BoxRec

Audley`s next fight will be screened on BBC 1 on Wednesday 10th of September a day after the fight takes place, Although the programme is only scheduled for 35 mins. Does this mean Audley is fighting in yet another eight rounder?

No, he won't be doing 10-rounders yet, McCoy. He's an ex-Olympic champion who's been a pro nearly two-and-a-half years, but he won't be doing 10-rounders yet. Talk about regression. You know, the next Olympic Games is only a year away and I can see this scenario happening: the super-heavyweight gold medallist next year turning pro and overtaking Audley within a few fights. Audley really does need to step it up.

Good to see you here McCoy - how was your holiday? Were you wearing your Tom Jones G-String on the beach??

This must be Audley's 1st ESPN fight, so it'll be a Heavyweight Explosion type opponent no doubt, and we might even hear a very loud SPLASH!!

I've stressed this numerous times before...but I have absolutely no problems with Audley's opponents thus far. The only slight niggle I have, is the rapidity in which his career is moving. Injuries or no injuries, it is just not quick enough. Mike Tyson, albeit at a younger age, was eating his way through 2 fights a month on his way up...and it tells. He was sharp, explosive and focussed every time he stepped through the ropes. Audley isn't really any of these, he starts slowly, takes time tow ork his opponents out and thus dissapoints his fans and the scorning vulture like media.

I personally think he's been treated unfairly by the media. Many of whom, couldn't tell the difference between a left jab and a flu jab. Many of whom couldn't name you many heavyweights outside of Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis.
Sure, Audley is Olympic champion...but that is not a bloody invitation to fight Tyson or Lewis on your pro debut. Granted, I think it stinks that he headlines bills with 6 rounders...but still, I don't think his opponents have been bad at all.
Krence, albeit a small HW, is now flying in the pro ranks and looks a good prospect. McCafferty and Negus are real hard nuts who many prospects don't fight till they're in double figures. Ellis is a good little fighter too with a good punch and some good hand and foot speed. These guys are easily top 15-20 HW material in Britain.
Audley has only fought 11 fights, and these kind of opponents are not 'terrible' by an stretch of the imagination.

I almost get a sense that it's become 'hip' to criticise and pour cold water on Audley's career...it's ridiculous really. We moan when 'our' guys lose, and it now seems we moan when they bloody well win too.
Audley has an olympic medal, he's got some great skills and he's a bloody goliath type character who is also great with the camera. With the HW division like it is today, they guy has a real chance to prove his critics wrong. I sure as hell hope he does do it, and so should many other so-called Britons.

Phew!!!

Love him or loave him, he is one of our best heavyweights...
he is being slated everywhere because of his age. If he was 10 younger and fighting the opponents he is now, he would have now problems at all, but being in his 30's, he needs to progress alot quicker. Saying he would be World Champ in 4 years is a big ask for someone making progress the same amount as he is...

I can never see him being an ABC champion...
He should stay on the domestic scene and just fight Williams, Sprott, Akinwande and Hide. Alot of money to be made.

Audley is just another Heavy waiting to be exposed.

get in the ring wrote:I've stressed this numerous times before...but I have absolutely no problems with Audley's opponents thus far. The only slight niggle I have, is the rapidity in which his career is moving. Injuries or no injuries, it is just not quick enough. Mike Tyson, albeit at a younger age, was eating his way through 2 fights a month on his way up...and it tells. He was sharp, explosive and focussed every time he stepped through the ropes. Audley isn't really any of these, he starts slowly, takes time tow ork his opponents out and thus dissapoints his fans and the scorning vulture like media.

I personally think he's been treated unfairly by the media. Many of whom, couldn't tell the difference between a left jab and a flu jab. Many of whom couldn't name you many heavyweights outside of Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis.
Sure, Audley is Olympic champion...but that is not a bloody invitation to fight Tyson or Lewis on your pro debut. Granted, I think it stinks that he headlines bills with 6 rounders...but still, I don't think his opponents have been bad at all.
Krence, albeit a small HW, is now flying in the pro ranks and looks a good prospect. McCafferty and Negus are real hard nuts who many prospects don't fight till they're in double figures. Ellis is a good little fighter too with a good punch and some good hand and foot speed. These guys are easily top 15-20 HW material in Britain.
Audley has only fought 11 fights, and these kind of opponents are not 'terrible' by an stretch of the imagination.

