Boxing promoter Frank Warren must be furious. The ‘show’ put on for the viewing public, not to mention the paying fans inside London’s ExCel stadium, on Saturday 10th December 2005 was a devilish demonstration of exactly how low heavyweight boxing has sunk. Apparently, for the first time in years, terrestrial television was showing a boxing match in prime time. Mostly, one is suspicious, thanks to the efforts of Frank Warren and others of his ilk. Based on that viewing, it will again be a long time before British boxing fans will want to stick around Saturday night to watch the big fight.
The pre-game buildup between Harrison and Williams was good enough to have graced a gathering between nations preparing for war. The expectation of a war, played out under the rules of the Marquess of Queensbury, hung in the air as the two fighters made their way to the ring with great fanfare. The style that normally accompanies world title fights, not the much-depreciated Commonwealth crown. Much had been said about which Danny Williams would show up for the fight, the one who punched Mike Tyson mightily (albeit a beaten shadow of his former self), or the one who lost so weakly on points to Michael Sprott over a year earlier. . As he walked into the ring he seemed determined and focused, a warrior ready for battle. Audley Harrison, as is his habit, strutted into the ring rap star style, surrounded by his keepers.
The first round started slowly, with both fighters barely throwing a punch, measuring each other. Maybe, if you count Audley’s pathetically weak jab, there were half a dozen punches thrown during the three minutes. Nothing to worry about there: heavyweight boxing has rarely seen an explosive first round since the glory days of Mike Tyson. The power of the two men in the ring normally dictates a cautious opening, not wanting to overcommit and get caught.
So in the second round, where perhaps a slight increase in pace was expected. Danny Williams, who had a shorter range and much more intense inside wrestling game, was expected to go after Audley’s long-range jab, aggressively pushing him back. Expert opinion suggested that Audley would have too much boxing ability to be pinned on the ropes by an aggressive Danny Williams. So it was in expectation that the crowd waited for the end of the fake war, counting the blows. Unfortunately, by the end of the second round, one hand had enough fingers to keep track. Danny Williams, following his man around the ring, was far from the aggressive and powerful boxer we’d been led to believe he could be, but he still stole the round from the lifeless Harrison. In the third, Harrison finally put together a couple of combinations. But that was it for the round. All square, going to the second quarter of the twelve scheduled rounds.
Surely now, in the fourth, we would see an increase in pace and work rate from both men as the fight opened up. It wasn’t, the ‘fight’, such as it was, had already settled into a pattern, Audley occasionally throwing a jab that wouldn’t have bothered my grandmother while Williams followed him around the ring, looking for that one punch that would. win the day Williams’ style has always been a bit awkward to watch, but there’s no mistaking the punching power of him. He is by no means a dancer in the ring and he is much more straightforward. His solid chin is perhaps his best weapon for standing in front of an opponent and fighting hand to hand until his powerful right hand does the intended damage or covers and takes the punishment.
The question marks over Audley’s chin before the fight had yet to be called into question, as the fight progressed through the same pattern in the fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth rounds. Chants of ‘What a bunch of crap’ from the paying spectators at ringside summed up the performances and were noticeable when former world champion Naseem Hammed left his expensive seat alongside Frank Warren mid-fight. After seeing the explosive power of Olympic silver medalist Amir Khan stopping his man in two rounds, this was a terrifying sight. Two huge men walking around the ring, neither willing to commit, to put together any sort of sustained attack was not what these boxing fans had paid to see.
A minute into the tenth and it finally seemed that the message had reached the center of the ring when Danny Williams, starting the round aggressively, put together a combination that ended with a blow to Audley’s ear that sent him to the canvas. . Audley’s chin hadn’t been examined, but a half-hooked blow around the ear was enough to send him down. When he was hit, Harrison looked like a rabbit caught in headlights. And for the next thirty seconds, Williams had a golden opportunity to finish him off. Maybe he’ll even finish his professional career. As if he didn’t believe his luck, Williams simply retreated again, releasing Harrison and allowing him the better part of two minutes to wander around the ring to recover. Just when it finally looked like the fight had come to life, Williams didn’t do his job.
At the beginning of the eleventh, the fatigue of the two men was noticeable, all that walking must have been exhausting. At long last, it looked like Danny Williams was ready to take that risk and attack Harrison for real, but a couple of good counterpunchings that rocked the Brixton man soon saw him retreat back into his shell and both men saw the round holding. one over the other. The final round was the best of the fight for Williams, perhaps feeling that if he won the round he could pinch the fight on points.
The final verdict from the judges at ringside was a split points victory for Williams. No one could have any complaint about it. Williams had been much more aggressive than Harrison, building up to about three punches a round, and it looked as if Williams had won if the fight continued. Harrison offered nothing other than weaker shots and a willingness to stay away from his opponent. Perhaps now Audley Harrison will desist from the stream of exaggeration that keeps pouring out of his often neurologically detached mouth.
In short, this fight, if the term ‘fight’ can be used, was about as interesting as watching paint dry. Neither fighter seemed to have the will to win, just the desperation not to lose. The heavyweight division is star-strewn right now and Audley Harrison, despite claims that he would prove he was the real deal, did nothing to step up and take it on. A missed opportunity. Williams, on the other hand, is perhaps at the end of his career and has gone as far as he can go. The search for a British heavyweight world champion worthy of the substantial paydays he attracts will continue in vain. None of the men on display here fit the bill.