Harrison just a stepping stone for Price

By Boxing News - 10/12/2012 - Comments

Image: Harrison just a stepping stone for PriceBy John F. McKenna (McJack): It is doubtful if many boxing insiders give former Olympic gold medalist Audley Harrison (28-5, 21 KO’S) much of a chance to defeat the rising star that is David Price (13-0, 11 KO’s). The current British and Commonwealth heavyweight champion at 6’8” is a fighter who is destined if all goes well to challenge the dominance of heavyweight king Wladimir Klitschko in the next year or two. Price appears to have all the tools to take him to the very pinnacle of success in the heavyweight division.

For that reason those who are guiding Price at this early stage of his career need to tread lightly and carefully before exposing him to a fighter who has a real chance to derail him in his quest for a title shot. In picking Audley Harrison as Price’s next opponent his management team appears to have chosen an opponent who has very little chance of achieving victory when the two clash on Saturday night at the ECHO Arena in Liverpool.

The hype machine surrounding the Price – Harrison fight would have us believe that Harrison is a step up in class for Price and perhaps at some point in his career Audley would indeed have given David a run for his money. But that is no longer the case. Harrison’s performance, or non performance against then WBA heavyweight champion David Haye in November 2010, was widely condemned by boxing observers and fans alike. In fact the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBC) took the unusual step of withholding part of Audley’s purse until an investigation of the circumstances around the fight was held. The BBBC finally released Harrison’s purse in January 2011, but the whole episode left a bad taste in the mouths of British boxing fans.

Many boxing fans believed that after Harrison’s terrible showing against the “Hayemaker” he would be hard pressed to land a fight against a legitimate opponent. The reality is that Harrison has very little left in the tank and at 40 years old should really consider hanging up his gloves before he is seriously injured. It is unfortunate that boxing will always have a place for the Audley Harrison’s of the world. A boxer who has little to offer but his name can always land a fight against an up and coming fighter like David Price.



Comments are closed.