I almost get a sense that it's become 'hip' to criticise and pour cold water on Audley's career...it's ridiculous really. We moan when 'our' guys lose, and it now seems we moan when they bloody well win too.
Audley has an olympic medal, he's got some great skills and he's a bloody goliath type character who is also great with the camera. With the HW division like it is today, they guy has a real chance to prove his critics wrong. I sure as hell hope he does do it, and so should many other so-called Britons.

Phew!!!

Good post. I agree 100%

It is alot easier to criticise somebody than praise them

I been echoing the same points GITR makes for a while now..

Audley is progressing just fine IMO..

He is doing what is reqd...Just.
He hasn't the time to have such lay offs between fights.
He should concentrate on his boxing, building a fan base at home and leave the business to business men.
I personally think he has got what it takes to at least make loads of money and i think that is his goal, belts don't really come into it.

I reckon Audley's progress is somewhere in between the two views that seem to be emerging. One side seem to think he's doing just great whereas the other side seem to hate him with a passion.

I honestly think the naysayers (or most of them) would criticise Audley if he signed to fight Vitali Klischko tomorrow and flattened him, I sense a lot of that one-sided negativity that I see with Lennox Lewis.

However some of what they say is right. Harrison is moving too slowly, not fighting often enough e.t.c, if he was 25 you might give him a break but he isn't.

Audley really is entering a crucial stage of his career now, I've supported him all the way but if I don't see a solid step-up in the next 6 months then I would guess my support will begin to wain too. I'm talking about a top 30/40 opponent or one of the top 5 British Heavys, Sprott, Holden, Francis that kind of level.

Julius Francis is an opponent I would particularly like to see him in with. When Julius has fought at the elite level he is blown away with consumate ease, hell even Danny Williams blew him away at the 2nd time of asking. Francis would be really fired up for Audley too. I would like to see this fight happen early next year, I think because Francis made something of a name for himself when he 'fought' Tyson it would be a sellable fight to the public.

I don't believe I've slated Audley's comp too much so far (although the Colin Wilson idea was just plain awful), but it feels like the moment he reached the point where he had to step up and start taking risks he got on his bike and left town. I'm very disappointed and I'm not interested in anything Harrison has to say until he's back on these shores earning his shot at the Lonsdale belt.

Goz wrote: However some of what they say is right. Harrison is moving too slowly, not fighting often enough e.t.c, if he was 25 you might give him a break but he isn't.

If you compare the combined records of Audleys first 11 opponents you will find it is better than that of virtually any other Heavyweights

Including his fight on Sept 9th he will have fought 9 times in less than 17 months and that is not including the fight he had postponed in OZ....he is hardly inactive

Can any of you Audley sickophants like Mr Kilburn, Chiefster, Gosnold and Sugar man tell me when our Olympic champion will face either Sprott, Hide or Williams?

Does he have to face them? does Audley need to prove himself domestically in order to ultimately land a world title shot in your opinion?

Scraup wrote:Can any of you Audley sickophants like Mr Kilburn, Chiefster, Gosnold and Sugar man tell me when our Olympic champion will face either Sprott, Hide or Williams?

Does he have to face them? does Audley need to prove himself domestically in order to ultimately land a world title shot in your opinion?

I actually refer to some of those fighters (well Sprott) in my first most on the thread. I would say he must take on one of them OR someone of an equivalent level in the next 6 months.

Scraup wrote:Can any of you Audley sickophants like Mr Kilburn, Chiefster, Gosnold and Sugar man tell me when our Olympic champion will face either Sprott, Hide or Williams?

Does he have to face them? does Audley need to prove himself domestically in order to ultimately land a world title shot in your opinion?

Scraupmeister..

I'm not sure that Audley will be facing any of the above for some time yet.. The man is working to his own agenda and although it would satisfy UK boxing fans to see him in the domestic mix, I don't think he needs those fights to further his career towards a world title shot..

