audley's comeback? anybody care?

[Kilburn]

To be honest I think their strategy was very ill conceived and there was a lack of understanding of which fights to show.

I agree. The Beeb showed themselves to be completely and utterly bloody clueless about Audley. I think they genuinely believed they had another Lennox Lewis on their hands.

[Chambers]

The BBC's decision to pay Audley £1m for his first 10 fights shows their lack of knowledge of the sport, if they had seen any prospects first 10 fights they would have realised the type of opponent he would be fighting and the type of fights they were going to get (I bet Audley couldn't believe his ears when they offered him that).

I still maintain that Audleys standard of opponent has been very good on the whole in comparison to other prospects.

[BubiScholz]

when Harrison will be 38 he still will be a prospect or talent..

i love this A-Farce

[jameswilson]

Harrison is the biggest Farce actually at Heavy and has raped the words "talent" and "prospect" it is the first time in my life that i heard of a 30 year old talent or prospect. and he was the most overhyped boxer on this forum, definetely.

First time you have heard of a 30 year old prospect and yet you will probably bum Valuev into death row.

Valuev is the most overhyped on these boards. Seriously can you read Bub, look at this thread Im the only fan of Audley right now so how is he being hyped at all. Valuev on the other hand is loved by the East Europeans, Germans and the Americans who are looking for a great white hope (whihc is a lot unfortunately.) And for Valuevs next fight he is fighting a guy who is ranked (I think) about 2 places above Bonin in the EBU raings, a guy who basically said he was retiring after being stopped by Jeremy Williams, and people pat him on the back so hard for this that he now has a hunchback.

James, maybe now you and J are the only fans here on boxrec. But I can remember some threads where a lot of you brit guys hyped him to hell about half a year ago and everybody fucked me when I was saying that Sam, Krasniqi and Valuev will di a better job. and they did. watch the fornicating rankings. where is Harison and where are these 3 guys. i just wanted some realism nothing more. i wouldn´t say that Valuev is hyped on boxrec, maybe in some russian mass media. in germany are e.g. Krasniqi or Sam more popular. and on boxrec? everybody wanted to kill me when i just named Krasniqi or Sam. But i was right and you and almost all british dudes here are wrong. they laughed about them guys. but, again, watch the rankings!!!!!!!

Dont panic Im watching the rankings. Everybody who has made yawn posts on here is doing the fashionable thing sticking the boot in while they know that Audley aint gonna be fighting for another month or 2. You say you are right but at the end of the day Audley hasnt retired and therefore still passes the first test of being able to get a WT (proper one.) Krasniqui, Samm (who I think is your best chance of a WT) and Valuev still havent won a WT, so in my mind havent accomplished anything you have been saying with your 'Samm KO1 Brewster/Ruiz etc etc' posts.

When they win the WT then you will be the correct one. 8)

[jamesmcdonnell]

To be honest I think their strategy was very ill conceived and there was a lack of understanding of which fights to show.

I agree. The Beeb showed themselves to be completely and utterly bloody clueless about Audley. I think they genuinely believed they had another Lennox Lewis on their hands.

Even if they had, who in christ's name would have wanted to watch Lewis' first 10 fights, or Tyson's for that matter. The first 10 fights are guaranteed to be dull as dishwater one sided drubbings.

[BubiScholz]

First time you have heard of a 30 year old prospect and yet you will probably bum Valuev into death row.

Valuev is the most overhyped on these boards. Seriously can you read Bub, look at this thread Im the only fan of Audley right now so how is he being hyped at all. Valuev on the other hand is loved by the East Europeans, Germans and the Americans who are looking for a great white hope (whihc is a lot unfortunately.) And for Valuevs next fight he is fighting a guy who is ranked (I think) about 2 places above Bonin in the EBU raings, a guy who basically said he was retiring after being stopped by Jeremy Williams, and people pat him on the back so hard for this that he now has a hunchback.

