you can see why he went for it, out of your list tho I think Lewis is the only guy who was moving quicker. This time next year Audley will be well in the mix for a legitimate World title shot.

Eric the Viking · Post by **Eric the Viking** » 05 May 2004, 16:53

jameswilson wrote:Right bugs clearly never watched an Audley fight. Ponderous he is not, did u watch the combos that put Diaz, Nix and Hersisia down, those are good accurate shots and not just the random swinging of Skelton.

I've watched a half-dozen Harrison fights, and while he clearly has skills, he also has some major, fundamental weaknesses - like totally freezing up when an opponent attacks him. Three years in, he shows no sign of attempting to step up his level of competition in any deliberate or significant way.

Also you say Aud is operatinjg at a much lower level than Lewis, Tyson and the Klitschkos. OK Vitali in his 16th fight fought a guy with a record of 7-11-2 and 5-0 in his 15th. Wladimir 16th fight 9-3-1 15th 4-13-1. Tyson 16th fight 19-5-0 (better than Aud yeah) 15th 8-6-0 (oh dear.) Lewis well the guy was fighting at abetter level yes, he won the Euro title in his 14th fight however look at the defending champs record and you can see why he went for it, out of your list tho I think Lewis is the only guy who was moving quicker. This time next year Audley will be well in the mix for a legitimate World title shot.

Ah, but you're looking only at each of these guys' 16th fights, which is very misleading. And you're ignoring little tidbits like that Lewis in his 15th fight beat the durable Ossie Ocasio, who was arguably better than anyone Audley has faced. Or that Tyson was fighting so often early in his career that he had his 16th fight just 10 months into his pro career.

Let's look at the first few years of these guys' respective careers, shall we? (Note that this is an updated version of a similar post I made in this thread.)

Tyson: First pro fight in March 1985. Subsequent 28-fight tear that leads to his winning the WBC Heavyweight Title from Trevor Berbick less than 21 months later and becoming the youngest heavyweight champion ever is unprecedented in the history of the sport.

Lewis: 1988 Olympic Super Heavyweight Gold Medalist. First pro fight in June 1989. Wins the European (EBU) Heavyweight Title in his 17th fight (just 16 months into his career), the British Heavyweight Title in his 18th fight (20 months in), then beats a string of top contenders including Mike Weaver, Glen McCrory, Tyrell Biggs and Razor Ruddock on his way to winning the WBC Heavyweight Title in May 1993, less than 4 years into his pro career.

Vitali: First pro fight in November 1996. Wins the WBO Intercontinental Heavyweight Title in May 1998 (just 18 months later), the European Heavyweight Title in October 1998 (less than 2 years after turning pro), and the WBO Heavyweight Title in June 1999 (vs. Herbie Hide), defends it twice before losing it to Chris Byrd in April 2000 (VK is leading on the cards, but retires with a shoulder injury.)

Vlad: 1996 Olympic superheavyweight gold medalist. First pro fight in November 1996 (same card as his older brother's pro debut). Wins the WBC International Heavyweight Title in February 1998 (just 15 months after turning pro) and defends it several times before losing it in December 1998 to Ross Puritty. Wins the WBA International Heavyweight Title in July 1999 (vs. Joseph Chingangu) and the European Heavyweight Title in September 1999 (vs. Axel Schulz). Wins the WBO Heavyweight Title in October 2000 (vs. Chris Byrd), less than 4 years after turning pro.

Now, if the Klits were protected European fighters (as was the rap on the them until quite recently), what does that make Harrison? At least the Klits were regularly mixing it up with guys in the top 100 by the end of their second year as pros.

Audley: 2000 Olympic superheavyweight gold medalist. First pro fight in May 2001. Three years later: wins the less-than-fringe WBF title from Richel Hersisia, who is also the one and only Top-100 opponent he has ever faced.

I'm sorry, there's just no way any objective-in-the-least person could look at these guys' careers and conclude that Audley's accomplishments to date are even remotely comparable to those of Tyson, Lewis or even either of the Klits.

TheRiverCityHippy · Post by **TheRiverCityHippy** » 05 May 2004, 18:12

i agree with your observations eric but i dont think audley is any great hurry to get to the crown.
he knows at thirty two if (IF) he does go on to win the title he aint realistically gonna be the champ for years to come.
so i think he see`s his career consisting of winning the title and then a few big fights against whoever the main contenders are when the time comes. hopefully retiring unbeaten.
so i think he`ll be looking to retire about the same age as lennox so that gives him about six years in the game by my reckoning.
i think audley will try to get as many fights he knows he should win under his belt to iron out any deficiencies in his style so if mistakes do happen he still can turn those fights around.
i think it will be another 18 months to two years before he starts taking on the top fifteen and 3 to 4 years before a title shot ( unless he is sparked out by some one along the way of course)
i`m probably wrong though

p.s of course if klits runs out of credible opponents audley could be, to use a tony blair euphemism , fast tracked.

