Does Audley harrison get enough credit for the British boxing boom

He probably doesn't get enough credit.
He did have a impact, in and for the sport, at both amateur and professional level.
But most remember him with the 'Fr ' before his name.
Shame I suppose but judging him solely on his ability as a fighter in the pro ranks u can see why people remember him as they do.

 

Audley was a great talker and self promoter. He could convince anyone he was going to go out there and be aggressive and get a knock out.

He was also able the only boxer in recent history able to convince the soy boys and nonces of the BBC to invest in boxing again. Even if that investment ended with him.

 

Decent boxer who never learned how to fight. I think he was too old turning pro. Sensible enough to be very gunshy.

 

i Always hated fighters like Harrison: all the physical Gifts......but not the character/toughness. add an unlikeable personality to the mix …...and of Course People are gonna hate you. audley has only himself to blame.

 

That's cause he is a soyboy and nonce. BBC always look out for their own

 

Really, he was 28 in 2000 and had mastered the new amateur scoring system.

Lennox Lewis was becoming huge at the top of the sport at the time, and Naz was still around.

I don't think anyone was looking on with admiration at an overweight, hideously haired Audley literally struggling with bouncers and cab drivers live on BBC.

Interestingly, a young David D Haye seemed to look up to him.

 

His greed and poor opponents killed boxing on terrestrial tv thats fraudleys legacy

 

Fraudley was entertaining, I'll give him that. Seeing that glass jaw shattered repeatedly was priceless!

 

Top 3 wins for Audley?

1. Michael Sprott- Winning the European title
2. Danny Williams- A post Vitali Klitschko Danny so not prime, but still a decent win.
3. Martin Rogan- Beating him in the rematch in prizefighter, after he lost the first fight

After that it is a real struggle

 

I thought it was the BBC that was promoting him when they began throwing millions at him to show his fights on TV before they wised up?

 

Pretty sure he did promote himself but wasn’t sure if anyone else had already done this? Maybe not in Britain but elsewhere? If he was the first then it’s pretty groundbreaking.

 

Lennox Lewis promoted himself in conjunction with Panos Eliades, ( Pannix Promotions ). Similarly, Harrison was in partnership with Jess Harding.

 

A lot of the guys that have come through the GB Amateur set up, Trainers and Fighters, acknowledge Harrison's contribution in winning Gold and unlocking the big money the sport now benefits from.
As a Pro, Audley really didn't make the transition from the Amateurs. Not a bad career but all his hot air did him few favours.

 

He promoted himself but the BBC televised his first ten fights for the cost of £1 million. Undercards were shown on delay on Saturday afternoons on Grandstand and were promoted mainly by Mick.

Boxing did decent numbers on the BBC with them showing the first Lewis/Rahman fight. A combination of Harrison being at best sub par and Sky being prepared to pay much higher rights fees (stupid money for the time) than the BBC put paid to boxing on the channel.

 

Olympic gold, British champion and European champion..... not too shabby is it.

That said it was because of him that the BBC pulled out of showing boxing and there was the dismal performance against Haye.