Audley Harrison facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Audley HarrisonMBE |
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Harrison in 2004
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| 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 | 26 October 1971 Park Royal, London, England |
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| Stance | Southpaw | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Boxing record | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total fights | 38 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wins | 31 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wins by KO | 23 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Losses | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Audley Hugh Harrison, born on October 26, 1971, is a famous British former boxer. He is known for his powerful punches and his journey in the boxing world.
As an amateur boxer, he represented Great Britain at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. He won a gold medal in the super-heavyweight division. This made him the first British boxer to win an Olympic gold in that weight class.
After his Olympic win, Harrison became a professional boxer in 2001. He signed a special deal with BBC Sport to show his first fights. During his career, he fought for important titles like the WBA and European heavyweight championships.
He also won the Prizefighter tournament twice, which is a special knockout competition. Harrison retired from boxing in 2014, leaving behind a memorable career.
Contents
Audley Harrison's Boxing Journey
Early Career and Olympic Gold
Audley Harrison started his boxing journey at the Repton Amateur Boxing Club in London. He quickly became a top amateur boxer. In 1997, he won the British super-heavyweight championship. He kept this title in 1998.
His success continued at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur. He won a gold medal there, showing his strength and skill.
The biggest moment of his amateur career came at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. Harrison fought his way to the final and won the gold medal. He defeated Mukhtarkhan Dildabekov of Kazakhstan. This historic win made him a national hero. After his medal win, Harrison was given an MBE honor.
Olympic Highlights
- 1998: Won gold at the Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur.
- 2000: Won gold at the Sydney Olympics.
- He beat Alexei Lezin (Russia).
- He defeated Alexey Mazikin (Ukraine).
- He won against Paolo Vidoz (Italy).
- He beat Mukhtarkhan Dildabekov (Kazakhstan) in the final.
Turning Professional
In 2001, Audley Harrison decided to become a professional boxer. He wrote a book called Realising the Dream. He also started his own company, A Force Promotions. This helped him manage his career and get sponsorship deals.
He made a big deal with the BBC to show his first ten professional fights. His first fight was against Michael Middleton in Wembley Arena. Harrison won by knockout in the first round. Millions of people watched him at home.
He continued to win his fights. In 2002, he fought in the United States for the first time. He knocked out Shawn Robinson in the first round. By 2003, he had won several more fights.
Harrison returned to the UK in 2004. He won the World Boxing Foundation (WBFo) World belt by knocking out Richel Hersisia. He defended this title twice. After an injury to his hand, he took a break from boxing.
BBC Deal Ends
In 2004, the BBC decided not to continue showing professional boxing. This meant Harrison's contract with them ended.
He returned to the ring in 2005, winning two more fights by knockout.
Challenges and Comebacks
In December 2005, Harrison faced Danny Williams for the Commonwealth title. Harrison lost this close fight.
In 2006, he lost another fight to Dominick Guinn. However, he bounced back later that year. He fought Danny Williams again and won by knockout in the third round. This victory made people believe he could become a world champion.
Harrison then signed a deal with promoter Frank Warren. Their goal was to get Harrison a world title fight. However, in February 2007, Harrison was knocked out by Michael Sprott. This loss made his future in boxing uncertain.
After recovering from a car accident in 2007, Harrison returned to fighting in 2008. He won against Jason Barnett in Las Vegas. He continued to work towards a world title shot.
Prizefighter Success
In 2009, Harrison joined the Prizefighter tournament. This is a one-night knockout competition with eight boxers. He won the tournament by knocking out Coleman Barrett in the final. This win brought him back into the spotlight.
Following this success, Harrison fought Michael Sprott again in 2010 for the vacant European heavyweight title. Despite being behind on points, Harrison scored a knockout in the final round to win the title. He later had surgery for a shoulder injury he got during the fight.
World Title Challenge
On November 13, 2010, Audley Harrison got his chance to fight for a world title. He faced David Haye for the WBA heavyweight championship. The fight took place in Manchester.