BubiScholz · Post by **BubiScholz** » 06 May 2004, 08:12

Yes, Vike, this is what I always said. And don´t forget that he is too old for a talent or prospect. He is as old as Vitali is....... These are the reason why I always say that he is overhyped in Britain. If he goes on like he did in the past he will be 39 when he has a world title fight.......

jameswilson · Post by **jameswilson** » 06 May 2004, 09:40

Eric the Viking wrote:
jameswilson wrote:Right bugs clearly never watched an Audley fight. Ponderous he is not, did u watch the combos that put Diaz, Nix and Hersisia down, those are good accurate shots and not just the random swinging of Skelton.
I've watched a half-dozen Harrison fights, and while he clearly has skills, he also has some major, fundamental weaknesses - like totally freezing up when an opponent attacks him. Three years in, he shows no sign of attempting to step up his level of competition in any deliberate or significant way.

Also you say Aud is operatinjg at a much lower level than Lewis, Tyson and the Klitschkos. OK Vitali in his 16th fight fought a guy with a record of 7-11-2 and 5-0 in his 15th. Wladimir 16th fight 9-3-1 15th 4-13-1. Tyson 16th fight 19-5-0 (better than Aud yeah) 15th 8-6-0 (oh dear.) Lewis well the guy was fighting at abetter level yes, he won the Euro title in his 14th fight however look at the defending champs record and you can see why he went for it, out of your list tho I think Lewis is the only guy who was moving quicker. This time next year Audley will be well in the mix for a legitimate World title shot.
Ah, but you're looking only at each of these guys' 16th fights, which is very misleading. And you're ignoring little tidbits like that Lewis in his 15th fight beat the durable Ossie Ocasio, who was arguably better than anyone Audley has faced. Or that Tyson was fighting so often early in his career that he had his 16th fight just 10 months into his pro career.

Let's look at the first few years of these guys' respective careers, shall we? (Note that this is an updated version of a similar post I made in this thread.)

Tyson: First pro fight in March 1985. Subsequent 28-fight tear that leads to his winning the WBC Heavyweight Title from Trevor Berbick less than 21 months later and becoming the youngest heavyweight champion ever is unprecedented in the history of the sport.

Lewis: 1988 Olympic Super Heavyweight Gold Medalist. First pro fight in June 1989. Wins the European (EBU) Heavyweight Title in his 17th fight (just 16 months into his career), the British Heavyweight Title in his 18th fight (20 months in), then beats a string of top contenders including Mike Weaver, Glen McCrory, Tyrell Biggs and Razor Ruddock on his way to winning the WBC Heavyweight Title in May 1993, less than 4 years into his pro career.

Vitali: First pro fight in November 1996. Wins the WBO Intercontinental Heavyweight Title in May 1998 (just 18 months later), the European Heavyweight Title in October 1998 (less than 2 years after turning pro), and the WBO Heavyweight Title in June 1999 (vs. Herbie Hide), defends it twice before losing it to Chris Byrd in April 2000 (VK is leading on the cards, but retires with a shoulder injury.)

Vlad: 1996 Olympic superheavyweight gold medalist. First pro fight in November 1996 (same card as his older brother's pro debut). Wins the WBC International Heavyweight Title in February 1998 (just 15 months after turning pro) and defends it several times before losing it in December 1998 to Ross Puritty. Wins the WBA International Heavyweight Title in July 1999 (vs. Joseph Chingangu) and the European Heavyweight Title in September 1999 (vs. Axel Schulz). Wins the WBO Heavyweight Title in October 2000 (vs. Chris Byrd), less than 4 years after turning pro.

Now, if the Klits were protected European fighters (as was the rap on the them until quite recently), what does that make Harrison? At least the Klits were regularly mixing it up with guys in the top 100 by the end of their second year as pros.

Audley: 2000 Olympic superheavyweight gold medalist. First pro fight in May 2001. Three years later: wins the less-than-fringe WBF title from Richel Hersisia, who is also the one and only Top-100 opponent he has ever faced.

I'm sorry, there's just no way any objective-in-the-least person could look at these guys' careers and conclude that Audley's accomplishments to date are even remotely comparable to those of Tyson, Lewis or even either of the Klits.

No Erik in his last fight with Hersisia, Richel was attacking him just before Audley unloaded, you say he freezes which he did do in his fight with Krence (well early in his career). Against Ellis a similar thing happened to what happened with Richel, Audley just unloaded, after being caught, and was too much.
On the point of the speed of all the respective top boxers careers, Iv already conceded Lewis did progress extremely fast, (he won the EBU title in his 14th not 17th fight.) The other guys didnt have 10fight TV contracts for their 1st 10 fights, Audley had an injury between his 1st and 2nd fights which meant he was out of action for about 4 months. Im pretty confident that if Audley didnt have a TV contract he wouldnt have fought guys like Krence, McCafferty, Negus etc. He would have fought several opponents of lower quality but more often. Also you say Hersisia is the only top100 fighter he has fought. Actually I believe at the time Calloway, Draskovic, and Nix were all top 100.