Audley Harrison facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Audley Harrison MBE
Harrison in 2004
Statistics
Real name	Audley Hugh Harrison
Nickname(s)	A-Force
Rated at	Heavyweight
Height	6 ft 5+1/2 in
Reach	86 in
Nationality	British
Born	(1971-10-26) 26 October 1971 (age 53) Park Royal, London, England
Stance	Southpaw
Boxing record
Total fights	38
Wins	31
Wins by KO	23
Losses	7
Medal record Men's amateur boxing Olympic Games Representing  Great Britain Gold 2000 Sydney Super-heavyweight Commonwealth Games Representing  England Gold 1998 Kuala Lumpur Super-heavyweight

Audley Hugh Harrison, MBE (born 26 October 1971) is a British former professional boxer. He competed from 2001 to 2013. As an amateur boxer, he represented Great Britain. He won a gold medal at the 2000 Olympics in the super-heavyweight division. This made him the first British boxer to win Olympic gold in that category.

Harrison became a professional boxer the next year. He signed a contract with BBC Sport. He had seventeen fights on the network. Later, the BBC stopped showing boxing. In his professional career, he fought for important titles. These included the WBA, British, and Commonwealth heavyweight titles.

In 2009, Harrison won the Prizefighter tournament. He won it again in 2013, becoming the first boxer to win it twice. He also became the European heavyweight champion in 2010. He achieved this by beating Michael Sprott in a rematch.

Early Life and Education

When he was younger, Harrison faced some challenges. After a difficult period, he decided to change his life. He focused on boxing and getting an education. He earned degrees in sports science and leisure management. He studied at Brunel University of London.

Amateur Boxing Career

Harrison trained at the Repton Amateur Boxing Club in Bethnal Green, London. In 1997, he became the British super heavyweight champion. He beat Nick Kendall in the final. He won the title again in 1998, defeating Dean Redmond.

He won a gold medal at the 1998 Commonwealth Games. He beat Michael Macquae from Mauritius in the final. In 2000, he won gold at the Sydney Olympics. He defeated Mukhtarkhan Dildabekov of Kazakhstan on points. After his Olympic win, Harrison received an MBE award.

Key Amateur Achievements

• 1998: Competed at the European Super Heavyweight Championships in Minsk, Belarus. He lost to Serguei Lyakhovich (Belarus).
• 1998: Won the Commonwealth Games Super Heavyweight Gold Medal.
  • Defeated Fai Falamoe (New Zealand) on points.
  • Defeated Jim Whitehead (Australia) by KO in round 3.
  • Defeated Michael Macquae (Mauritius) by KO in round 1.
• 1999: Competed at the World Championships in Houston, United States.
  • Defeated Lazizbek Zokirov (Uzbekistan) on points.
  • Lost to Sinan Samil Sam (Turkey) on points.
• 2000: Won the Super Heavyweight Gold Medal at the Olympics in Sydney, Australia.
  • Defeated Alexei Lezin (Russia) by TKO in round 4.
  • Defeated Alexey Mazikin (Ukraine) on points.
  • Defeated Paolo Vidoz (Italy) on points.
  • Defeated Mukhtarkhan Dildabekov (Kazakhstan) on points.

Professional Boxing Career

In 2001, Harrison released his autobiography called Realising the Dream. He also started his own company, A Force Promotions. This company helped manage his boxing career. He made deals with sponsors and became the first British boxer to sign a direct TV broadcast deal.

He signed a £1 million deal with the BBC. This deal was to show his first ten professional fights. His first fight was against Michael Middleton from the US. Harrison knocked him out in the first round. Six million people watched at home. He was out for a few months due to an injury. By the end of 2001, he beat Derek McCafferty on points.

Harrison kept winning his fights. He made his US debut in November 2002. He knocked out Shawn Robinson in the first round. In February 2003, he beat Rob Calloway in four rounds. He also outpointed Ratko Draskovic over eight rounds. Harrison then knocked out Matt Ellis in two rounds.

Moving to America

After some issues in the UK, Harrison moved to the USA. He remained unbeaten in 11 fights there, with 8 knockouts. In 2003, he had three more fights in America. He beat Lisandro Diaz (KO4), Quinn Navarre (KO3), and Brian Nix (KO3). Harrison regularly trained with experienced heavyweights like Vaughn Bean.

Harrison returned to the UK in 2004. He fought Richel Hersisia for the World Boxing Foundation (WBFo) World belt. He knocked out Hersisia in 4 rounds. He defended this title twice. He won a 12-round points decision against Julius Francis. He also had a 9th-round TKO win over Tomasz Bonin. After a hand injury that needed surgery, Harrison did not fight for almost a year.

