Spoiler - Audley Harrison v Michael Sprott

[dondada]

I will repeat... Audley injured his shoulder no doubt........ dislocated / detatched.... no way. Well, I would be very very surprised.

Was Audley holding it like Danny Williams vs Potter, Dean Francis (when its popped). Any obvious lumps? No.

Credit, he came through with undoubtedly an injury - but lets not compare it to Danny Williams who couldn't defend himself properly either. Nothing wrong with Audley holding his right up.

Totally agree, Stu.

Right...let's see you disagree with my post this time. 8)

[Manc_Red]

amazing finish, im gutted for sprotty, i so so wanted him to win, audley got lucky big time, but hats off to him.

strangely i think harrison would beat haye !! ... .. but the klitschkos would eat the pair of them !!

That is pretty strange indeed. Haye would easily defeat Audley, as would the Klitschko's.

i just think that, with audleys reach, and that straight left, he might get to haye early. mark my words, anyone else agree?

I think if that was to happen, Harrison would have to get by the first 2-3 rounds of an attack from Haye.

For that reason I just couldn't see Harrison pulling it off

[stujones]

Rhino. It would be a case of who lands cleanly first - however...... it would surely be Haye.

In all the aftermath, people seem to be forgetting that Audley was not looking good. Forget about the stamina, scared issues that he will never get rid off. I thought his handspeed has deteriorated and so has his footwork.

We've always said "got the tools, but somethings missing". I think the tools are on the wain - and everytime Sprott hit him half clean, Harrison legs were going.

[bob_adder]

bob_adder wrote:
JCB123 wrote:
He has got to be the most frustrating fighter around!!!!!!

I mean what the eff is that jab about? (& idon't believe the shoulder story!!)

Big shock tho

What? So he fought one handed for 10 rounds just to give himself a potential excuse? I'm only a lurker on this site but I have to say boxing fans are unbelievable! Every fight is dominted afterwards by conspiracy theories and petty accusations about fouling or dodgys refs. Its never a straightforward debate...

Have we had medical confirmation of what was wrong with the shoulder????????

I initially thought he was going southpaw to avoid Sprott's left hook (that ended him in the 1st fight), he looked really anxious to get out the way of that!!

Fair enough if he fucked his shoulder he fucked his shoulder ........... but does that explain his excuse of a jab???

If he used his god given attributes he'd be unstoppable!!!

I was/am an Audley fan but he pisses me off so much!!!!!!!!

He looked like shite in there tonight no question but to fair he jabs with his right but the injury forced him to switch, hence the poor looking left jab. Not that he's Larry Holmes with his normal jab mind!

Another positive for Audley was the amount of flush shots he took tonight without going down. You can't grow muscles on your chin but he has proved he can take a shot.

[U.F.O]

I will repeat... Audley injured his shoulder no doubt........ dislocated / detatched.... no way. Well, I would be very very surprised.

Was Audley holding it like Danny Williams vs Potter, Dean Francis (when its popped). Any obvious lumps? No.

Credit, he came through with undoubtedly an injury - but lets not compare it to Danny Williams who couldn't defend himself properly either. Nothing wrong with Audley holding his right up.

I have dislocated my shoulder around 20 times its completly screwed :( , quite often they pop out of their sockets just for a spit second and then go back in, but that doesn't mean its fixed, it tears / stretches all the muscle and ligamnets making it very very painfull and almost impossible to lift up, To me that looked like the problem Audely had tonight.

Danny Williams shoulder vs potter came out and stayed out thats the difference

[stujones]

Audley had no problems lifting up in defence though?

[Shirow]

Wow

Wow

WOW

Give Audley his credit - he had a FREAKING DETACHED SHOULDER.

How many of you would box in that pain against a man who had previously knocked you unconscious.

Audley showed heart, balls, cajones, stones, and everything else. What a freaking Rocky like comeback and a punch that will do damage against anybody.

Entitled to be proud as the European champ.

No one has ever laid Sprott clean out. Incredible turn around given the injury & 'the ghost of kayos past'. Don't be a d'ck, give the big man his kudos.

I didn't see a Rocky like comeback i saw one punch. I'd use Gatti breaking his hand then tear into Ward for that description.
Despite the result Sprott outboxed Harrison for 11+ rounds which certainly didn't happen the first time. I think that might have been down to Audley showing his age and Sprott's recent activity. But it did show how little chance he'd have world level.
Danny Williams laid Sprott clean out by the way.

