British Scene Weekend Recap: Harrison wins Prizefighter Heavyweight III

Matt Chudley recaps this past Friday night's Prizefighter Heavyweights III show.

By clinically dispatching the Prizefighter field, once prized commodity Audley Harrison not only gained £32,000, but appears to have put himself in line for yet another opportunity to make a dent on the heavyweight division.

The victory could not have come at a better time for Harrison, as it appeared the Sydney Gold Medalist was out of chances after losing to Martin Rogan and being let go by Frank Warren last December.

Let’s get right to the action…

Round 1 – Scott Gammer vs Coleman Barrett

The first bout of the night saw former British champion Scott Gammer taking on inexperienced and undersized Irishman Coleman Barrett. A former bronze medalist in the junior world amatuer championships almost a decade ago, Barrett displayed his speed and quick hands early, peppering the bigger man and quickly moving in and out of the pocket.

Looking for the big shots, Gammer was outworked early as Barrett kept moving while Gammer plodded. Setting his feet and looking to land heavier shots, Gammer found more success in the 2nd with accurate left hooks, using his size and strength to pressure the younger man.

The underdog Coleman was back on his toes in the third and despite a late push from Gammer in the closing seconds, did enough to get the nod on the judges scorecards with a 29-28 verdict on all three cards.

Round 1- Danny Williams vs Carl Baker

The second bout pitted former world title challenger and one of the most popular fighters in the UK, Danny Williams against unheralded southpaw Carl Baker.

Showing little regard for the early threat of the 287lber, Williams seemed happy to engage the heavy handed brawler. That proved a mistake, as a powerful right hand from Baker in the opening exchange caught Williams high on the side of the head and sent him down to the canvas. Williams rose on unsteady legs to beat the count but was down again soon after by a partially blocked right hand and absorbed further punishment while covering up on the ropes.

Still not fully recovered Williams was back on the canvas early in the second from what appeared to be another right cross but fortunately for him it was mistakenly called as a slip. Despite the further trouble, Williams started to find his way back into the contest in the round, and knowing he needed a knockout, came out firing in the final frame.

He went straight after the fleshy torso of the Sheffield man, before rocking him with a right hand that left Baker reeling around the ring and seemingly on the verge of being stopped. With the crowd on their feet Baker tried to hold as best he could and Williams managed to smother much of his work, leaving the 27 year old to see out the 3rd and take a huge upset victory on the cards.

The shocking loss deprived the 5,000 strong crowd at the Excel center the chance of seeing the anticipated rematch between Williams and Harrison, but once again proved that anything can happen in the Prizefighter format.

Round 1… Audley Harrison vs Scott Belshaw

With his bitter rival now gone, Harrison launched his campaign against Scott Belshaw. With Harrison starting cautiously, it was Belshaw who appeared to be taking the first round with greater activity. That was until Harrison caught Belshaw coming in with a straight left to the chin. The big man from Northen Ireland dropped after a delayed reaction.

Harrison was happy to sit back in the second too, but later in the round once again found Belshaw flush with a short left after Belshaw charged in behind a wide looping right. The sound of the bell was not enough to save Belshaw as referee Dave Paris waved off the fight.

Round 1… Danny Hughes vs Neil Perkins

The final opening round match-up saw two unheralded novices and former sparring partners in Danny Hughes and Neil Perkins fighting for the right to face Harrison in the Semi-finals.

After a lively and aggressive start, Hughes stepped forward, putting all his weight into a huge right cross that caught the smaller Perkins flush on the chin. Perkins struggled mightily to get up, and did manage to get to his feet but the bout was wisely stopped. It was all over in less than a minute.

Semi-Final…Coleman Barrett vs Carl Baker

In match-up of upset winners, the lightest and heaviest fighters squared off in the first semi as Coleman Barrett took on Carl Baker.

Having come through the war with Williams, Baker again started well, arguably taking the first round with an accurate jab that landed whenever he threw it. However it became apparent in the second that Barrett had been pacing himself early, and was much the busier of the two fighters the rest of the way. He intelligently moved in and out of range, catching Baker with quick hands and rocking him the third with a two fisted attack to take the fight by 29-28 scores on all 3 judges cards.

Semi-Final… Audley Harrison vs Danny Hughes

Employing a different strategy this time, Harrison took the centre of the ring and looked to push Hughes back, believing that he would be much less effective on the back foot. Though enforcing his ring generalship, Harrison was decidedly negative, not committing with anything until midway through the second when Hughes started to try and press the fight. After taking a couple of solid lefts in the second, Hughes was put down in the 3rd from Harrison’s accurate counters and forced to hold on. The scores were 30-26, 29-27, 29-28 in favor of Harrison.

Final… Audley Harrison vs Coleman Barrett

With clear similarities between the tournament format and the amatuer game, it was probably no surprise that the two most decorated amatuers in the field found themselves in the final.

The bout got off to a nasty start as Barrett deliberately headbutted Harrison on the blind side of referee Dave Paris. Had the man in charge seen the infraction, it would have almost certainly meant a deduction on the cards.

Instead it may have served to rattle the always anxious Harrison, who found himself thoroughly out boxed by the Irishman in the first 3 minutes. Barrett moved in and out quickly throughout the opening frame, hitting a confused Harrison at will.

