Audley Harrison - The Biggest Waste of Talent in Boxing History?

Is Audley 'A Force' Harrison the biggest waste of talent in the history of boxing? If he's not the biggest waste then he is certainly one of them.

Here we have a superb heavyweight specimen - weighing over 17 stone and standing 6 feet 4 inches tall, Audley has a frame that is able to cope with the giant heavyweights of the current era, such as the Klitschko brothers and 'Beast from the East' Nikolai Valuev.

Returning from the 2000 Sydney Olympics with a Gold Medal (Britain's first in 32 long years) Harrison was hailed a hero. Not only had he won the gold but he had won 'THE' gold - in the super heavyweight division, Boxing's marquee division. It seemed that Britain had a heavyweight ready to move into Lennox Lewis' mantle of Heavyweight king.

Soon after, the downfall began. Signing a GBP 1million contract with the BBC, Harrison was able to pick his own opponents. Prudently he took some easy fights (why earn a million pounds the hard way if you can make it easier for yourself?) but because he still insisted on headlining the cards he featured on, the public quickly grew frustrated and vented their frustrations, often booing this Olympic Champion.

So in the space of 12 short months Audley had gone from a national hero to a pantomime villain. Although maybe pantomime is an inaccurate description because pantomime is harmless and fun - some insiders in the boxing game really did begin to detest Audley and his approach to his career.

Though that hate may have subsided marginally over time, there were huge cheers when Danny Williams handed Harrison his first defeat in another woeful fight. Finally, Audley had got his comeuppance and the British public loved every minute of it.

Unlike most of the British public I hated this result. Here we had a potential superstar who had been totally wasted. Remember, Harrison was not just an average heavyweight who happened to strike Gold in Sydney; this man had immense talent. Although lacking one punch knockout power, he made up for that with a ramrod of a jab, fantastic fighting on the inside for a big man, good body shots and a classy left uppercut. How had it all gone wrong? Only Audley can answer that.

Fast forward three years to last Saturday night and yet again I found myself watching Audley with monumental frustration. His opponent, Prizefighter Champion Martin Rogan, is a strong handful but Harrison had the ability to beat this man clearly over ten rounds.

At times, when Harrison upped his work rate such as in round 2, he took the round clearly. But for most of the fight he fought lazily, barely throwing any punches and letting Rogan lead off. I found myself watching this and wanting to run into the ring and take the position of Audley's coach myself! I was so incredibly frustrated.

If I had been allowed to do go in Audley's corner (and I don't know why security or Audley didn't want me to!) I would have slapped Audley round the face and started screaming at him. 'Start throwing the Jab! Just keep popping that jab out and Rogan can't set himself. Then as he gets frustrated and lunges in you can land a left uppercut-right hook and get out of there'! It's really was that simple. A decent work rate with constant, solid jabbing would have seen Audley win this fight by 8 or 9 rounds.

Instead, he lost agonisingly by a single point. He lost to a 10 bout novice. A man who didn't take up boxing until he was 29 (Rogan) had beaten an Olympic Champion. Yes, you did read that sentence right. What a waste.

But what annoys me more than watching that? Seeing Audley in the post fight interview appear almost satisfied with him performance. 'I know I didn't win but it was close'....'I hurt him a couple of times in there'...

No, no, no, no, no! That is not good enough. In truth and in the cold light of day, Harrison should have been disappointed to lose a round to Rogan, who whilst determined, is limited ability wise.

So Audley, please hire me as you're coach. I am possibly one of the only people in the boxing world who still believes you have what it takes to succeed at World Title level.

It's nothing short of a crime that Audley has failed to prosper; remember that he is competing against the poorest crop of heavyweight's in boxing history. As said before, Audley does not lack talent, so it can only be mental/confidence issues that are his problem - if so get this man to a sports psychologist, get him there quickly and don't let him leave until he believes in himself!

So many will be glad to see the back of Audley if this is the end but I for one will not be. Audley can beat Rogan, Williams and all at British Title level with consummate ease - if he applies himself. Audley can force his way into World Title reckoning if he applies himself. The problem in all of this is Audley's unpredictability....there's always an IF!



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