BoxRec

HARRISON READY FOR GUZMAN TEST

Tuesday 10th January 2006


WBO featherweight champion Scott Harrison is confident he will pass his toughest test yet when he takes on Joan Guzman at the Braehead Arena on March 25.
The Scot takes on the former super-bantamweight belt holder in his 12th world title contest and is undergoing his toughest training regime yet as he takes another step towards a big-money unification fight.

"It will be a cracking fight for all the fans to see," he said. "But I can't see it going 12 rounds.

"There's two big punchers in there fighting so I can't see it going the distance to be honest. I haven't been hurt in any of my other fights so he definitely won't knock me out.

"He's an undefeated super-bantamweight champion so it's going to be a dangerous fight, but once you're up at world level every fight is dangerous.

"However, I'm going to train for 11 weeks this time instead of eight because I know how important the fight is. This is one of the biggest fights of my life."

In fact, the fight promises to be so close that manager Frank Maloney did everything he could to talk Harrison out of it, with the Scot so close breaking new ground in the United States.

"I spent over two hours with Scott and Peter Harrison (the champion's father and trainer) trying to talk him out of this fight and take an easier route.

"I believe it's my job as manager to make my fighter's life as easy as possible but Scott said `There's no way I'm going to walk down the streets of Glasgow and be called a coward for ducking anyone. I'm taking this fight and I'm winning it by a knock-out.'

"When you've got a man like that you've got to be 100% behind him.

"We often try to hype fights but I don't think you need to hype this one because these are two real fighters.

"I'm convinced that this fight will go down as the fight of 2006.

"Whatever matches are made after this, they won't live up to this one. I know I will be sitting at the ringside biting my nails until my man wins the fight."


I like the fact Harrison wants to take these type of fights against the best opposition, but i do doubt if Harrison can win this, especially when he has struggled against opposition like polo and medina. Dont get me wrong neither of these fighters were necessarily weak opposition but this Guzman is undefeated and really can bang.

If Harrison comes thru this tough test then he really does deserve to get respect as a serious fighter, and other top fighters will have to start taking him seriously.

Its an interesting match up!

BIG respect goes to Harrison! Taking the fight, even though his manager tried to talk him out of it. Harrison will fight anyone, not saying he will beat all of them, but he genuinely wants to fight the best!

After this fight, I'll be glad to see him move-up in weight - how he makes 126lbs is beyond me. He trains like an animal, but even then he looks massive!

What's the odds on him being late for the weigh-in?

Rocky Balboa wrote: I haven't been hurt in any of my other fights

Bollocks. Hussein had him holding on, and i'm sure Medina hurt him aswell.

So his promoter is sayig really that he is going to get beat, i think he will. I think he will get stopped, i just aint convinced about Harrison, im not saying he isnt good or nothing just IMO

I think Guzman will knock him out within 4 rounds.

That's a pretty bold statement KO Atrist, not disagreeing just saying i respect your prediction I am not at all sure myself of the outcome as i have not seen Guzman fight but i say fair play to Harrison for taking the fight, if Maloney had anything to do with it he would have been in with another Samuel Kebede.

vargas wrote:

Rocky Balboa wrote: I haven't been hurt in any of my other fights

Bollocks. Hussein had him holding on, and i'm sure Medina hurt him aswell.

Estrada hurt him with body shops, and Polo had him reeling too.

Sorry to be the lone voice of dissent here, but I can't see how any bloke who if he didn't train would still weigh about nine stone can possibly dent Harrison. Guzman just ain't big enough or good enough to do it, I think, and I personally think Maloney knows this and is whipping up some reverse psychology so after Scott overwhelms an exhausted Guzman in about eight he can go "Wow, what a huge and surprising win!"

Don't get me wrong, I can envisage someone Guzman's size boxing Harrison's head off because the kiddie is as predictable as a Sun headline but in which fight has Guzman shown the mobility, poise and ability to adapt and counter under pressure that Medina or Polo (natural featherweights, too) showed?

Don't mean to be facetious lads, but I think we're being sold one here, to a certain extent...

I mean, it might be incipient paranoia, but I can just smell something about this: how many fornicating superbantamweights has Harrison fought anyway? Wayne Mac, Kebede, Abelyan, Hussein, Brodie...? Every time he gets in with a proper sized world class feather, he struggles. I just think this is par for the course, and I hope Harrison has to fight someone at superfeather who walks around as a fornicating supermiddleweight...

I doubt very much he weighs nine stone when not making weight, very few fighters these days weight that close to their fighting weight, and as he has weighed as high as 150 come fight night before it's not at all likely.

The American pundits seem to rate Guzman very highly indeed, and Doug Fischer at maxboxing thinks its the best fight than can be made in the division right now.

Personally I think Guzman v Chi and Harrison v Chi are equally as good.

Its easy to be cynical, but I think this is a terrific matchup. Lest we forget, people were saying Manny Pacquaio wasnt going to make a dent on Barrera, and Pacman started down at super flyweight.

Indeed James.

I still feel a little dodge about this one though.

However I do cede to Mr Fischer's opinion, as he's probably seen Guzman more than I (just two fights).

I totally see what you're saying about Pacquiao RE the Barrera fight, but in that instance I thought at the time that Pac would hit hard enough to hurt MAB, whereas I guess I haven't seen enough of Guzman versus decent not-shot opposition to convince that he can dent Harrison.

We shall see...

Yes Pacquaio was a more proven hitter, but wasn't really given a cat in hell's chance by those supposedly in the know. I thought Barrera would own him.

This is why I really want to see a rematch of these two, to see if it was a one off.

I wish they were showing Morales v Pacman...really fucks me off

I respect the fact that Harrison is taking this fight, and is willing to fight the best, and I do genuinely believe that, but at the same time, I think just about all of you know about how lowly I regard this Harrison guy. I've never thought of him as any more than a slow, plodding robot with a little bit of heart and a punch. Anybody with good boxing skills will him trouble. A crusty old Manuel Medina beat him, and gave him some difficulty in the rematch, Victor Polo beat him but didn't get the nod, William Abelyan looked like he could have embarrased him, but has one of the worst chins i've seen in a while, Walter Estrada gave him problems and how about a shot Michael Brodie?

So while I respect what Harrison is trying to do, I certainly do not respect him as a fighter, nor as a person. I believe Guzman is going to stop Scotty within 8 or 9 rounds. I pray he gives Harrison the embarrasing of a lifetime.