One for the Boxing fans!

[david_carnell]

I'm afraid I disagree Otta - Harrison is/was a distinctly limited fighter.

His jab is excellent and essentially this alone won him a gold medal. But the pros is a very different game. He's too cumbersome, too one-dimensional and too scared of getting hit without a crash hat on.

Exposed by equally limited fighters like Sprott and Williams he never had the tools to make it.

I think his decision to go it alone was as much a product of people like Frank Warren recognising this as it was a desire to forge his own path with A-Force Promotions.

[Otta]

Perhaps you're right, but I'm sure I remember Frank Warren wanting him. Was 11 years back though, so not sure. After his first few fights in the U.S. Ring magazine was tipping him to emulate Lennox Lewis, so surely they must've seen something in him.

Still, whether he had genuine potential or not, he's ended up as someone who is sad to watch. Desperate to acheive his goal, and prove everybody wrong, but just unable to accept that he's not good enough. I just hope he doesn't end up taking several more heavy knock outs.

Derrick Chisora has slated him quite a bit, perhaps that could be a good fight... For Harrison, a chance to fight a World Title contender (not that he should've ever had the chance to fight Vlad), and for Chisorra, the chance to prove that he does deserve the big fights.

[taper]

I remember him nailing a Kazakh (?) fighter in the last few second of the quarter or semi or something. He had a bit of power too, although i agree it was his jab that won him the gold. Joe Bugner's the one who got away. Gave Frazier problems, but killing someone seemed to inhibit his killer instinct.

[KidKruger]

Chisora beating Harrison would do Chisora no favours, it certainly would demonstrate he's ready for big fights IMO because Harrison isn't a gateway to anywhere relevant to an ambitious boxer.

He was a great amateur (well, he got Gold at the Olympics), made some cash, I think he ran some sort of motivational training courses and probably has some property and other stuff. He's not really part of the boxing scene going forward though, there's so much more intersting stuff happening.

Back to half-decent fighters.

Kevin Mitchell is fighting John Murray I think around September. I think Mitchell's only loss is to Katsidis and John Murray is tough as oak. It'll be a good 'fight' but Mitchell will take a few too many punches for my taste (he seesm to think that's one of the tools to use, like Froch) and Murray just keeps coming forward. My bet is John Murray gets it.

[david_carnell]

You can't be a Olympic super-heavy weight and not have some power and he obviously possessed some skills to win that gold medal. And another at the 1998 Commonwealth Games too.

But they just didn't translate into the professional arena.

I think Warren ultimately saw him as a cash-cow off the back of the Olympics and a share of the million from the BBC would have been an extra zero on his bank balance. He may also have put Audley up against some sterner opposition earlier on rather than the bum-a-month club he seemed to fight in those first 10 bouts.

[KidKruger]

He had power and KO'd many folks, I mean his KO of Sprott in the last few seconds with his left hook whilst his right arm was (I thnk) disclocated was impressive. That's how Harrison should have fought all the time, not just driven by last-chance saloon. He's certainly done now as far as world-level aspirations go, even given the lack of quality in the division today. Perhaps European again. Hey, it'd be really interesting if he came back in like 5 years (ala Holyfield) and cleaned-up !!

Contest I want to see is Nathan Cleverly v Beibut Shuminov, hopefully it'll happen before Xmas as a unification at Light Heavyweight.

[david_carnell]

Oh he had power....just didn't use it often enough. As if scared to pull the trigger.

I've not seen this Shuminov fight yet but I hear good things. He lost to Campillo for a world title in just his 9th (!) fight and then defeated him in a rematch in his next fight. Has now defended twice a world title including against an ageing William Joppy (can't believe he is still boxing - remember his fight with Howard Eastman about 10 years ago).

That's a rapid rise in anyone's estimation but Cleverly is damn good. And as intelligent in the ring as him name and education suggests.

That light-heavy division looks pretty tight at the moment.

[Otta]

but killing someone seemed to inhibit his killer instinct.

Much like Eubank. Didn't actually kill Watson, but can't have been easy to deal with. Several times after that, he could have finished guys, but just stepped back.

