By Don Caputo

For Britain, the Sydney 2000 Olympics – five years ago this summer – was special.

If I were to go to a busy town centre in London, politely pull aside ten random passing by and ask them each individually to tell me what made the games of that year so memorable, my confident guess would be that at the very least nine out of the ten would answer identically without hesitation. How could anyone forget? It was magical, breathtaking, an event that dripped with historic significance and had millions screaming at their TV sets from the edges of their seats.

British rower Sir Steve Redgrave, carving his name into the annals of sporting brilliance, emphatically won his fifth consecutive Gold Medal to become, statistically, the greatest ever Olympian. As a spectacle it was unforgettable just as it was extraordinary. Although I felt privileged to have witnessed such an outstanding feat and still do, I have to admit that watching Sir Steve power his way past the finish line and into the realm of immortality was not my prominent Olympic highlight.

Maybe it should have been, but my brightest and best memory of those two weeks was actually the fairytale crowning of Audley ‘A-Force’ Harrison. The big man with the cheeky grin and crazy hair flew in under the radar and topped the boxing podium on behalf of Britain for the first time in thirty-two years, entirely unexpected. He created a frenzy and it was not long before the nation had embraced the charismatic, 6’6 bruiser and taken him into their hearts. He returned home with the glow of an Olympic hero and for a short while, seemed a certainty to emulate the success of Britain’s greatest Heavyweight Champion, Lennox Lewis.

Five years is a long time: 60 months, 240 weeks, roughly 1800 days. That is how long it has been since Harrison, now 17-0 as a pro, punched his way to an Olympic Gold Medal and into our collective consciousness. Fame was instant, fortune soon followed. The initial wave of popularity that Harrison was riding seemed to have no limits – premiers, TV shows, guest appearances – overnight he had become one of the most recognizable and loved faces in Britain. But, as we know, what goes up inevitably must come down.

Harrison’s star fizzled out before it really had a chance to shine. The spot light that he was placed under was so bright that cracks began to surface almost immediately, and it was not long before he disintegrated completely under the scorching heat of public expectation. With every fight his stock plummeted a little bit more, yes he was winning but not impressively enough to satisfy his skeptics. Over time the media began referring to him as ‘Fraudley’ and ‘A-Farce,’ believers became non-believers and in no time at all, the country had turned its back on him. Harrison's fall from grace was shockingly swift.

Harsh? Undoubtedly, but the criticism that Harrison has and continues to be subjected to has been described by many as self-inflicted.  Whilst I do not give as much credence to that accusation as some, I recognize that he did make some markedly poor decisions that contributed quite heavily to his dwindling popularity. To say though that he brought all of his misfortunes on himself is, I believe, exceptionally unfair. One must also take into account the external hindrances that were responsible for a rather slow beginning to his career. Injuries have undoubtedly been the biggest thorn in his side.

At 33, Harrison himself knows that he is no spring chicken. Long spells of inactivity in what should be the most active years of his career must be an incessant frustration; especially when his legion of critics and doubters do their level best to kick him while he is down. Indeed, the media and fans have not been kind to the talented Edmonton southpaw. His overall hunger for the sport has even been called into question in recent years; common thought is that Harrison possibly lacks the fundamental desire necessary to reach the heights that he once seemed destined to scale. It is an opinion shared amongst a high percentage of British boxing scribes. The opinion was perhaps reaffirmed by the fighters’ almost Houdini-like vanishing act in the wake of the BBC’s decision to cut their ties with him. A hand injury was cited as the reason for Harrison’s lengthy absence from the ring, during which time the Briton has relocated his base of operations to Las Vegas.

“The wait is over for me and my fans,” said the unbeaten Harrison. “On June 9 people will realize I am ready to begin the next phase of my career that will end up with the heavyweight championship of the world.”

His comeback opponent, Robert Davis (31-6 19 KO’s), is known to carry power in both hands and, having gone the distance with some of the top names in the division (including Michael Moorer and Monte Barrett), will surely represent a tough challenge for the relatively untested Harrison. Although Davis has been blown out in the past, most notably by Joe Mesi in one round a couple of years ago, I expect him to last until the fifth round next Thursday, since Harrison is not an explosive puncher. Davis will be outmatched though, and Harrison will march on.

“I feel in great shape, my fitness is excellent and my hand is fully healed,” said Harrison. “I have always said 2005 would be the year I go for it and coming back on national television in the United States is a testament to the seriousness of what I plan to do.”

The bout is scheduled for ten rounds and will be televised on FSN’s hit show “Best Damn Sports Show Period” beginning at 8pm ET / and 8pm PT (delay).