Harrison was defeated by Haye in the third round. He was unable to respond to Haye's punches. Many people criticized his performance in this important fight. After an investigation, Harrison received his full payment for the fight.
Later Career and Retirement
After the loss to David Haye, Harrison decided to continue his boxing career. In 2012, he won against Ali Adams. However, he then lost to David Price by knockout in the first round.
In 2013, Harrison won his second Prizefighter tournament. He became the first boxer to win the tournament twice. He defeated Derric Rossy in the final.
Later that year, he fought the unbeaten American boxer Deontay Wilder. Wilder won the fight in the first round. After this fight, Harrison announced his retirement from boxing. He briefly came out of retirement but then confirmed his final retirement in March 2014.
Professional Boxing Record
| 38 fights | 31 wins | 7 losses |
| By knockout | 23 | 4 |
| By decision | 8 | 3 |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 38 | Loss | 31–7 | Deontay Wilder | TKO | 1 (12), 1:10 | 27 Apr 2013 | Motorpoint Arena, Sheffield, England | |
| 37 | Win | 31–6 | Derric Rossy | TKO | 2 (3), 1:25 | 23 Mar 2013 | York Hall, London, England | Prizefighter 29: heavyweight final |
| 36 | Win | 30–6 | Martin Rogan | UD | 3 | 23 Mar 2013 | York Hall, London, England | Prizefighter 29: heavyweight semi-final |
| 35 | Win | 29–6 | Claus Bertino | TKO | 1 (3), 0:33 | 23 Mar 2013 | York Hall, London, England | Prizefighter 29: heavyweight quarter-final |
| 34 | Loss | 28–6 | David Price | TKO | 1 (12), 1:22 | 13 Oct 2012 | Echo Arena, Liverpool, England | For British and Commonwealth heavyweight titles |
| 33 | Win | 28–5 | Ali Adams | TKO | 4 (10), 0:45 | 26 May 2012 | Brentwood Centre Arena, Brentwood, England | |
| 32 | Loss | 27–5 | David Haye | TKO | 3 (12), 1:53 | 13 Nov 2010 | MEN Arena, Manchester, England | For WBA heavyweight title |
| 31 | Win | 27–4 | Michael Sprott | KO | 12 (12), 1:05 | 9 Apr 2010 | Alexandra Palace, London, England | Won vacant European heavyweight title |
| 30 | Win | 26–4 | Coleman Barrett | TKO | 2 (3), 2:40 | 2 Oct 2009 | ExCeL, London, England | Prizefighter 8: heavyweight final |
| 29 | Win | 25–4 | Danny Hughes | UD | 3 | 2 Oct 2009 | ExCeL, London, England | Prizefighter 8: heavyweight semi-final |
| 28 | Win | 24–4 | Scott Belshaw | TKO | 2 (3), 3:00 | 2 Oct 2009 | ExCeL, London, England | Prizefighter 8: heavyweight quarter-final |
| 27 | Loss | 23–4 | Martin Rogan | PTS | 10 | 6 Dec 2008 | ExCeL, London, England | |
| 26 | Win | 23–3 | George Arias | PTS | 10 | 6 Sep 2008 | MEN Arena, Manchester, England | |
| 25 | Win | 22–3 | Jason Barnett | TKO | 5 (8), 1:48 | 19 Apr 2008 | Thomas & Mack Center, Paradise, Nevada, US | |
| 24 | Loss | 21–3 | Michael Sprott | KO | 3 (12), 3:00 | 17 Feb 2007 | Wembley Arena, London, England | For European Union and vacant English heavyweight titles |
| 23 | Win | 21–2 | Danny Williams | TKO | 3 (12), 2:32 | 9 Dec 2006 | ExCeL, London, England | |
| 22 | Win | 20–2 | Andrew Greeley | KO | 3 (10), 2:32 | 9 Jun 2006 | Tropicana Casino & Resort, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US | |
