By Mark Vester
Audley Harrison has vowed to bust David Haye up on November 13 in Manchester. The 2000 Olympic gold medal winner will challenger Haye for his WBA heavyweight title. The two British boxers have gone above and beyond in their war of words. The close friends became bitter enemies when Haye, according to Audley, took advantage of him in a sparring session a few years ago. Audley looks at the incident a little different now, but it started their rivalry.
"Lennox Lewis told me to come and see him in Miami. David, happened to be there too and turned up at the gym. He was one week from a fight, he was sharp as a razor and he got into the ring and was trying to punch me out at a time when my confidence was at an all-time low," Audley told The Sun.
"I thought at the time he was taking a liberty, I thought he was trying to kick a man when he was down. But now I'm older and more mature I see it differently. I remember now that when I used to train with David when we were amateurs we used to go at it like cats and dogs. So maybe he was expecting me to be like that again. But I had just lost my first fight and wasn't ready for a tear-up."
Over the years, Audley has taken a lot of hits from the critics. He sees the upcoming fight with Haye as his shining moment to prove the critics wrong and to mark his legacy by winning the world title. He wants to punish Haye before knocking him out.
"In the past I didn't handle my power well but this time I'm going to beat Haye up. This is not just my comeback, this is my moment. David Haye has his money and he got his belt. I'm not after the money - just the belt. And I'm prepared to put everything on the line to get it. This is my battle, this is my war," Audley said.
"I'm going in there with all my weapons and he can't survive. Can I win? Yes I can! I'm going to be world champion "And that will be justice for me and a reward for all the crap I have taken."
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