James, maybe now you and J are the only fans here on boxrec. But I can remember some threads where a lot of you brit guys hyped him to hell about half a year ago and everybody fucked me when I was saying that Sam, Krasniqi and Valuev will di a better job. and they did. watch the fornicating rankings. where is Harison and where are these 3 guys. i just wanted some realism nothing more. i wouldn´t say that Valuev is hyped on boxrec, maybe in some russian mass media. in germany are e.g. Krasniqi or Sam more popular. and on boxrec? everybody wanted to kill me when i just named Krasniqi or Sam. But i was right and you and almost all british dudes here are wrong. they laughed about them guys. but, again, watch the rankings!!!!!!!

Dont panic Im watching the rankings. Everybody who has made yawn posts on here is doing the fashionable thing sticking the boot in while they know that Audley aint gonna be fighting for another month or 2. You say you are right but at the end of the day Audley hasnt retired and therefore still passes the first test of being able to get a WT (proper one.) Krasniqui, Samm (who I think is your best chance of a WT) and Valuev still havent won a WT, so in my mind havent accomplished anything you have been saying with your 'Samm KO1 Brewster/Ruiz etc etc' posts.

When they win the WT then you will be the correct one. 8)

i hope this will be in 2005.

but Harrison isn´t ranked in all the 4 big organisations. so i think it is fair to say that he hasn´t reached anything till now, especially in 2004. and the other 3 europeans did much more and are not far away from a title fight this year. Luan is actually the 2nd best european resumed in all 4 rankings!

[silkov]

One of Audelys big drawbacks is that he is a boxer in style and rather conservative... so he doesn't really excite in the way that Bruno did early on in his career. To be fair to Bruno I think he fought a better standered of opposition on his way up than Audley has... at least Bruno fought some recogniseable faces who had mixed with contenders and even been contenders. Much of the blame must go to those on the BBC who seem to have little idea about boxing.... for one thing it is madness to build the whole of your boxing coverage around one man!... if they continue this with Khan I can see it backfiring again..... for one thing it puts too much pressure on one boxer.

[silkov]

James, maybe now you and J are the only fans here on boxrec. But I can remember some threads where a lot of you brit guys hyped him to hell about half a year ago and everybody fucked me when I was saying that Sam, Krasniqi and Valuev will di a better job. and they did. watch the fornicating rankings. where is Harison and where are these 3 guys. i just wanted some realism nothing more. i wouldn´t say that Valuev is hyped on boxrec, maybe in some russian mass media. in germany are e.g. Krasniqi or Sam more popular. and on boxrec? everybody wanted to kill me when i just named Krasniqi or Sam. But i was right and you and almost all british dudes here are wrong. they laughed about them guys. but, again, watch the rankings!!!!!!!

Dont panic Im watching the rankings. Everybody who has made yawn posts on here is doing the fashionable thing sticking the boot in while they know that Audley aint gonna be fighting for another month or 2. You say you are right but at the end of the day Audley hasnt retired and therefore still passes the first test of being able to get a WT (proper one.) Krasniqui, Samm (who I think is your best chance of a WT) and Valuev still havent won a WT, so in my mind havent accomplished anything you have been saying with your 'Samm KO1 Brewster/Ruiz etc etc' posts.

When they win the WT then you will be the correct one. 8)

i hope this will be in 2005.

but Harrison isn´t ranked in all the 4 big organisations. so i think it is fair to say that he hasn´t reached anything till now, especially in 2004. and the other 3 europeans did much more and are not far away from a title fight this year. Luan is actually the 2nd best european resumed in all 4 rankings!

Lets be honest Bubi, those guys aren't going anywhere!..... certainly not if they face any of the top guys..... despite all his faults and setback Harrison is in a higher league talent wise!...

[silkov]

James, maybe now you and J are the only fans here on boxrec. But I can remember some threads where a lot of you brit guys hyped him to hell about half a year ago and everybody fucked me when I was saying that Sam, Krasniqi and Valuev will di a better job. and they did. watch the fornicating rankings. where is Harison and where are these 3 guys. i just wanted some realism nothing more. i wouldn´t say that Valuev is hyped on boxrec, maybe in some russian mass media. in germany are e.g. Krasniqi or Sam more popular. and on boxrec? everybody wanted to kill me when i just named Krasniqi or Sam. But i was right and you and almost all british dudes here are wrong. they laughed about them guys. but, again, watch the rankings!!!!!!!

