By Dan Horlock

And so the saga continues…Audley Harrison, 34, will meet Matt Skelton for the Heavyweight Commonwealth Title on December 9 at London’s ExCel Arena.

One year on from his shambolic points defeat against Danny Williams, Audley Harrison returns to London, his home city, to face Williams’ conqueror, Matt Skelton, and reacquaint himself with the British public after his yearlong sabbatical in the United States.

Although it’s not been quite the holiday you might imagine, as since being beaten by Williams last December, Harrison has managed to add another defeat (this time to little known American Dominick Guinn) to his record while also scoring a 3-round knockout over ‘one more’ journeyman, which wasn’t even televised.

His self-induced isolation is a major bone of contention for most British fight fans and for that reason Harrison can expect to be treated as the foreign fighter when he enters the ExCel Arena later this year, having taken the decision to relocate to Las Vegas in early 2005.

And while Harrison has solved his immediate dilemma by landing this fight, resurfacing on the Boxing radar again, he still has a long way to go in order to convince a very sceptical British public.

For starters, there is still a lot of confusion as to why exactly Harrison is in the United States at this stage of his career. He claims, “Being in the US, I can focus on boxing,” adding, “All I'm doing now is focussing on boxing and doing myself justice ”.

However, a quick look at his website reveals the real truth, as his biographer writes, “Harrison was always planning to move to America, (although) the politics of boxing in Britain forced Harrison to move away earlier than expected.”

Those ‘politics’ presumably centre around Harrison’s ludicrous decision on the 31st of May 2003, to pose in front of a baying Bethnall Green crowd and conduct a ringside survey, in the style of a ‘Punch and Judy show’, as to who his next opponent should be.

The result of his actions nearly caused a full-scale riot at York Hall after Herbie Hide took offence to the crowd siding with Frank Bruno.

Harrison was duly fined for his part in the affair and his relationship with both his pay masters, the BBC, and the governing body the BBBC, gradually disintegrated – the deciding factors in his decision to leave Britain for good.

Let there be no doubt though, Harrison’s move to the U.S. was a lifestyle choice because as a career move it for 1. Made no sense at all and 2. Has been absolutely disastrous for Harrison, cutting off the arm that fed him – in the process alienating the only audience that has ever really been interested in him.

Harrison’s claims that “the opportunities in America as well as the US television exposure are far greater than in Britain” are largely irrelevant to a fighter of his stature. In the U.S he remains a nobody, a man who won Olympic Gold six years ago and has still to beat a boxer of any note in his professional career.

Rarely do American audiences take to foreign sportsmen of any kind let alone in the traditionally ‘American’ Heavyweight Division – a reason why Lennox Lewis was never paid his dues by American commentators.

So did Harrison really believe that as an unproven professional fighter he could seriously win over the American public with his defensive, European, southpaw stance? …His actions certainly suggested that he did.

In an interview on the American Sports Network ESPN in September 2003, only 3 months after the Bethnall Green incident, and Harrison had reinvented himself again. Promoting an image similar to the one we saw before our eyes in London last week.

Articulate, witty and clearly on a charm offensive, Harrison was the epitome of the stereotypical British gentleman, thanking the network for their time. It was all a far cry from the situation that he had left behind in Britain – where he misguidedly believed that he could control the media and their perception of him. 

Right now though, Harrison’s reasoning for leaving Britain looks even more ridiculous when you consider he went to the United States to become the next big thing.

Returning to London last Tuesday for the pre-fight press conference, Harrison arrived a virtually forgotten man – although his glaring blue suit will live long in the memory whatever the result in December.

Once the BBC’s Golden Boy, earning himself a 1 million pound contract for his first 10 fights into the bargain, his fall in popularity has been nearly as dramatic as the collapse of his career – similar, in many ways, to one of those reality television stars who doesn’t know that their time in the spotlight is up.

In the press conference Harrison, as good as admitted, that his lifestyle and dedication had never been right before, saying, “I've been to every premier and every event there can be, I've travelled round the world, I've done that celebrity thing. People are still phoning me to go on this or that TV programme. But now I've got a different mentality."

And so with this new mentality the question is, can Harrison finally make good on his promises? He guarantees fireworks on December 9 but how often have we heard, waited and expected for him to deliver the goods – well, six years. A more appropriate question then maybe, does Harrison have the ability to take it to the next level?

According to his new coach, Buddy McGirt, who replaced another American, Thell Torrence, he most certainly does. “The sky’s the limit. It’s all up to him (Harrison). He’s just gotta keep that right attitude, not get too cocky and just work hard and stay busy.”

As one of the most respected up and coming coaches in the United States, Buddy McGirt’s words carry some clout, after all this is a man who has already worked with Mike Tyson, Antonio Tarver and Arturo Gatti. And he believes in the new Harrison, “Whatever happens, good or bad, I think he’s changed his attitude.” 

Harrison, too, has spoken of his recent transformation and the problems that have plagued him since turning professional, “You can't get up in the morning when you've got your silk pyjamas on. But I'm back, I'm hungry, I'm awake now. I think what was going on out of the ring was affecting me.”

But for all the bravado that Audley Harrison brings with him maybe the most poignant statement in the preview to this fight has come from his opponent, the understated champion, Matt Skelton, "Obviously I'm confident I'll win the fight. It wasn't a fight I had to take."

And indeed it wasn’t, Harrison is no longer calling the shots and playing second fiddle to a 39-year-old, former kick boxer who has only been fighting for 4 years was definitely not part of his grand plans when he set out on his mission to conquer the world six years ago.

The future of the heavyweight division certainly does not ride on this fight but Harrison’s future does. Should Skelton prevail the media will wait for Audley’s excuses before they bury him for good.

As Harrison said though, “ A win over Matt Skelton and a win over another creditable guy and I'm back”.  Nothing like positive thinking…