Sure, he would boost his profile over here by taking on the likes of Hide, Williams and Sprott, but it's on the other side of the pond that he really needs to be getting noticed if he's serious about a world title fight.. He's taking steps towards this with his ESPN2 deal.. IMO he is better off leaving the circus of the UK scene behind him for the time being..

helo chief missin me allready

i think audley will miss the british scence alltogether and fight in america only and he will try will to go an easy route to the world title,

Big_Dave wrote:

Goz wrote: However some of what they say is right. Harrison is moving too slowly, not fighting often enough e.t.c, if he was 25 you might give him a break but he isn't.

If you compare the combined records of Audleys first 11 opponents you will find it is better than that of virtually any other Heavyweights

Including his fight on Sept 9th he will have fought 9 times in less than 17 months and that is not including the fight he had postponed in OZ....he is hardly inactive

Big_Dave, you made a similar argument in an earlier thread on this forum - I quote from my reply (note that the opponents' combined win-loss record I stated was based on Colin Wilson at the time being the announced 12th opponent for Harrison):

Eric the Viking wrote:

Big_Dave wrote:If you compare Audleys 11th and 12th opponents with the 11th and 12th opponents of the current top 10 HW (on this sites rankings), you'll find that Audleys are at least on par if not better than most, and his first 12 opponents are better than any of them.

Lewis' first 12 opponents were a combined 185-121; Harrison's will have been 189-56. On paper, Audley's comp looks better ... but only on paper. Lewis' 12th opponent was Ossie Ocasio, who beat Jimmy Young (twice), and fought competitively with guys like Mike Dokes, Larry Holmes, Dwight Qawi, Evander Holyfield, Pierre Coetzer, Ray Mercer, Carl De Troof Williams and Tyrell Biggs. That's a whole different level of class there than what Audley has faced.

Also, Lewis was 24 years old at the time of his 12th fight, Harrison is 31(!). Time is not on his side.

And fighting 9 times in 17 months isn't remarkable for a supposedly top-notch heavy at the start of his career - Lewis had his first 12 fights in exactly 24 months, for instance. In the first 24 months of his pro career Mike Tyson went 29-0-0 with 26 KOs, won the WBC title by KO'ing Trevor Berbick, and defended it (and also won the WBA title) by defeating Bonecrusher Smith.

Kinda makes Audley's accomplishments to date seem less than world-beating, doesn't it?

Nobodies early career compares to that of Tysons and it is unfair to criticise Audley because he doesn't match-up to Tyson.

Lewis's overall standard of his first 11 opponent IMO is not that much different to Audleys.

As Audley is 31 he will have less time at the top than most boxers, but judging by the current age of the top Heavies I can't see why Audley shouldn't be able to box for at least another 5 years.

Big_Dave wrote:Nobodies early career compares to that of Tysons and it is unfair to criticise Audley because he doesn't match-up to Tyson.

Lewis's overall standard of his first 11 opponent IMO is not that much different to Audleys.

Fine, so we shouldn't compare him to Tyson, but part of my point was that the young Lewis was at least as active, and was seriously stepping up his level of competition at the same point in his career. I've seen nothing but side-steps and even steps backward of late from Harrison. I'd be OK with that if he weren't shooting off his mouth so much - early on he made noise about winning the British HW title in something like his 3rd fight - hell, he hasn't even fought any of the top BRITISH fighters by this, his twelfth fight! And now he's coming to America so he can fight a brand-new batch of stiffs, instead of taking care of business back home.

As Audley is 31 he will have less time at the top than most boxers, but judging by the current age of the top Heavies I can't see why Audley shouldn't be able to box for at least another 5 years.

None of the current top guys were still fighting such lowly opposition (and nothing but) at age 31.

Agreed, most of the top Heavies were fighting a better standard of opponent when they were 31 years old, but not many (if any) were fighting people such as Ratko Draskovic and Matthew Ellis in their 10th and 11th fights. He is still learning the professional game, so you can't expect him to be fighting the same level of opponent as a 30 fight HW just because he is older. As I said in my previous post Audley is not going to have as long at the top as other HW's, but he is still going to have approx. another 5 years which is plenty of time to do some damage in the HW ranks.

