http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7K_1mjty_I
British heavyweight boxer Audley Harrison’s pro career came to a brutal end in Liverpool, England on Oct. 13 as 6-foot-8 David Price demolished the former 2000 Olympic gold medalist in a mere 82 seconds.
Harrison was considered a shot fighter before the bout, so it’s certain that nobody will pay money to see him fight again. Price successfully defended his Commonwealth and British titles with the first-round demolition job.
Harrison’s career was for all intents and purposes over when he took on fellow Britain David Haye in November of 2010 in what could very well have been the worst bout in heavyweight boxing history. Harrison managed to throw a pathetic three punches in that bout and Haye finished him off easily in the third round.
Harrison’s performance was so bad the British Boxing Board of control (BBOC) withheld his purse until investigating the bout for any illegal betting activity. It was eventually deemed that yes, Harrison was that bad all on his own, and he was finally paid.
He then managed to beat Ali Adams by a fourth-round stoppage in May of this year and this led Harrison to believe that he was still a decent heavyweight and might have a chance against Price. However, Adams failed a drug test after the bout and was subsequently handed a two-year suspension.
Harrison convinced boxing fans and the media that he might indeed have one more good fight left in him, but that line of thinking was quickly blown out of the water by Price. Harrison failed to land a punch and there doesn’t seem to be any logical reason for the 40-year-old southpaw to continue his mediocre career.
Price nailed Harrison to the head with a powerful right hand in the first half minute of the fight and it visibly shook the challenger up. Price followed it up with another good right and Harrison was caught on the ropes.
All it took was one more sledgehammer of a right to Harrison’s head to prompt referee Howard Foster to jump in and call off the fight. Harrison was later taken to hospital for a suspected concussion and broken nose.
After the fight, Price said he didn’t expect to end it so early as he figured he’d eventually chop the 6-foot-6 Harrison down to size after a few rounds, not in just one. Price is scheduled to defend his belts again on Dec. 8 against Matt Skelton.
The champion feels that Skelton (28-6, 23 KOS) is a better professional boxer than Harrison and will pose a tougher test. Skelton fought for the WBA heavy weight belt against Ruslan Chagaev in Germany back in 2008 and lost a unanimous decision by scores of 117-110, 117-111, and 117-111.
However, the boxing public might feel that Price is actually taking a step backward with a bout against Skelton as he’s 45 years old, five years older than Harrison. With the win, the undefeated 29-year-old Price saw his record rise to 14-0 with 12 KOs. Harrison drops to 28-6 with 21 KOs.