[U.F.O]

You can hold it up against your body easy enough for defence, Even Throwing a jab once or twice is possible but it kind of locks up after a while and then your fucked.

[Manc_Red]

If Harrison did indeed have an injury to the right shoulder, I don't think anybody will disagree that it must have only been minor??

He was defending and jabbing out with his right-arm ffs....

Hardly Danny Williams like

[n1ebf]

vitali and wlad could both beat Haye AND Harrison in the same night IMO.

besides I'm reading this, as I suspect are a few....and missing a bloody belter here between Barker and Frenchie!

[overhand_right]

Danny Williams laid Sprott clean out by the way.

1. Sprott didn't outbox Audley in the first 3 rds

2. Yes you're right actually, Danny did lay out Sprott - thought it was when Sprott had been hit in the balls for the 10th time and was looking at the ref to do his job (the always ultra crap ref, ultra crap ex-boxer Terry O'Connor) and Danny swung at him when he wasn't looking. Awful moment.

[jameswilson]

Just got back from the fight. I did notice Audley looking at his shoulder at the end of each round from about the 4th or so onwards, and then he spent large periods fighting from the ortodox position.

Needless to say when that shot detonated and Sprott went down I was jumping around like a looney, then when I checked the ring again and saw Sprott was still down I was suddenly a bit worried.

Haven't seen the fight for real but had Audley way down going into the last. They were talking to each other a lot in the first few rounds, then Audley stopped throwing the right, then he had a round where he opened up but only with one hand which was the point it registered that something must be up.

I know Audley mentioned Dimitrenko before this fight, that would be a good fight but Dimitrenko is protected and unlikely to step out of Germany. Dennis Bakhtov I would imagine will be well ranked, so Id imagine it will be between him and Pianetta for Audley's next fight. Then the winner of that will probably fight Sosnowski who will have probably come the loss to Vitali.

[hitman_hatton1]

Harrison's the luckiest man in boxing. His career was over, and he knew it.

He did nothing alnight. It's a shocking result!

feel ya pain mate.

gutted for sprott.

flukey bastard.

[Nightmare Roy]

He popped his shoulder in the 2nd and won by ko in the 12th...He didnt use his right for most of 10 rounds. Credit where credits due, he did show a lot of heart to stick out. Fair play to him, really enjoyed the fight and finish, but he'll get hammered when he steps up.

Agreed all round, Ive slagged of Aud no end and been really annoyed by what he has said about Haye lately, but he showed real heart tonight, any one could see his arm, hand or shoulder had gone, but he kept on fighting and got lucky fair play to him. That said a 100% Aud would get stopped by the Klits or Haye IMO.

[RLewis]

Having just got back from Ally Pally, I would confirm that Audley did damage his shoulder. They believe it is a ruptured tendon, which he damaged throwing a hook in the second. He did not throw it after the third and could barely defend himself with it.

[leforge]

Audley was injured I was ringside he hardly through the right after round 2. But I say well done too him!

[funso banjo baby]

didnt see the fight but theres the Ko on youtube...

hilarious

very odd punch but it obviously had some pop in it

the Aforce wagon rolls on

its surreal

[yiddo14]

That shoulder bull is up there with some of his all time gems, Ian Darke had it confirmed after 8 rounds - that there was nothing wrong with Harrison.

Chap is off his rocker

His corner confirmed there was nothing wrong with it around 7-8 rounds in.

I don't want to not believe a fighter when he says he is injured but then I had a little flashback to AUdley's interview after the Rogan fight where he claimed he thought his jaw got broke early in the fight...he was chatting away after no problem!

Still, give him the benefit of the doubt I say. He did switch to orthodox for a long spell and if that was tactical it was utterly stupid so the shoulder injury makes sense.

Having said all that, that fight should never have been for the Euro strap and people really need to hold back on the talk of world title shots for him. Did Ustinov and Brewster land title shots off the back of beating Sprott? Of course not, and they didn't even need a hail mary punch with 2 minutes left whilst way behind on every scorecard!
Darkey brought up David Haye when the fight ended last night...forget Haye, I could name 20 Heavyweights outside the current belt holders that would beat Harrison.

Cheap title shots are one of my biggest gripes with Boxing and if Audley lands one off the back of that(him fighting for the Euro was as cheap as anything I have seen recently)then he would be the least deserving world title challenger for years and years.