Dont panic Im watching the rankings. Everybody who has made yawn posts on here is doing the fashionable thing sticking the boot in while they know that Audley aint gonna be fighting for another month or 2. You say you are right but at the end of the day Audley hasnt retired and therefore still passes the first test of being able to get a WT (proper one.) Krasniqui, Samm (who I think is your best chance of a WT) and Valuev still havent won a WT, so in my mind havent accomplished anything you have been saying with your 'Samm KO1 Brewster/Ruiz etc etc' posts.

When they win the WT then you will be the correct one. 8)

i hope this will be in 2005.

but Harrison isn´t ranked in all the 4 big organisations. so i think it is fair to say that he hasn´t reached anything till now, especially in 2004. and the other 3 europeans did much more and are not far away from a title fight this year. Luan is actually the 2nd best european resumed in all 4 rankings!

Lets be honest Bubi, those guys aren't going anywhere!..... certainly not if they face any of the top guys..... despite all his faults and setback Harrison is in a higher league talent wise!...

[BubiScholz]

bullshit, silkov, i bet that Harrrison will never hold a tilte but one of these three europeans will hold one.

Sam was world champion at the amateurs, Luan was 2nd and Euro Champ plus bronze medal winner in Atlanta, without talent????? Harrison only became olympic champion because of Sams retirement.....

[jamesmcdonnell]

One of Audelys big drawbacks is that he is a boxer in style and rather conservative... so he doesn't really excite in the way that Bruno did early on in his career. To be fair to Bruno I think he fought a better standered of opposition on his way up than Audley has... at least Bruno fought some recogniseable faces who had mixed with contenders and even been contenders. Much of the blame must go to those on the BBC who seem to have little idea about boxing.... for one thing it is madness to build the whole of your boxing coverage around one man!... if they continue this with Khan I can see it backfiring again..... for one thing it puts too much pressure on one boxer.

The madness is that when he turns professional, they will have nothing....unless there is another sea change at the BBC, which is always possible.

[silkov]

One of Audelys big drawbacks is that he is a boxer in style and rather conservative... so he doesn't really excite in the way that Bruno did early on in his career. To be fair to Bruno I think he fought a better standered of opposition on his way up than Audley has... at least Bruno fought some recogniseable faces who had mixed with contenders and even been contenders. Much of the blame must go to those on the BBC who seem to have little idea about boxing.... for one thing it is madness to build the whole of your boxing coverage around one man!... if they continue this with Khan I can see it backfiring again..... for one thing it puts too much pressure on one boxer.

The madness is that when he turns professional, they will have nothing....unless there is another sea change at the BBC, which is always possible.

I can see them paying out an Audely like sum to khan to stick with them when he turns pro and then getting frustrated when he isn't champion after 10 fights!..... I hope I'm wrong though... but I think they're already putting too much pressure on Khan....

[silkov]

bullshit, silkov, i bet that Harrrison will never hold a tilte but one of these three europeans will hold one.

Sam was world champion at the amateurs, Luan was 2nd and Euro Champ plus bronze medal winner in Atlanta, without talent????? Harrison only became olympic champion because of Sams retirement.....

Simmer down Blubi! its just my opinion!.. :x :x :x .. known as free speech mate!... 8)

[nickd]

One of Audelys big drawbacks is that he is a boxer in style and rather conservative... so he doesn't really excite in the way that Bruno did early on in his career. To be fair to Bruno I think he fought a better standered of opposition on his way up than Audley has... at least Bruno fought some recogniseable faces who had mixed with contenders and even been contenders. Much of the blame must go to those on the BBC who seem to have little idea about boxing.... for one thing it is madness to build the whole of your boxing coverage around one man!... if they continue this with Khan I can see it backfiring again..... for one thing it puts too much pressure on one boxer.

The madness is that when he turns professional, they will have nothing....unless there is another sea change at the BBC, which is always possible.

I can see them paying out an Audely like sum to khan to stick with them when he turns pro and then getting frustrated when he isn't champion after 10 fights!..... I hope I'm wrong though... but I think they're already putting too much pressure on Khan....

