25.07.05 - By Peter Cameron: "I can still vividly remember dragging myself into my living room at some ungodly hour to tune into the 2000 Sydney Olympics for the super-heavyweight final. I had to be at work in under six hours but I didn't care. After 32 years of near-misses, Britain was finally about to win its first boxing gold since Chris Finnegan's heroics in 1968. Audley Harrison looked magnificent, a giant of a man with a perfect physique, good technical ability and an infectious smile. He had charisma in buckets and an intelligence which is rare amongst the average heavyweight. He comfortably won that final and my thoughts immediately turned to how far he could go in the professional ranks. Could he be Lennox Lewis' successor, the baton passing from one colossal Brit to another? Would the most prestigious title in world sport remain in the hands of the British in the form of Audley Harrison? My mind raced with uncontrollable excitement. Forget trying to sleep; I was witnessing the beginning of the next great chapter of heavyweight history.
Five years later, 18 fights into the journey, and that dream has all but died. Only the most optimistic British boxing fan still clings onto the belief that Harrison can go all the way. A 28 year old Olympic champion, steeped in potential and oozing charisma, has been cruelly replaced with a 33 year old inactive, plodding heavyweight who struggles to defeat journeymen.
After each infrequent fight, Harrison spells out his masterplan, usually finishing by claiming "this will be my year" before disappearing off the radar for months, only to re-emerge to fight another journeyman. "2005 will be my year" proclaimed Audley in June, after his victory over Robert Davis. It's now almost August and that solitary victory is still Harrison's only outing so far this year. If this is his idea of progress, I dread to hear him ever say "I'm going to take it easy for a bit". We might never see him again!
Harrison seems to have everything. He is huge, standing 6 feet 6 inches tall and fighting at over 18 stone. He has talent; surely you don't win an Olympic gold without excellent technical ability. He is also extremely marketable, a good-looking, bubbly character, articulate for a boxer, charming in front of the camera. Yet some vital ingredients are missing. He seems to lack dedication, something essential in this most gruelling of sports. Perhaps this statement is unfair, given the hard
training he undoubtedly had to do to win Olympic gold. However, the celebrity status he instantly received in the UK by winning in Sydney distracted him from boxing. For the six months after winning gold, Harrison reportedly attended more celebrity functions than he threw punches! When he did finally turn up in a ring, making his pro debut against the not-so-scary Mike Middleton, his abdomen had lost much of the toning visible in Sydney. In short, he looked fat.
Against a succession of smaller, inept opponents, Harrison has only looked good in short spurts, and has struggled to close out fights in any style. As he has advanced to six and eight round fights, his stamina has also come under scrutiny. He sometimes goes minutes without throwing a single punch, and his footwork is usually static and ponderous. The flurry of punches with which he stopped Robert Davis in his last fight was impressive, but for the rest of the fight Harrison's workrate was poor. When he throws combinations he is an intimidating sight, with good hand-speed and concussing power. The trouble is he seems scared to push himself too hard, perhaps aware that his fitness is lacking. Harrison fights are very frustrating to watch, with him too big to ever be threatened by his limited opponent, but rarely opening up and showing us his array of skills.
After Sydney, Harrison was the main attraction for British boxing. He headlined bills on prime-time UK television, appeared in newspapers, magazines and on chat-shows. Yet five years is a long time. Harrison is no longer the reigning Olympic champion (Russia's Alexander Povetkin holds that title and won his pro debut on 11th June against an opponent by the name of Muhammed Ali!) and British attention has turned to the truly exceptional Amir Khan. Add in Ricky Hatton's tremendous win over
Kosta Tszyu, combined with Harrison's inactivity, and poor old Audley has dropped considerably down the pecking order. He is becoming more famous for the nicknames associated to him (take your pick from "Fraudley", "Ordinary" and "Audrey") than for his boxing ability. That infectious, charismatic smile has been replaced with an over-used, empty growl of "this will be my year". Audley is no longer box office.
I still remember the thrill I felt that night in 2000 as Audley won gold and his name was added to a list which includes the likes of Ali, Frazier, Foremen, Lewis and Cuban greats Stevenson and Savon. Now, in 2005, I realise that Audley's victory did mark the next chapter of heavyweight history, though not in the way I first envisaged. Never before has the division been so weak. I had always thought that only an exceptionally talented boxer could win Olympic heavyweight gold. Harrison's failings prove this theory wrong. If he does go all the way to a world title, my feeling will be that it is a reflection of the dearth of talent in the division rather than any great ability on his part. Yet I would still cheer if he did bring a belt home to Britain. Whilst I hate his inactivity and lack of progress, I would still drag myself up in the middle of the night to watch him fight for the championship. My fear though is that the highlight of his career has already come and gone, that glinting gold fading like a setting sun."
