Boxing News

WHEN Audley Harrison makes a worrying boxing comeback he joins a club that will never ever stop growing as long at the noble art is alive and kicking.

'A Force' announced on Tuesday evening that he would box again and just cannot walk away from the toughest sport of all after a short retirement.

Harrison still believes that he can win the world heavyweight title despite being defeated inside a round by David Price and Deontay Wilder in the last seven months.

For every palakooville stiff who never knew when enough was enough, there are names like Harrison and true superstars who should've said 'NO' instead of having far too many scraps.

There will be boxers Harrison can beat and compete well against, but the moment he steps up to fringe world level it's unlikely to be nice viewing.

Only last year Ricky Hatton (below), Britain's most popular boxer ever returned to the ring after a three-and-a-year hiatus and lost to Vyacheslav Senchenko.

Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, Evander Holyfield, Joe Louis, and Mike Tyson are among legends that made a foolhardy decision to try and recapture their former glories.

Perhaps the saddest of all was Sugar Ray Robinson - the greatest middleweight ever who won 173 of his 200 fights in a 25 year career.

His final fight against powder puncher Joey Archer in November 1965 was as depressing as seeing George Best play a handful of games for Bournemouth in the early eighties.

Archer won on points over ten rounds, but dropped Robinson in the fourth and later admitted it was only the second time in 45 fights he had floored a rival.

Not much better on the one too many motorway was Louis, facing Rocky Marciano in October 1951 - 13 months after Ezzard Charles had relieved 'The Brown Bomber' of his world heavyweight title.

In the months since losing to Charles, Louis had fought a series of 'exhibition' bouts to make money after blowing a fortune.

Louis even joked about his squandered cash:  "Half of it went to wine, women and song - the other half I wasted."

Fighting upcoming Marciano at Madison Square Garden was no craic as Louis was floored twice in round eight and stopped.

The final knockdown when he crashed through the ropes grimacing in pain is an iconic photo that should warn any faded pug looking for a final payday.

Ali's (below) beatings from Larry Holmes and Trevor Berbick were very sad and plenty argue those fights are to blame for him suffering Parkinson's disease.

At least 'The Greatest' lasted ten rounds against Holmes before his corner pulled him out against Holmes and went the distance against Berbick in December 1981.

Leonard was a shell when he ended a six year hiatus in 1997 and faced Hector 'Macho' Camacho.

To watch a man who had beaten boxers such as Marvin Hagler, Thomas Hearns and Roberto Duran get knocked out inside five rounds by a light hitter was disturbing.

Tyson made more comebacks than Frank Sinatra, getting humiliated by Danny Williams and finally getting the message in 2005 when Irish no-hoper Kevin McBride beat him.

Holyfield still hasn't caught on and talk of him boxing again will not go away on the rumour mill.

 Instead of retiring after losing to Lennox Lewis in November 1999, 'The Real Deal' has boxed 16 times since, winning just eight and still talks of facing a Klitschko brothers.

Scary stuff and I hope that Olympic gold medallist Audley sees sense and comprehends the dangers and painful losses facing him.