Take on and beat Dimitrenko and then look for a top 10 guy. If Harrison can win that, he might have just about enough credibility as a challenger then.

[Exoddus]

This fight just proved how crap Audley is, even though the guy won. David Haye? .

Well done for summing up the strange mentality of british boxing fans in one sentence.

Audley Harrison suffers a serious injury, comes back to one punch kayo a guy who never been laid out and so that means Audley is crap?

British boxing fans will actually make you heave.

Are you the same guy who said Samuel Peter would hammer Vitali in 8 rounds? . Audley looked like a little scared boy every time Sprott came forward. Sprott also wobbled Audley a couple of times with half decent shots. The guy has no chance against any top fighter.

[JamesH]

Just watched the fight again, not sure I have ever rewatched an Audley fight so quickly. He was injured no doubt. At one point about a third through the fight the corner seemed to question whether Audley was ok to continue and he kept repeating 'yeh im ok, yeh im ok'. I think he was persuading himself as much as the corner. I actually felt sorry for him when he told the corner he was trying to find the opening, he really was, buts its not easy when one hand makes your attack entirely predictable. I think it was the 7th where Audley threw 10-12 lefts one after the other, leaving a gap inbetween each one to wind the left back again rather than following up with a right. He had clean shots open with the right, and even Aud would have taken the opportunities there if he could have. He took some shots, and you could see a) the suprise in his face he was still standing, and b) the desire to keep it going.

Then Sprott catches Aud heavily in the 12th before Audley swung it round with a magnificent shot, when the opening eventually came. To round it off, he probably gave the most likeable, respectful, and realistic(ish) interview he's ever done. What did you prove? "That I wanted to stay in boxing." A perfectly measured response.

Comparing it to Williams injured shoulder performance is for me missing the point, I'd rather compare Audleys show of heart in this fight compared to earlier in his own career. Its apt as he's probably always been his own worst enemy. Im not saying he has a bigger heart than Williams, simply that contrary to popular belief, he has heart. Rocky performance? Perhaps not, but the most exciting twist to a fight so far this year.

I'm no big Audley fan but whatever happens now, Audley can't be the joke he was before. An Olympic gold medalist and pro European Champion. We might have expected more once upon a time, but theres no doubt its a great achievement which should regain him at least a lttle of the respect he has lost over the years. If not, I dont think he would have got respect for whatever he might have done last night.

[dondada]

People who've slagged Audley off can't have it both ways. He showed heart to stay in there and it was a remarkable turnaround.

Plus, great interview too.

[rhino222]

im a medical guy, his shoulder was not nor had it been dislocated. he was happily cradling the european belt after the fight with his right arm, not the actions of a man with a bad shoulder injury, badly injured shoulders, dislocated or not, need support in a sling or hang limply. seems to me like audley was winding up his excuses for when he gets beat. he never has a right hand anyway, all he has is a straight left, so even if it was injured, it would not make much difference to him !!

[dondada]

im a medical guy, his shoulder was not nor had it been dislocated. he was happily cradling the european belt after the fight with his right arm, not the actions of a man with a bad shoulder injury, badly injured shoulders, dislocated or not, need support in a sling or hang limply. seems to me like audley was winding up his excuses for when he gets beat. he never has a right hand anyway, all he has is a straight left, so even if it was injured, it would not make much difference to him !!

I don't think it was dislocated either. Injured somehow? Absolutely.

So...you think he boxed ten rounds orthodox as a ready made excuse for getting beat? Jesus.

I know you love a conspiracy theory but this is simply embarrassing.

[MacTavish]

Well done Audley - gotta love the A-FORCE!!!!!

[rhino222]

im a medical guy, his shoulder was not nor had it been dislocated. he was happily cradling the european belt after the fight with his right arm, not the actions of a man with a bad shoulder injury, badly injured shoulders, dislocated or not, need support in a sling or hang limply. seems to me like audley was winding up his excuses for when he gets beat. he never has a right hand anyway, all he has is a straight left, so even if it was injured, it would not make much difference to him !!

I don't think it was dislocated either. Injured somehow? Absolutely.

So...you think he boxed ten rounds orthodox as a ready made excuse for getting beat? Jesus.

I know you love a conspiracy theory but this is simply embarrassing.

yes it may have been injured, but not badly. so why did the corner say there was nothing wrong??? ...