BubiScholz wrote:I had always thought that only an exceptionally talented boxer could win Olympic heavyweight gold. Harrison's failings prove this theory wrong.
BubiScholz wrote:I had always thought that only an exceptionally talented boxer could win Olympic heavyweight gold. Harrison's failings prove this theory wrong.
This is what some people just can't digest.
He is on the way to become "Worst Olympic Champion in history"
Good old Audley, he never fails to provoke a bit of a reaction in most of the posters, me included. So Robert Wiggins then. Well I guess it is an improvement on Davis, and it is better than Terry Smith, and it probably is a sign that Harrison wants to fight more often. It still leaves me unenthused though, I think I'm still waiting for Audley to surprise me with an ambitious bit of matchmaking. Maybe I should know better by now.
Its okay for a warm up (merely okay) but how many of these is he going to need.
He had Davis as a fighter who could do rounds, he probably needs another of Wiggins' stature but I have the feeling he will use this year out for an excuse to find another low callibre fighter after Wiggins, and another and another.
Why not Jirov - it would have made good sense as Jirov is an Olympic medalist. Jirov is on the slide, a better name than Wiggins, will get him the rounds but as his disputed draw with Norris suggest - unlikely to beat Harrison.
stujones wrote:Why not Jirov - it would have made good sense as Jirov is an Olympic medalist. Jirov is on the slide, a better name than Wiggins, will get him the rounds but as his disputed draw with Norris suggest - unlikely to beat Harrison.
I asked the same thing not long ago. Jirov is also on Goossen's books but also spars with Audrey so it is out.
stujones wrote:Its okay for a warm up (merely okay) but how many of these is he going to need.
He had Davis as a fighter who could do rounds, he probably needs another of Wiggins' stature but I have the feeling he will use this year out for an excuse to find another low callibre fighter after Wiggins, and another and another.
Why not Jirov - it would have made good sense as Jirov is an Olympic medalist. Jirov is on the slide, a better name than Wiggins, will get him the rounds but as his disputed draw with Norris suggest - unlikely to beat Harrison.
His whole pro career has been a warm up so far!........ enougth is enougth!... I used to be an audely supporter but it doesn't seem like he's going to fight someone of substance before he's 50 at this rate!!!!!..... :x
Agreed. Despite his pedigree Jirov is now just another blown-up cruiser who left his best form at the lower weight. If Audley can't handle a half-decent, full-sized and punchy heavyweight now then it's a poor old show.
The truth is that Matt Skelton has gone ahead of Audely in terms of acheivement and opposition... and even with the injuries Harrison has had there is no excuse for this really... his career has stalled seriously!...
Desire. I don't question Audley's abilities so much as his genuine desire to fight the best and establish himself as No 1 professionally. His career choices show a lack of the desire he is always telling us he has.
Chesney_Chambers wrote:Its only Audleys 19th fight, its a step up in class from his last opponent, hes keeping active and hes strengthening his position in the HW division.
Well that is all true. I think I've said this before, there is probably no point in us all discussing Harrison until he makes a big fight, because we say the same old things, go round in the same circles, and it all ends in tears.
25.07.05 - By Peter Cameron: "I can still vividly remember dragging myself into my living room at some ungodly hour to tune into the 2000 Sydney Olympics for the super-heavyweight final. I had to be at work in under six hours but I didn't care. After 32 years of near-misses, Britain was finally about to win its first boxing gold since Chris Finnegan's heroics in 1968. Audley Harrison looked magnificent, a giant of a man with a perfect physique, good technical ability and an infectious smile. He had charisma in buckets and an intelligence which is rare amongst the average heavyweight. He comfortably won that final and my thoughts immediately turned to how far he could go in the professional ranks. Could he be Lennox Lewis' successor, the baton passing from one colossal Brit to another? Would the most prestigious title in world sport remain in the hands of the British in the form of Audley Harrison? My mind raced with uncontrollable excitement. Forget trying to sleep; I was witnessing the beginning of the next great chapter of heavyweight history.