| 21 | Loss | 19–2 | Dominick Guinn | UD | 10 | 14 Apr 2006 | Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa, Rancho Mirage, California, US | |
| 20 | Loss | 19–1 | Danny Williams | SD | 12 | 10 Dec 2005 | ExCeL, London, England | For vacant Commonwealth heavyweight title |
| 19 | Win | 19–0 | Robert Wiggins | TKO | 4 (10), 3:00 | 18 Aug 2005 | HP Pavilion, San Jose, California, US | |
| 18 | Win | 18–0 | Robert Davis | TKO | 7 (10), 2:21 | 9 Jun 2005 | Pechanga Resort & Casino, Temecula, California, US | |
| 17 | Win | 17–0 | Tomasz Bonin | TKO | 9 (12), 2:17 | 19 Jun 2004 | Alexandra Palace, London, England | Retained WBF (Federation) heavyweight title |
| 16 | Win | 16–0 | Julius Francis | UD | 12 | 8 May 2004 | Whitchurch Leisure Centre, Bristol, England | Retained WBF (Federation) heavyweight title |
| 15 | Win | 15–0 | Richel Hersisia | KO | 4 (12), 2:00 | 20 Mar 2004 | Wembley Arena, London, England | Won WBF (Federation) heavyweight title |
| 14 | Win | 14–0 | Brian Nix | TKO | 3 (10), 1:41 | 12 Dec 2003 | Edgewater Hotel and Casino, Laughlin, Nevada, US | |
| 13 | Win | 13–0 | Lisandro Ezequiel Diaz | TKO | 4 (8), 1:32 | 3 Oct 2003 | Mandalay Bay Events Center, Paradise, Nevada, US | |
| 12 | Win | 12–0 | Quinn Navarre | KO | 3 (8), 0:32 | 9 Sep 2003 | Level Nightclub, Miami, Florida, US | |
| 11 | Win | 11–0 | Mathew Ellis | TKO | 2 (8), 1:35 | 31 May 2003 | York Hall, London, England | |
| 10 | Win | 10–0 | Ratko Draskovic | PTS | 8 | 29 Mar 2003 | Wembley Conference Centre, London, England | |
| 9 | Win | 9–0 | Rob Calloway | TKO | 5 (8), 3:00 | 8 Feb 2003 | Brentford Fountain Leisure Centre, London, England | |
| 8 | Win | 8–0 | Shawn Robinson | TKO | 1 (6), 2:09 | 23 Nov 2002 | Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US | |
| 7 | Win | 7–0 | Wade Lewis | TKO | 2 (6), 0:43 | 5 Oct 2002 | Liverpool Olympia, Liverpool, England | |
| 6 | Win | 6–0 | Dominic Negus | PTS | 6 | 10 Jul 2002 | Wembley Conference Centre, London, England | |
| 5 | Win | 5–0 | Mark Krence | PTS | 6 | 21 May 2002 | ExCeL, London, England | |
| 4 | Win | 4–0 | Julius Long | KO | 2 (6), 2:00 | 20 Apr 2002 | Wembley Conference Centre, London, England | |
| 3 | Win | 3–0 | Piotr Jurczyk | TKO | 2 (6), 1:24 | 20 Oct 2001 | Kelvin Hall, Glasgow, Scotland | |
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Derek McCafferty | PTS | 6 | 22 Sep 2001 | Telewest Arena, Newcastle, England | |
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Mike Middleton | TKO | 1 (6), 2:45 | 19 May 2001 | Wembley Arena, London, England |
Life Outside Boxing
Reality Television
Audley Harrison has also appeared on popular TV shows. In 2011, he took part in Strictly Come Dancing, a dance competition. He and his partner Natalie Lowe reached the seventh round.
In 2014, he was a contestant on Celebrity Big Brother, where he finished in second place. He also showed his cooking skills on Celebrity MasterChef in 2016.
Personal Life
Audley Harrison is married to Raychel. They have a daughter and a son.
Images for kids
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Harrison in 2004
See also
In Spanish: Audley Harrison para niños