I am not saying Audley is the second coming or anything like that and I don't expect his career to compare with the likes of Lewis or Tyson, but I think he gets lots of unjustified critscism.

The comments about winning the British title in 3 fights were not the greatest, but I find it strange that you don't like a boxer for 'shouting his mouth off' when the majority of boxers do this.

Big_Dave wrote:The comments about winning the British title in 3 fights were not the greatest, but I find it strange that you don't like a boxer for 'shouting his mouth off' when the majority of boxers do this.

OK, so if you've gone 30-0 with 28 KOs (a la Klitschko), even if most were a bunch of stiffs, then talk big, fine. But this was at the very beginning of Audley's pro career, for chrissake. And a dozen fights into said career, Audley still hasn't even fought a top Brit, and he's worse than ever.

Ali had a big mouth, but he backed it up in the ring. Even the much-hated Roy Jones did eventually get into the ring with a big top-10 heavy and thoroughly spanked him.

Anyway, I'll hold off of further criticism 'til i get to see him in a couple of fights on our ESPN, and see if he's making any attempt to step up the level of his opposition in the coming year. Over and out.

This Marcus McIntyre is an absolute Joke. He is 24-2, but has only 7 victories over fighters with winning records. There is a video of him on the Klitschko site, he is like the black Don Steele
The fact that he won a SD over countryboy Troy Weida tells enough...

Audley may have fought opponents with good records, but for example Rato Draskovic, despite being 27-3, only has a handful wins over fighters with winning records, and fought really...really no one noteworthy.

Funny detail on the Draskovic fight:
Draskovic was scheduled to fight my countryman Richel Herisia. He chickened out because he saw a common opponent knocked out by Hersisia while he had taken him the distance. 2 months later he fought Audley.

Audleys last 2 performances have been very impressive, he came close to stopping Draskovic, and IMO could have if he had stepped up the pace in the final 2 rounds, but he seemed like he wanted to go the full 8 rounds to prove the stamina critics wrong. Draskovic has never been stopped in 33 fights and he has been in with the likes of Sam and Saleta.

A very quick Matthew Ellis (a top 10 British HW) was dealt with very impressively inside 2 rounds on his last outing with a fantastic uppercut (if I remember correctly).

It seems to be fashionable in England to criticise Audley, but I think the rest of the world will be surprised when they see him fight.

I don't think it has been confirmed yet, but it looks like he is fighting Marcus McIntyre on Sept 9th, I have not seen Marcus fight but his record looks respectable for a 12th opponent, he has only lost 3 times and each time against good opposition Cedric Boswell, Wlad Klitschko and Oliver McCall.

Ratko Draskovic was never stopped because the only decent fighters he fought were Saleta and Sam. Hugely padded record.

As for McIntyre....look past the record man.
Who did he beat? John Basil Jackson 4-54??? He fought that guy three times. 8-36 John Moore, 11-46 Brain B-52 Yates?
At that Klitschko video he looks like a subpar pub bouncer.
Audley should dispose of this guy quickly.

I'm not criticizing Audley, I think he performs pretty well at this stage of his career, for example against Ellis, I'm critizicing his opponents.
I'm happy i can get his fights on the BBC

It seems that Audley gets judged with one yardstick and every other HW gets judges with another. I don't know whether it is because of his age, if it is then it is unfair as he still has to learn the pro game in the same way everybody else has had to do, but if you look at other fighters 12th opponents e.g

Davarryl Williamson Andre Kopilov 8-1-0
Dominick Guinn Todd Diggs 4-3-3
Sinan Samil Sam Henry Kolle Nume 2-13-1
Joe Mesi Brian Sargent 13-9-0
Fres Oquendo Everett Martin 20-28-1
Jameel McCline Marcus Harden 2-0-0
the list goes on and on

I understand that you can't tell everything about an opponent through his record stats, but Marcus McIntyre is not inferior to any of these 12th opponents