Five years later, 18 fights into the journey, and that dream has all but died. Only the most optimistic British boxing fan still clings onto the belief that Harrison can go all the way. A 28 year old Olympic champion, steeped in potential and oozing charisma, has been cruelly replaced with a 33 year old inactive, plodding heavyweight who struggles to defeat journeymen.
After each infrequent fight, Harrison spells out his masterplan, usually finishing by claiming "this will be my year" before disappearing off the radar for months, only to re-emerge to fight another journeyman. "2005 will be my year" proclaimed Audley in June, after his victory over Robert Davis. It's now almost August and that solitary victory is still Harrison's only outing so far this year. If this is his idea of progress, I dread to hear him ever say "I'm going to take it easy for a bit". We might never see him again!
Harrison seems to have everything. He is huge, standing 6 feet 6 inches tall and fighting at over 18 stone. He has talent; surely you don't win an Olympic gold without excellent technical ability. He is also extremely marketable, a good-looking, bubbly character, articulate for a boxer, charming in front of the camera. Yet some vital ingredients are missing. He seems to lack dedication, something essential in this most gruelling of sports. Perhaps this statement is unfair, given the hard
training he undoubtedly had to do to win Olympic gold. However, the celebrity status he instantly received in the UK by winning in Sydney distracted him from boxing. For the six months after winning gold, Harrison reportedly attended more celebrity functions than he threw punches! When he did finally turn up in a ring, making his pro debut against the not-so-scary Mike Middleton, his abdomen had lost much of the toning visible in Sydney. In short, he looked fat.
Against a succession of smaller, inept opponents, Harrison has only looked good in short spurts, and has struggled to close out fights in any style. As he has advanced to six and eight round fights, his stamina has also come under scrutiny. He sometimes goes minutes without throwing a single punch, and his footwork is usually static and ponderous. The flurry of punches with which he stopped Robert Davis in his last fight was impressive, but for the rest of the fight Harrison's workrate was poor. When he throws combinations he is an intimidating sight, with good hand-speed and concussing power. The trouble is he seems scared to push himself too hard, perhaps aware that his fitness is lacking. Harrison fights are very frustrating to watch, with him too big to ever be threatened by his limited opponent, but rarely opening up and showing us his array of skills.
After Sydney, Harrison was the main attraction for British boxing. He headlined bills on prime-time UK television, appeared in newspapers, magazines and on chat-shows. Yet five years is a long time. Harrison is no longer the reigning Olympic champion (Russia's Alexander Povetkin holds that title and won his pro debut on 11th June against an opponent by the name of Muhammed Ali!) and British attention has turned to the truly exceptional Amir Khan. Add in Ricky Hatton's tremendous win over
Kosta Tszyu, combined with Harrison's inactivity, and poor old Audley has dropped considerably down the pecking order. He is becoming more famous for the nicknames associated to him (take your pick from "Fraudley", "Ordinary" and "Audrey") than for his boxing ability. That infectious, charismatic smile has been replaced with an over-used, empty growl of "this will be my year". Audley is no longer box office.
I still remember the thrill I felt that night in 2000 as Audley won gold and his name was added to a list which includes the likes of Ali, Frazier, Foremen, Lewis and Cuban greats Stevenson and Savon. Now, in 2005, I realise that Audley's victory did mark the next chapter of heavyweight history, though not in the way I first envisaged. Never before has the division been so weak. I had always thought that only an exceptionally talented boxer could win Olympic heavyweight gold. Harrison's failings prove this theory wrong. If he does go all the way to a world title, my feeling will be that it is a reflection of the dearth of talent in the division rather than any great ability on his part. Yet I would still cheer if he did bring a belt home to Britain. Whilst I hate his inactivity and lack of progress, I would still drag myself up in the middle of the night to watch him fight for the championship. My fear though is that the highlight of his career has already come and gone, that glinting gold fading like a setting sun."
Peter Cameron is obviously a hater, why else would he not mention that Audleys inactivity and new schedule is down to the career threatening injuries that hes had.
I agree that he was overweight at the beginning of his pro career, but he is in tip top condition at the moment, why doesn't he mention that.
For the record, since he went pro he has always had a 5 year plan for gaining a HW title culminating in 2005, he has been injured for the first half of 2005, so his schedule has been put back 6 months
He raises a valid point about Audleys fitness not being 100% proven yet
Chesney_Chambers wrote:Its only Audleys 19th fight, its a step up in class from his last opponent, hes keeping active and hes strengthening his position in the HW division.
