COULDHAVEBEEN
02-26-2009, 11:51 PM
Gee, this guy sounds familiar! - see highlighted section in particular.
The Most Delusional Man in World Sport
from bleacherreport.com (articles section):
For those of you who aren't familiar with his work, this is Audley Harrison. He is infamous in the UK as one of the greatest underachievers in recent sporting history.
Harrison is a Heavyweight boxer who seemed destined for great things after winning a gold medal at the Sydney Olympic games in 2000. He displayed excellent technique, power and composure in Australia and, at 6 ft 5, seemed equipped with all the tools to make a successful transition from amateur boxing to the professional ranks.
He was entering a Heavyweight division which contained no clear successor to the ageing Lennox Lewis, Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield and Harrison seemed to have every chance of making a success of his pro career.
"A-Force", as he christened himself, signed a lucrative £1 million deal with the BBC to have his first few professional fights shown on terrestrial television. This allowed the whole country to witness his negative, lacklustre performances against pub fighters, and the delusional speeches that would follow.
If world titles were simply won with words, Harrison would be the most successful fighter of all time. After every bout he would stand in front of the cameras and tell the watching public how he had a plan, how his next fight would be against a better opponent and would see him produce an improved performance and how there was no doubt in his mind that he would become a world champion.
After a number of tentative, unconvincing wins, during which Harrison looked unfit and scared of getting beaten, the British public turned on him. Boos rung out as the paying public let the big Londoner know he simply wasn't good enough.
Today, almost nine years since Harrison won his Olympic gold medal, "A-Farce" as he has become known, is 37 and has a record of 23 wins and four defeats. He has never stepped into the ring with any fighter of true class and lost his last fight to an Irish taxi driver called Martin Rogan.
Yet, Harrison’s delusions of grandeur continue and he popped his unwanted head back into the British limelight recently by calling out David Haye.
The Most Delusional Man in World Sport
from bleacherreport.com (articles section):
For those of you who aren't familiar with his work, this is Audley Harrison. He is infamous in the UK as one of the greatest underachievers in recent sporting history.
Harrison is a Heavyweight boxer who seemed destined for great things after winning a gold medal at the Sydney Olympic games in 2000. He displayed excellent technique, power and composure in Australia and, at 6 ft 5, seemed equipped with all the tools to make a successful transition from amateur boxing to the professional ranks.
He was entering a Heavyweight division which contained no clear successor to the ageing Lennox Lewis, Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield and Harrison seemed to have every chance of making a success of his pro career.
"A-Force", as he christened himself, signed a lucrative £1 million deal with the BBC to have his first few professional fights shown on terrestrial television. This allowed the whole country to witness his negative, lacklustre performances against pub fighters, and the delusional speeches that would follow.
If world titles were simply won with words, Harrison would be the most successful fighter of all time. After every bout he would stand in front of the cameras and tell the watching public how he had a plan, how his next fight would be against a better opponent and would see him produce an improved performance and how there was no doubt in his mind that he would become a world champion.
After a number of tentative, unconvincing wins, during which Harrison looked unfit and scared of getting beaten, the British public turned on him. Boos rung out as the paying public let the big Londoner know he simply wasn't good enough.
Today, almost nine years since Harrison won his Olympic gold medal, "A-Farce" as he has become known, is 37 and has a record of 23 wins and four defeats. He has never stepped into the ring with any fighter of true class and lost his last fight to an Irish taxi driver called Martin Rogan.
Yet, Harrison’s delusions of grandeur continue and he popped his unwanted head back into the British limelight recently by calling out David Haye.