Khan will almost certainly sign with Warren I would think. He's getting the red carpet treatment at every sports network show and now fighting on their bills.

[dondada]

The main reasons Audley was dropped from the BBC were
1) They had got MOTD back for Saturday evening viewing
2) The BBC boxing dept. could not afford the next fights that Audley wanted

I don't why everybody has got it in their head that Boxing was dropped from the BBC because of Audley , does anybody have any evidence to back this ridiculous claim?

Maybe you are more aware of the BBC's policy than I am, though I understand the point about MOTD. I don't think it's fair to say that Audley played a big part in the Beeb not wanting to invest in boxing is a ridiculous claim.

It's only my opinion, BUT...a) didn't they pay him a lot of money? b) didn't they get mainly shite 'entertainment' in return? c) didn't the viewing figures for Audley decline?

I'll admit that Audley wasn't solely responsible for the Beeb sidelining the sport. But if you don't realise the above will have had a seriously negative impact on their decision making, I don't know what else I can say.

As for your later post, I think I've already stated it was the BBC's fault they were daft enough to pay him the money, with the adds ons James outlines.

Chambers, you speak of evidence...do you have any to support your claim that the BBC couldn't afford his next fights? Or is this simply another way of saying they didn't want to pay for the shit they were getting?

[Goz]

Khan will almost certainly sign with Warren I would think. He's getting the red carpet treatment at every sports network show and now fighting on their bills.

Do you reckon Frank serenades Khan outside his bedroom window?

[jamesmcdonnell]

The main reasons Audley was dropped from the BBC were
1) They had got MOTD back for Saturday evening viewing
2) The BBC boxing dept. could not afford the next fights that Audley wanted

I don't why everybody has got it in their head that Boxing was dropped from the BBC because of Audley , does anybody have any evidence to back this ridiculous claim?

Maybe you are more aware of the BBC's policy than I am, though I understand the point about MOTD. I don't think it's fair to say that Audley played a big part in the Beeb not wanting to invest in boxing is a ridiculous claim.

It's only my opinion, BUT...a) didn't they pay him a lot of money? b) didn't they get mainly shite 'entertainment' in return? c) didn't the viewing figures for Audley decline?

I'll admit that Audley wasn't solely responsible for the Beeb sidelining the sport. But if you don't realise the above will have had a seriously negative impact on their decision making, I don't know what else I can say.

As for your later post, I think I've already stated it was the BBC's fault they were daft enough to pay him the money, with the adds ons James outlines.

Chambers, you speak of evidence...do you have any to support your claim that the BBC couldn't afford his next fights? Or is this simply another way of saying they didn't want to pay for the shit they were getting?

I see what you're saying Ian, but to give an analogy, if you dropped 20,000 grand on the floor, whose fault is it if it goes missing, the guy who picks it up, or the guy who was stupid enough to drop it in the first place?

Audley was under no obligation to do anything except fill his pockets and self promote, whereas the BBC were obliged to get best value and put together a pay deal where they had some control over the fights, no network in the world who know their boxing would ever offer a fighter carte blanche to cover their first 10 fights, which are guaranteed to be pretty poor contests. Lennox Lewis certainly didn't get that kind of deal.

I think the BBC fell over themselves to sign audley, seeing it as a big coup and their break into the bigtime of boxing coverage, and in their haste neglected to actually consult the right people about whether it was a good deal or not.

[dondada]

I totally agree with you James, but I think his public self-pity when they fucked him off was ridiculous. If he wanted to keep the money coming in, he should have put on a more entertaining spectacle, which I firmly believe he was capable of.

[jameswilson]

I personally dont think its a coincidence that once Greg Dyke (former Director General of the beeb) resigned all pro boxing went up the duff. It is well known Dyke was and is a big fan of the sport.

[jomothepure]

Don't want to make out I'm Audrey's fan club newsletter or anything, and I'm not saying he's perfect, but one or two things in his defence which have already been mentioned to some extent...