After continuing to look panicked and out of ideas in the second, Harrison suddenly came to life, finding success with his powerful left. After a good 30 second stretch where the big man landed some sharp blows, he connected with a hard left hand that caught Barrett flush on the chin as the Irishman was backing away.

A lifeless Barrett fell backwards on the ropes and down to the canvas, with his corner quickly on their way into the ring. Barrett managed to get to his feet, but Paris had seen enough and the 37 year old Harrison was the winner.

Following the trophy presentation the self-managed fighter who is now based in California stated that he had formed an alliance with the events promoter Barry Hearn and will be looking towards British and European titles once more.

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British Scene: Prizefighter Heavyweights III Preview

Matt Chudley previews tomorrow night's Prizefighter Heavyweight tournament.

Tomorrow night at the Excel Arena, Sky Sports presents the 3rd Heavyweight installment and 7th overall addition of Barry Hearn's Prizefighter series. With the highest bounty to date on offer, Hearn has managed to entice some of the biggest names in the domestic heavyweight scene to tomorrow night’s tournament – though the withdrawal of former British and Commonwealth champion Michael Sprott has left the field's overall star power somewhat diminished.

The early demand for tickets caused the one night tournament to be moved from the pokey confines of the York Hall to the 5,000 seat Excel Arena which also saw the two previous encounters between the two men expected to meet in the final, Danny Williams and Audley Harrison.

Williams and Harrison's first fight at the venue drew 8 million viewers on ITV with Harrison heading into the bout unbeaten in the pros after clinching a gold medal at the 2000 Olympics, and Williams not long removed from memorable victory over Mike Tyson and a world title challenge against Vitali Klitschko. Though the circumstances might be very different this time around, the rivalry remains as hotly contested as ever with Williams risking his British crown to follow Harrison into the 8 man elimination tournament.

Opening the show and tipped as the third favourite, former British Champion Scott Gammer (18-4-1) comes in on the back of four defeats in his last five fights. In 2006, Gammer became the first Welshman to claim the Lonsdale belt in 22 years but was soon relieved of the title by an in shape and motivated Danny Williams.

He then went on to lose fights to John McDermott and unbeaten European prospects Francesco Pianeta and Robert Helenius. Still only 32 and having once shown promise, Gammer could potentially cause Williams problems over the 3 round distance in the semis as he held his own early in their previous fight.

Going up against Gammer in the quarters is undersized Irishman Coleman Barrett, who sports an unspectacular 8-0 record with 2 stoppage wins. The 6'1 southpaw was essentially a cruiserweight through his first 6 fights before taking an almost four year hiatus from the sport and returning as a heavyweight. While there’s little on his pro ledger to signal himself as a threat for the £32,000 prize, Barrett did capture 5 Irish amatuer titles and a bronze at the junior world amateur championships so may be suited to the three round format.

With the presence of Danny Williams, the tournament can boast having a reigning British Champion in the field for the first time – certainly a sign of the event’s increasing appeal among fighters in the British Isles. Williams may have lost his last three fights in the eyes of many but a stoppage defeat to Albert Sosnowski sandwiched between controversial majority and split decision wins over John McDermott have done little to discourage the 36 year old from choosing to continue his career. As ever it’s almost impossible to predict how the mercurial Williams will perform on the night, but should he show up in shape and keen to boost his bank balance, he must be considered the favourite.

Looking to upset the Williams apple cart is the equally unpredictable and bloated Carl Baker (8-3). The 6'4 southpaw from Sheffield, who often tips the scales at over 300lbs has managed to avenge two of his three defeats with the other being to fellow entrant Scott Gammer and has acquired the meaningless 'British Masters' title in the process. Spurred on by the dismissive words of Mike Tyson who said that he had no chance when the former World Champ conducted the draw, Baker is eager to prove a point.

Once again talking of world titles, Audley Harrison gets a last chance to make a mark on the professional boxing ranks after a career of unfulfilled potential and wasted talent. A 6'4 Southpaw with an Olympic Gold Medal and a large contract from the BBC, Harrison seemed set for big things but a series of lackluster performances against weak opposition caused many observers to label him as 'Fraudly' even before he went on to lose to the likes of Danny Williams and Dominick Guinn.

With all the necessary physical advantages but none of the intestinal fortitude, Harrison was given second and third chances after signing with Frank Warren but was then dumped by the promoter after dropping a ten round decision to Martin Rogan. At 37, Harrison could find himself in a fight for the vacant British title by clinching the tournament and could possibly have one last throw of the dice with three wins on the night.

Facing Harrison in the first round of the competition is Northern Ireland's Scott Belshaw. The 6'7 puncher was overmatched last time out against Tyson Fury and while his technique is horrendous, he does possess the kind of size and power that have terrified the Londoner before. Labeled as the Irish George Foreman early in his pro career by promoter Frank Maloney, Belshaw is there to be hit and should Audley show any kind of desire his passage to the next round should be assured.

Yet to face an opponent with a winning record is Sunderland’s Danny Hughes. The fleshy 6-0-1 fighter was set to face Michael Sprott, but with the former British and Commonwealth champion pulling out of the event following the death of his sister, Hughes will now take on Neil Perkins in a battle of unheralded and inexperienced fighters.

Like his opponent, the 4-0 Perkins is yet to post a victory over a fighter with a winning record and the victor is likely to be a massive underdog at the semi final stages. A former ABA finalist and only 4 fights into his pro career, Perkins may benefit from being stuck in his amateur ways with the 3 round distances. Read more!