HAYE DESTROYS HARRISON, WELL SORT OF!

In my experience as a boxing fan and historian I’ve never witnessed such a poor excuse for a World heavyweight championship fight, I felt ashamed to call this a fight, it was more of a farce as it happens!

Audley Harrison’s effort or should that be lack of has earned him the number one position of the worst ever title challenger in a World championship fight and I mean any World championship fight, I felt sorry for myself having just paid out 95 for almost nine minutes of a non event, but more so for the high rollers who paid 50 yes that’s right the best part of two thousand pounds for a disgraceful fight if you could call it a fight that is?
Sure there’s been poor displays from some fairly inept challengers through the history of the big men, Puerto Rico’s Joe Roman was brutally outclassed by the fists of George Foreman inside of a round in Japan in 73, Liston it was claimed threw the ‘fight’ against Ali in 65 and so forth but Audley Harrison on this showing has topped that list, to think they call him A Force, surely after this they should rename him A Fraud!

So enough of my rant, let’s read about the so called fight, shall we….?
Coming into the ring to a chorus of boo’s I mean Audley came in decked in a red t shirt about saving some adventure playground, Haye the champion was given a better welcome.
Haye outweighed by just over three stones {43lbs} looked much the smaller man despite being just two inches the shorter, as the paying public anticipated the outcome and that Harrison always had the proverbial punchers chance, sure the tangibles were there though David was much the more fancied going into this his second defense of the W.B.A heavyweight title.
Both to begin with did very little though Audley pressured to begin with as he came forward but Haye soon had Audley backing off with the odd attempt of a punch that failed to land and has soon as forty or so seconds had elapsed into the round the knowledgeable few began to boo both combatants, which I felt was a little premature and unfair, Haye to his credit threw a two punch combination to silence the few impatient fans, and a roar went up, but it didn’t last long!
Thing is one minute had elapsed, then yep you guessed it two minutes as neither boxer threw a punch that landed and even when they did throw which was a rarity in itself they missed or fell short has both looked far too cautious and then the bell rang to conclude the worst three minutes in the whole history of the World heavyweight championship in my opinion, I felt disgusted to even call this interesting but hey give the guys a chance, the usual feeling out process is all very well in the opener but you expect to see at least one of two meaningful punches land, sadly neither party wanted to dance!
So to the second but yet again both Audley and David did anything other than spar for a opening and it wasn’t pretty, again unbelievably neither was willing to take the initiative, it was dismal plain and simple and yep you guessed it right again, no body threw a punch and to think people call the Klitskco’s boring is rather unjust when you watch fights like this, at least they do show a little work rate.
If British heavyweights through boxing history have been called the horizontal heavy, then it’s bad enough seeing them just stand there and look at each other, no body was willing to do anything and I mean anything, even the third man Luis Pabon called for more action and to think they billed this one as ‘the best of enemies’ it seemed they were really the best of friends! by now within eighteen seconds of the second stanza the crowd began a slow hand clap…..oh dear!
Then Haye after a minute or so of inactivity finally threw a right hand that had Harrison on the retreat with his hands up, though Haye landed with a cuffing right hand shot that had very little power behind it, before both went into retirement mode again, however Haye did manage to land a decent straight right to Audley’s midsection about several seconds later but again both went to sleep and after almost a minute and a half into the round Ref Pablon called for them to get busy! Haye did in the last thirty or so seconds but landed with half hearted shots has he simply wasn’t setting himself properly, Audley seemed content to just cover up and get on the move……..the crowd booed some more at the bell to end another fruitless session, both were tarnishing the heavyweight championship, a belt that Mssr’s Johnson, Louis, Marciano and Ali had once held with pride, was now becoming something of a joke!
Oh yeah sorry meant to say Audley did actually land a straight southpaw jab to Haye’s handsome countenance in the second, sorry it was so boring it was hard to keep track!
So to the third and Harrison met Haye center ring, Haye cockily had his left hand slightly extended as if he was using it as a measure to Harrison’s chin, Harrison tried the odd punch but couldn’t find the target, after fifty seconds of unequaled boredom Haye finally came too life and threw a combination beginning with a succession of rights that had Audley backing away to the ropes where Haye punctuated it with a two handed body attack, again both looked each other over and then Haye exploded a two punch combination with a solid right that landed to Harrison’s chin before getting out of harms way, literally seconds later a series of right hands caught the bigger Harrison on the ropes that sent him spinning around, before Haye launched a series of right hands that found the target starting with a big right to the body before bringing the attack to Audley’s head has he cowered on the ropes and seemed to be here to make up the numbers, a series of straight rights pierced Harrison’s high guard before Haye unleashed right uppercuts and started to catch Harrison around the side of the head with more rights that had Audley dazed, a final combination sent Harrison over for the count as he fell forwards and rolled onto his back, Audley was almost a pathetic sight as he got too all fours and made it to his feet at the count of eight, the referee Pablon put Audley’s gum shield back in as though he was prolonging Audley’s agony, Haye like a tiger patiently waited in the corner and wasn’t to let victory out of his sights as he went in for the finish rushing across the ring trapping Audley and not allowing him off the ropes and with both hands flailing, a left hook and a few right hooks had Harrison wobbling again but the third man Pablon had seen enough and saved Audley the embarrassment of a second visit to the canvas in as many seconds as he rightfully waved it off, Audley still erect but badly wobbled stopped at 1:52 of the third.
Haye did the job but seemed too cautious in my opinion and it was beginning to stink out the joint, in the post fight interview David spoke of the brothers but on this performance Haye should really reconsider such a task, beating Audley Harrison’s one thing but in against either brother would be a far tougher proposition, as Harrison spoke of possibly giving it another go!
THIS WASN’T BOXING, THIS WAS BORING!

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