1) Age is a factor. If he had this current 18-0 record with the same pedigree of opponent AND he was, say, 25, he wouldn't have nearly the same level of criticism he gets. It's just a fact that, to live up to his gold medal hype, he has to be a world champ in less than half the time of many others. Given that, maybe he should be more busy, but he has had a couple of injuries.

2) RE. BBC. If you had just turned pro and someone offered you a million if they could stick their camera and john inverdale beside your ring for your first ten fights, would you say no? I couldn't really blame the BBC for signing him. Remember the hype at the time. They must have thought it a shrewd move. Then again, maybe they were a little naive to expect Audrey to be tornadoing through the top 20 in his first ten fights.

Well thats it. I'll go now.

[Chambers]

The main reasons Audley was dropped from the BBC were
1) They had got MOTD back for Saturday evening viewing
2) The BBC boxing dept. could not afford the next fights that Audley wanted

I don't why everybody has got it in their head that Boxing was dropped from the BBC because of Audley , does anybody have any evidence to back this ridiculous claim?

Maybe you are more aware of the BBC's policy than I am, though I understand the point about MOTD. I don't think it's fair to say that Audley played a big part in the Beeb not wanting to invest in boxing is a ridiculous claim.

It's only my opinion, BUT...a) didn't they pay him a lot of money? b) didn't they get mainly shite 'entertainment' in return? c) didn't the viewing figures for Audley decline?

I'll admit that Audley wasn't solely responsible for the Beeb sidelining the sport. But if you don't realise the above will have had a seriously negative impact on their decision making, I don't know what else I can say.

As for your later post, I think I've already stated it was the BBC's fault they were daft enough to pay him the money, with the adds ons James outlines.

Chambers, you speak of evidence...do you have any to support your claim that the BBC couldn't afford his next fights? Or is this simply another way of saying they didn't want to pay for the shit they were getting?

Here is a statement that was released by Audley just after the BBC's decision. The 4th paragraph says that the BBC were not going to broadcast Audleys entire career due to the high financial price that comes with big time boxing, however the seperation did come sooner than expected.

Audley did have a couple of poor performances. He has been heavily criticised for his performance against Francis, yet he done it in far better fashion than Skelton and Greenburg and it's extremely difficult to look good against Julius these days. Audley had a number of problems in the lead up to the Bonin fight, he was admitted to hospital with a stress related disoprder in the week leading upto the fight and the BBC's decision was also announced in the build up to the fight (which epitomises the BBC's lack of consideration and understanding of boxing). Audley still performed well though against an under rated and unbeaten fighter.

Don't get me wrong I don't think Audley is whiter than white, but he gets far too much unwarranted criticism IMO, such as people blaming Boxing demise on the BBC as being predominantly Audleys fault.

"Wednesday 16th June 2004. AUDLEY'S OFFICIAL STATEMENT


As most of you have heard by now, Saturday night will be my last fight on the BBC (10.50pm) and as far as I can see, the end of Big Time boxing on the channel for the foreseeable future. It is with mixed emotions that I reflect on this first part of my career, as it has given me great pleasure to have the opportunity to let you witness all of my fights whether live or on television.

Instead, boxing will be pushed to the later slots of scheduling and as I understand it, the BBC’s fantastic ‘Summer of Sport’ will not include any boxing other than the Olympics and one or two late night highlights of HBO broadcasts. The boxers that remain on the channel will have the next three months to wonder why their promoters can’t get them showcased. This story is far bigger than Audley Harrison. Boxing’s future on the BBC, I believe is at its end.

Before I start explaining everything that has happened over the past week, I first would like to take the time to thank you for your support to date and ask that you continue to follow my career—no matter what direction it takes—as this might be a bump in the road but it is far from a road wreck. There is still no doubt in my mind that I will become the legitimate Heavyweight Champion of the World.

Now, and with regard to my relationship with BBC Sport, I am quite disappointed that the decision has been reached to end this association at this time. It was understood by me and my company, A-Force Promotions, that there would come a time that the deal would be at an end. With the return of the premiership to the network, and in addition to the high financial price that comes with big time boxing, there was an understanding that the BBC would not be prepared to support my entire career but I was lead to believe that they would hang in their with me until March, 2005. That is why it was such a surprise that the termination happened so abruptly and at this time.

