By Stevie Ocallaghan: Tonight at the Motorpoint Arena, Sheffield , UK unbeaten US heavyweight Deontay Wilder steps up the level of competition he has faced in taking on 2 time Prizefighter winner in Audley Harrison.
This fight throws up some comparisons between another fight recently between Liverpool’s David Price and American Tony Thompson. Both Harrison and Thompson are 41 years old and both, I suppose you could say are fights that were made to give the young gun a little more trouble than they’ve had yet but not to much trouble.
Thompson and Harrison have both fought for the world title but the key thing for me is it really was and is the last chance saloon for these guys, and that makes a fighter more dangerous. The one thing a fighter doesn’t lose is his punch, but by contrast as you get older your punch resistance gets less.
We know Audley has had more dawns than a hot Caribbean summer but you’ve got to hand it to him as he’s talked and to an extent punched his way back into everybody’s mind and that is why, if he beats Wilder tonight he could find himself with a top 10 ranking.
Wilder won’t take Audley lightly. The two guys have sparred before and each knows what the other will bring to the ring. They also have a lot of respect for each other but they both want to get the win, at any cost.
Deontay is in a similar position that David Price was in as he has plenty of time on his side, even if he has a setback. What we know is that he can be hurt. We seen in the Harold Sconiers fight and in his amateur days that he can be put down, exactly like Price, the difference is Price couldn’t get back up.
Deontay and Audley can really punch and it will be a matter of who connects first. It will also be about how each fighter starts. If its the same Wilder who started tentatively against Kelvin Price we could be in for a shock, but also if we get the Harrison who let the bright lights get to him when he fought David Haye And David Price, it will Be an early night.
I don’t see this going like the Price v Thompson fight. I think it will go into the late rounds and a possible stoppage for Wilder. The rounds will do him the world of good, but I see Wilder’s hand raised at the end
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