Now the first Eubank / Benn fight. That was a ruck!!!

[taper]

I saw Michael Watson about a month ago, in the Blue Legume Stoke Newington. He's often in there. Still disabled, but seemed better than he did when he completed the marathon.

Seems to have a good quality of life I think. The terrible thing about that fight is it was a great fight; one of the best i've seen.

[Otta]

As was Benn's fight with Gerald Macallum, although I think he's still in a pretty bad way to this day.

[david_carnell]

Cracking documentary, thanks Otta.

This was my favourite of my Dad's boxing vids as I was growing up:

Champions Forever

[Otta]

Cool, that's my evening sorted!

[KidKruger]

One for this evening is Ryan Rhodes v Canelo Alvarez in Mexico.

Rhodes is 34, Alvarez is 20, the youngster is strong and vital, though Rhodes is no old timer, being fast-footed and an unorthodox boxer, pundits are saying Alvarez by KO.

However I fancy Ryan by stoppage mid-late rounds, I admit it's an emotional prediction though !!

[Jeremy]

Hope you didn't put any money on that one...

[KidKruger]

Ha ! I actually forgot, got waylaid in the pub and met a neighbour, rest is history. I happened to wake up around 4.00am though and found a free stream on t'internet and caught the last 5 rounds. Alvarez looked as good against Rhodes as he does against other recent opponents, which I thought he wouldn't be able to do, because of how good Rhodes is. When the fight was stopped in R12 I thought it was a bit soon as Rhodes seemed OK and able to compete, but I hadn't seen the first 6 rounds of punishment that Rhodes had taken (also apparently Rhodes' corner threw the towel in around then too anyway).

Having thought about Alvarez I'd like to see him v Sergio Martinez if he proceeds to Middleweight.

[KidKruger]

Matthew Macklin didn't get the decision on the Middleweight title fight against Felix Sturm at the weekend, maybe because it was in Germany and their decisions can be bent.

Kell Brook did a lovely job on the tricky Lovemore N'Dou, a man that Saul Alvarez could not stop.

However, who's gonna be watching the Haye v Klitschko contest on Saturday at CPT ??

[Jeremy]

I'll be at the CPT. I expect it will get completely rammed!

[david_carnell]

Given we have a Brit fighting a German-based Ukranian, what time will the fight be on for the American audience to watch at a sensible hour?

[Jeremy]

The Valuev fight was at a sensible time... surely for logistical reasons, the fight can't be on very late.

The broadcast starts at 8pm, I would think that 10pm would be a realistic time for the main event.

[KidKruger]

Yeah I saw the Valuev contest at CPT too, it was a reasonable time, the Germans don't do their headline fight late, general it's like 9pm their time, after a few bands, good food and a coupleof warm-up bouts.

I reckon I'll get there 9pm to catch some of the undercard, so see you there Jeremy.

What's the reckoning on the outcome then folks ?

I'm guessing it actually will go the distance with two exhausted fighters, then Kiltschko inevitably gets the decision.

[Otta]

I hope to be there too.

[Jah Lush]

I'll be there too. I'm going for Haye to stop Klitschko around the tenth.

[Otta]

I think (and hope) that if Haye is going to stop him, it'll be inside 5 or 6 rounds.

However, despite Haye saying he's going to throw some big shots at him, I expect to see something more like what he did to Valuev... Will be interesting to see if he could get the decision in Kiltschko's (adopted) backyeard though.

[Jah Lush]

He's gotta stay out of clinches with Klitchko because his strength will tire Haye out so I make you right it could be similar to the Valuev fight as he will need to stay out of reach and come in to land jabs and quick clusters of punches and out again.

[Otta]

Saying that, even with those tactics, he really rocked Valuev in one of the later rounds (possibly the last), so it could be possible that he gets inside, and puts Wlad down. It's interesting that Haye doesn't know what sort of chin Wlad has. He knows he's been down before, but whether that means he's actually "chinny" or not, is a different matter.

Haye does seem to have a hell of a lot of power for a smaller heavyweight though.