BBC Deal Ends

Harrison's contract with the BBC was not renewed in 2004. The BBC then stopped showing professional boxing. Harrison returned to the ring in June 2005. He knocked out Robert Davis (KO7) and Robert Wiggins (KO4). He stated he was ready to face world-class opponents.

Challenges and Comeback

In December 2005, Harrison returned to the UK. He faced Danny Williams for the Commonwealth title. Harrison took the fight with short notice. He lost a close decision. In April 2006, Harrison fought Dominick Guinn in the US. He lost on points again. He said this was due to a loss of confidence.

In June 2006, he knocked out Andrew Greeley in three rounds. He then had a rematch with Danny Williams in December 2006. Harrison fought much more aggressively this time. He knocked Williams down twice and won by knockout in the third round. After this win, Harrison was seen as a top contender again. He signed a deal with promoter Frank Warren.

On 17 February 2007, Harrison was knocked out by Michael Sprott. This loss made his future in boxing uncertain. Harrison believed he could still make a comeback. He returned to fight Jason Barnett in April 2008. He beat Barnett in the fifth round in Las Vegas. This fight was part of a new deal with Frank Warren.

After some planned fights did not happen, Harrison beat George Arias in September 2008. However, his career seemed to be ending in December 2008. He was defeated by Martin Rogan, a taxi driver from Belfast.

Winning Prizefighter

Harrison decided to enter the Prizefighter tournament. This is an eight-man, one-night knockout event. It took place on 2 October 2009. He weighed in at 18 stones and half a pound. He went on to win the tournament. He knocked out Coleman Barrett in the second round of the final. Before that, he had knocked out Scott Belshaw and won a decision over Danny Hughes.

After his Prizefighter success, it was announced that Harrison would fight Albert Sosnowski. This was for the European Boxing Union heavyweight title. However, Sosnowski pulled out for another fight. On 9 April 2010, Harrison won the vacant EBU belt. He fought his old opponent Michael Sprott again. He knocked out Sprott in the final round. Harrison said he had a shoulder injury early in the fight.

On 24 April 2010, Harrison had surgery to fix his torn shoulder muscle. Doctors expected him to recover fully in about 12 to 16 weeks.

World Title Fight Against David Haye

On 8 June 2010, Harrison gave up his European title. He wanted to fight for a world title. He started talking with Hayemaker Promotions. This led to a world-title fight against WBA champion David Haye. The fight took place on 13 November 2010.

Harrison lost to Haye. The fight was stopped in the third round. Harrison could not respond to Haye's punches. Statistics showed Harrison landed only one punch in the whole fight. Many people criticized Harrison for his performance. The BBBofC held back some of his earnings. They investigated the fight. After the investigation, Harrison received his full payment in January 2011.

After the David Haye Fight

On 3 December 2010, Harrison confirmed he would continue boxing. Some people thought he should retire. In November 2011, Harrison said he would return to boxing one last time. He wanted to fight British Heavyweight Champion Tyson Fury in 2012.

Harrison returned to the ring on 26 May 2012. He fought Ali Adams. Harrison knocked Adams down. The referee stopped the fight after more punches from Harrison. Harrison then faced David Price on 13 October 2012. He lost the fight by knockout in the first round.

Despite this loss, Harrison said he would not retire. On 23 February 2013, Harrison won his second Prizefighter 29: The International Heavyweights III tournament. He defeated Derric Rossy in the final.

On 27 April 2013, Harrison fought Deontay Wilder. Wilder was an unbeaten American boxer. The fight lasted only 70 seconds of the first round. Wilder landed a strong punch. Harrison was knocked down but got up. However, the referee stopped the fight, as Harrison was unable to continue.

On 1 May 2013, Harrison announced his retirement from boxing. He briefly came out of retirement, but on 26 March 2014, he confirmed he was no longer a professional boxer.

Professional Boxing Record

Television Appearances

Harrison has appeared on several reality television shows. On 6 September 2011, he joined the 2011 series of Strictly Come Dancing. He and his dance partner Natalie Lowe reached the seventh round.

In 2014, Harrison came second in Celebrity Big Brother. In 2016, he took part in Celebrity MasterChef.

Personal Life

Audley Harrison is married to Raychel. They have a daughter and a son. In 2015, Harrison shared that he was facing some health challenges.

See also

In Spanish: Audley Harrison para niños