Well that is all true. I think I've said this before, there is probably no point in us all discussing Harrison until he makes a big fight, because we say the same old things, go round in the same circles, and it all ends in tears.
I agree about the going round in circles, but when people continue to spout the same old one-sided biassed anti-Audley drivel, I feel obliged to correct and educate them
Theres no need for any of you to shed tears over these Audley discussions
You see strangely enough Wiggins might well beat Maskaev if they fought. But Oleg brings an element of danger to proceedings that Wiggins does not, and that's what I find Audley is reluctant to consider.
On his 38th birthday he´ll fight Julius Francis in a rematch but will be always concerned as a "prospect"..........The worst Olympic Champion of all times
And I suppose you were happy with Samm getting knocked down by Okello.
I dont care if he was off balance, Okello is naff.Sam Peter will absolutely murder Sinan.
What has this to do with your idol, Mr.Harrison?
He will never fight opponents who can punch......
Compare Sam with Harrison who had the same amateur level, maybe Sinan was a little better.....
Sam held the EBU title, demolishing Williams, a guy Harrison is scared of.......
Sam now fights for a WBC #1 spot. A posotion Harrison wont´t reach in his wildes dreams.......
Gomez, Krasniqi, Bakhtov, Clay-Bey, Okhello: Fighters who are stronger than any guy Harrison fought. i doubt he will fight such opponents. they can punch hard and beat Harrison easily.
You think Okhello could hit hard and beat Audley do me a favor. Bakhtov cant punch and Samms win over him was put in perspective when Saul Montana who is 40 odd years old went and knocked Bakhtov unconcsious in something like 3rds (may have been earlier.) Clay Bey is old and cant punch. Krasniqui and Gomez beat Samm.
Peter is the first opponent Samm has faced who hits damn hard and because of this Samm will end up flat on his back. Samm signals his punches, has less than adequate footwork and his defence wont be good enough.
Audley hasnt been able to build up a head of steam because of injuries simple as that, in 6 months time provided he doesnt pick up another injury Audley will be right up there.
josh fg wrote:Loosing on an SD to barret suggests good form and he has only been KOed once. So it could be a far worse fight as long as he is active following that fight and gets a couple in before the end of the year although he is 36.
Don`t build Barret into more than what he really is in this time of really terrible big-guys.
Look at what Wiggins lost to last
Wiggins will be giving away 2stone, he has not fought many giving away this weight...and none had a winning, or even close to winning record
This is probably Audleys sternest test...but its still lame for where he is and where he should be by now
The name Buck Smith gets remembered when Audley gets mentioned...lets just see if he lasts as long
jameswilson wrote:
And I suppose you were happy with Samm getting knocked down by Okello.
I dont care if he was off balance, Okello is naff.Sam Peter will absolutely murder Sinan.
What has this to do with your idol, Mr.Harrison?
He will never fight opponents who can punch......
Compare Sam with Harrison who had the same amateur level, maybe Sinan was a little better.....
Sam held the EBU title, demolishing Williams, a guy Harrison is scared of.......
Sam now fights for a WBC #1 spot. A posotion Harrison wont´t reach in his wildes dreams.......
Gomez, Krasniqi, Bakhtov, Clay-Bey, Okhello: Fighters who are stronger than any guy Harrison fought. i doubt he will fight such opponents. they can punch hard and beat Harrison easily.
You think Okhello could hit hard and beat Audley do me a favor. Bakhtov cant punch and Samms win over him was put in perspective when Saul Montana who is 40 odd years old went and knocked Bakhtov unconcsious in something like 3rds (may have been earlier.) Clay Bey is old and cant punch. Krasniqui and Gomez beat Samm.
Peter is the first opponent Samm has faced who hits damn hard and because of this Samm will end up flat on his back. Samm signals his punches, has less than adequate footwork and his defence wont be good enough.
Audley hasnt been able to build up a head of steam because of injuries simple as that, in 6 months time provided he doesnt pick up another injury Audley will be right up there.
The problem is that this is all hypothteic because Audley hasn´t fought guys like Okhello, who took several monster punches from Sinan and was not knocked down and tried the best. total respect for Okhello. He is a little underrated. Sam is actually at least a top 20 boxer. Harrison maybe top 50 and will not step up with those opponents. Sorry, I can´t take him and his fans serious untlil he fights real good boxers. the whole discussion about Harrision is like a circle......
:x 
