From what I gather he just really wanted it to all come easy. He didn´t really want to have to fight hard fights to get to the top. He got to much money and too much of a celebrity status straight after the olympics and was just like a cat who got to lick too much cream and stopped wanting to hunt.
like lots of Amateurs they turn pro think they can have the same result but it dosnt work that way its a different game
When Harrison signed Herbie as part of his AForce promotions, he signed him so he could get an inside look at Herbie before agreeing to fight him in an actual bout. I remember when Audley had an unfortunate pectoral injury early in his career and he called off a fight set for Olympia in Liverpool , he put Hide on the show instead again a russian called Oseakin or something like that .. Later Audley did fight in Liverpool but the Hide fight never materialised and Hide went to Hennessey.......... and unfortunately lost to a couple of B- fighters.. Chinganghu.. ko'd after being hit late after the bell.. (Chinganghu should have been DQ'd) and against a large Asian looking heavyweight , who clashed heads with a leading Hide and cut his eye horribly putting Hide out for a long time.. Harrison v Hide was destined to never happen.. The one night Audley did look great and all together was sadly against Sprott, he was well balanced and had snap, but unfortunately got clipped .. I honestly think Harrison may come again and show us some of what we havent seen yet, he doesn't seem to be ready to quit just yet , he is defiant and has something to prove.. mirageboxing.blogspot.com
Audley was more of a businessman than a fighter to begin with, he did a good job of making a lot of money, but he could've made a lot more had he moved his career in the typical Lonsdale direction, Audey hasn't even won the European HW title, and he was expected to be a World Champion by some.
Once Harrison started getting rocked by tomato cans, it was pretty clear he didn't have the whiskers to take on top level fighters. And he knew it to. Also, according to some reports I've heard, he was getting laid out cold in sparring, and not just once either. With all that, it was no wonder he "fought scared" as soon as he started to face fighters above the TC level. He had to - to protect that glass jaw. But, as the Sprott fight showed, he couldn't protect it forever. Glass WILL eventually be shattered.
You know what is so frustrating about this whole situation, is that Audley could wake up tomorrow and decide "I am going to beat Vitali Klitschko" and have the skills to do it. But he has never adjusted to the pro style.