Summer Olympics 2000 He says his destiny is gold

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Tuesday, September 19
He says his destiny is gold
Reuters

GOLD COAST, Australia -- British amateur boxing has suffered a lean time since Chris Finnegan won the middleweight title at the 1968 Olympics but super-heavyweight Audley Harrison is convinced he can end this gold drought.

The 28-year-old Londoner, Commonwealth champion in 1998, said on Tuesday he considered it his destiny to take the gold medal in Sydney.

"It's something I've always dreamed about," he said. "I targeted the Commonwealths and won it and I've targeted the Olympics and I know I have the talent to win it.

"I don't need to box out of my skin. If the draw goes well I just have to perform to my potential and I can win it. I feel it's my destiny."

Harrison could manage only fifth in the world championships and qualified for Sydney at the third attempt.

But he said these results don't tell the whole story and he has learned from both experiences and become a better fighter as a result.

"The worlds weren't a priority, I'd just finished my degree and I wasn't well-prepared," he said.

"There were high expectations of me and maybe I believed the hype a bit but I only lost 4-3 to the guy who won it so it wasn't a disaster.

"A lot of people then wrote me off after I needed three attempts to qualify for the Olympics, but I always knew I would make it.

"The first time I lost to the Russian (Aleksi Lezin) who won bronze at Atlanta and the second was, let's say, a political decision and I know I won the fight and knew I would qualify next time, which I did."

Latecomer to boxing
Harrison, a latecomer to the sport at 19 who will turn pro after the Games, said he is a 40 percent better fighter than when he won the Commonwealth title in Kuala Lumpar.

And he said the bad decision he suffered in qualifying has made him aware of exactly what he has to do.

"If I have to throw a punch every second then that's what I'll do," he said. "I can't wait for it really, just bring it on."

Despite having suffered from dubious judging in the past, Harrison thinks the scoring controversies that have threatened boxing's place in the Olympics are in the past.

"They've made a lot of changes and improvements, and I think it will be the cleanest ever Olympic boxing tournament," he said.

Team manager Ian Irwin agreed. "The scoring machines have helped, but there will always be a problem with different interpretations from different regions," he said.

"I've got no problem with that as long as it's honest.

"The organizers could maybe have spent a bit more time with the judges together to smooth things out but it's going in the right direction and I don't think we'll see the terrible decisions we have had in the past."

Long reach
Irwin says the long reach of Harrison and light-heavyweight Courtney Fry, Britain's only other fighter in the Games and a London club mate of Harrison, will suit the scoring system.

"They are both good fighters, clean long punchers, and if they are at their best they can do really well here," he said.

The British have flown out two sparring partners from home to work with the boxers and have also invited two local pros to keep them busy.

Also on site to help with advice is former British heavyweight champion Joe Bugner, who retired to Australia before launching a lucrative comeback as "Aussie Joe."