Williams ends Harrison's dream

From every section of the 15,000 sell-out crowd the old familiar cry of "What a load of rubbish" rang out as Danny Williams and Audley Harrison went through their heavyweight title fight as though it was an episode of Strictly Come Dancing.

They finally got to grips with the real business of fighting for the vacant Commonwealth Heavyweight Championship after ten rounds of mauling in which Harrison hardly made a forward step. Almost unbelievably Williams won on a split decision when most people thought - as did two of the judges - that Harrison had been no more than the great pretender as many had identified him. For three-quarters of the fight it was a complete nonsense of a contest and the booing that accompanied most of the early rounds was justified. In fact, at the end of the fifth round promoter Frank Warren offered the opinion "Harrison is terrified and Williams doesn't want to work".

It was difficult to recall a memorable punch although Harrison, the 2000 Olympic Champion, who was warned several times by referee Dave Parris for holding and leaning on. He had arrived at the arena saying that he was thoroughly well prepared for the fight but seemed reluctant to go forward while Williams continued to stalk him.

The fight, such as it was, erupted in the tenth round when the big right hand from Williams dumped Harrison on his colourful shorts. He looked out of it but managed to get up to take the full mandatory eight counts and was suddenly stirred into action.

In the 11th round he staggered Williams who wobbled back to the ropes, the victim of a violent left shot. Clearly both fighters were trying to finish it in the final round when they were finally involved in exchanges that had been missing earlier and drew the wrath of the crowd. There were even ironic cheers in that putrid beginning when anything from Harrison drew an ironic cheer from the crowd.

Judge Phil Edwards scored the fight 116-113 to Williams with Terry O'Connor supporting him 116-112 but Mike Green had it 114-113 for Harrison and his score drew more abuse from the crowd.

Before the fight, a period of jibe and counter-jibe, the outcome of a potential maul had been difficult to call and it stayed that way until the end.

In one corner there was the Olympic Championship calling his opponent "damaged goods" and opposite Williams likened Harrison to a "silly girl".

Words came much more easily, painlessly than the punches they threw but added up to very little when it came to the scrap. Williams arrived with experience even he had been punched to a pulp in his world challenge against Vitali Klitschko a year ago. Before that he had exposed "Iron" Mike Tyson as being as fragile as an eggshell.

Harrison told us he was treading the right road to glory days but last night, at the age of 34, it looked as though he had been delivering false promises with his 19 wins which had been mainly against opponents who could walk down the street where they live without recognised.

Williams was genuine but slow, ponderous even, until that explosion in the tenth when he proved he was more than an irrelevance in the chain that was supposed to take him to the top.

Williams now says ambition lies in America where Lamon Brewster, Asim Rahman, Chris Byrd and John Ruiz hold the four titles. Given the choice Williams would probably go for the ponderous Ruiz the WBA Champion although none of the others has ever come close to the Lewis, Klitschko, Tyson (at his best) or Hollyfield class.

There will be a shout for Williams to take on Matt Skelton for the British title but bigger bucks await in the casinos of Las Vegas if a fight can be made.

Skelton's defence of his British Heavyweight Title fight against John McDermott fell into the world of farce with referee Terry O'Connor stopping the fight 1min 19 secs into the first round.

McDermott was down three times, clearly overwhelmed. Skelton said; "I'm ready for big fights now and I hope I get a chance in the summer".

Quite frankly, Harrison was crap on the night and fought like a man terrified of getting hit.

Never rated Harrison. He has been hyped up too much by the UK press.

Had he fought Lennox Lewis when he was at his peak, Lewis would have annihilated him.

Oh dear..................................another new T.V. Presenter on the way. I can see it now

"Cooking with Audley"

" Audly'll FixIt"

" Come Dancing" presented by Audley Harrison

The reason he didn't turn pro until he was 31 is because he is shit.

Lewis could still kick his arse without breaking sweat

NEXT: Matt Skelton will destroy Danny Williams (if danny doesn't bottle it like last time)