Harding gave him a handling the first time.....from what i can tell. The second time..... What stands out for you regarding either fighter.........before and after ? Andries seems a hardy type......came up the hard way from what i can tell......carried the belt in a paper bag.........not cause he was being cocky either it seems...... Andries lost late the first time and went looking for revenge.......seems refreshing in a way.
Harding had only had 20 odd fights when he got the call up to fight for the title. Harding was limited. But fiercely determined, chiseled out of granite, and wasn't coming home without the belt. This was only installment one of what would be a great trilogy of fights.
They fought 3 times ? I know harding dished it the first time then it seems andries did the 2nd......andries went to hardings back yard after the first fight...... The way i read it........he was hell bent on revenge.......proper pride......****ing with him. Appreciate the reply :good
Harding won the title by stopping Andries in the final round of their first meeting. Andries took the title back a year later by stopping Harding in 7. A further year after that Harding won over the distance resting the title back again. An irony was that the home fighter lost in all 3 bouts.
Actually, Harding was getting the hell kicked out of him before his body attack and Andries' exhaustion took hold, and the champ's legs just gave out in the final round. Andries was well ahead on points in that first fight.
The second fight was a weird performance by Harding. He's shown unholy determination in the first fight, standing up to some withering assaults from Andries. But then during the second fight he was dropped and remained down when it appeared he was aware enough to get to his feet and continue. I'm not faulting Harding for taking his time getting up, I'm just saying that it seemed odd compared to the insane guts he showed in the first fight.
Andries was a hard fighter to figure. He was strong and had a decent punch, but was not overly skilled. What they always described him as was a crude puncher but not hard to hit. But the one thing underrated in him was his jab and physical strength. The Harding fights showed he deserved his titles for the most part. But he was not a Hall of Fame fighter.
All 3 judges had Harding behind, and most who watched the fight felt the same way. This was also reflected in what Harding's trainer Johnny Lewis said in his address at the end of the 11th round - "You are a minute away from the WBC championship". Lewis was obviously intimating he needed a KO to win. Although Andries had hit Harding with everything bar the kitchen sink, Harding wasn't going anywhere, and eventually just wore Andries into the ground. Always worth another watch this one. Here's the final 2 rounds >>> [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6GZpn1nXGs[/ame]
Jeff Harding has endured some seriously hard times since his boxing career came to an end, battling alcoholism and homelessness. But thankfully, last heard his life is back on track.
Good tough trilogy of fights. And like the Zale-Graziano one,the betting underdog won all three times.
Appreciate the response etc.........tryna catch up.....been away. Will scan over the afore.......in time. :thumbsup
love how in the final round of the first fight harding attacked the body when andries was hurt then went up top. with blood streaming down his face to boot, nice.