On the whole, there have been some positive results from this association and one of them has to do with you—the fans. My association created a revival for British boxing as it returned to primetime terrestrial television ensuring that more fans of the sweet science would be able to see and enjoy it—at NO cost. In addition, I have had the chance to have all my 17 fights, including this one, financially funded while airing on terrestrial television. This has given me the jumpstart I needed to establish the early part of my career. Trust me, it has been a great start and I am still very positive and confident as to where my future is going—forward with freedom.

So stay tuned for next steps and what will happen in the coming months. First and foremost, I desire nothing less than to face Matt Skelton, 100%. But everyone, including allegedly, Skelton’s promoter, needs to know that I will only fight him if its a fair, no-strings attached agreement between all parties. I will not fight Skelton if I have to give up any options or my independence.

With regard to allegedly, I believe the man is obsessed with me. He walks, talks and sleeps Audley Harrison. This has been going on since 1998 when I turned down his offer of £100,000 to sign with him and he has pursued me relentlessly ever since. Before and after every fight I’ve had, he’s continued my campaign, jumping on the bandwagon, taking advantage of associating himself with my name. As far as the relationship between me and Warren, it’s like two men playing chess. I commend Frank because he has played a great game, using Matt Skelton and all his other fighters, as pawns in our game of chess, trying to prevent me from achieving my goals unless he is involved.

Bottom line—allegedly has never given me the respect I deserve as a gold medal winner or as my own promoter. He feels and continues to demonstrate his belief that he will eventually control me and/or force me out of my own game. But I am an independent license promoter and will never receive a paycheck from him or his company--EVER.
So for the greater good of boxing and all the fans who have asked to see this fight happen, I suggest that all parties work together and come to a realistic agreement. That is the only way this fight can happen and I trust that it will. I have already sent a letter to Sky Television ascertaining their willingness to make this deal (see below.) I am prepared to make this fight happen in two possible ways. Either, Sports Network can buy out the promotional rights for this one fight and pay me an agreed upon amount to be paid directly by Sky Sports. Or I am prepared to do a 50-50 co=promotion with Sports Network to stage the fight in September or October 2004.
Allow me to box, win the title and move on in my career, away from the negativity, hijacking and destructiveness that is ruining Britain’s best chance of having a genuine and legitimate Heavyweight Champion. Matt Skelton is to be congratulated for his quick rise to the British title, but boxing requires more elements than toughness to be successful. Against me that will be his undoing. However none of this can happen if this fight is not made.

Trust me, I will find a way to overcome my predicament with the help of trusted and respected individuals, who wish for my success and nothing more. The learning curve at this stage of my career is now complete and I’m desperate to box Matt Skelton and a whole host of other fighters. You the fans deserve it and I will strive and make an almighty effort to make it happen, but I need you the fans to support my right to remain independent. Express yourselves and tell allegedly to stop obstructing the negotiations with false promises and the deal can and will be done.

If my charge to the top has taken longer than expected, I apologise, but please understand why. If my opponents are not the names you’ve been expecting, I apologise, but please understand why. If my fight this Saturday is the last time I’m able to box in Britain, again, I apologise, but please understand why.

So stay tuned and don’t give up on the A-Force. I appreciate your support to date and want you to know how much it has meant to me to have the millions of fans throughout the country support my fights either by watching them on the television or by coming to the arenas to see them live. I urge you to come to Alexandra Palace Saturday night or catch me on the BBC for the last time. Please understand that A-Force Promotions is here for the long run and are more than capable of looking after my career interests.

Love to fans of boxing who wish me well and understand the battle that’s been fought over the last three years, away form public opinion and behind close doors. The whole truth will one day be revealed and the fact that I’m able to still box, win and improve; despite the immense pressure on me and A-Force, will give you some indication of my mentality. I will not quit, no way, no how, but need to lick my wounds and come back stronger, smarter, fitter, focused and whatever else I need to do to achieve my goals and dreams.

Audley Harrison M.B.E. the A-Force
Suite 205 18 Soho Square
London W1D 3QL"