Audley Harrison article on eve of Prizefighter

Audley Harrison targets Prizefighter saying racism forced him out of UK If fury alone can help man achieve his dreams then Audley Harrison undoubtedly has a chance of becoming a world champion. The heavyweight returns to competitive action for the first time in nine months tomorrow with accusations that his detractors hounded him out of this country and claims that racism is part of the reason why he has become one of the most ridiculed and disliked British fighters of all time. Harrison could not hide his anger as he spoke before his latest comeback, this time as part of the promoter Barry Hearn's Prizefighter series, which will see eight heavyweights compete in a one-night knockout competition with the winner securing a £32,000 prize. Eyes have been rolled at Harrison's claims that he will tear through the field, which includes his long-standing rival Danny Williams, nine years after winning Olympic gold in Sydney. But the 37-year-old is deadly serious, even more so when he speaks of his belief that triumph tomorrow will "open the door" for him to again challenge for a heavyweight title and, should all go to plan, realise his lifelong ambition "within the next four or five years". For those who doubt Harrison's credentials, though, it is perhaps fitting that Prizefighter III should be taking place at London's ExCel Arena, for it was there that he suffered his fourth professional defeat last December, against the Belfast cab driver Martin Rogan. That humiliation was expected to lead to the total demise of "A-Force". "I always said I'd be back," snaps Harrison. "I know there's people who want me to shut up and quit but to them I say 'tough, I won't'. I will keep going until I am a heavyweight champion. Once I've done that, then I'll walk away.Prizefighter is an opportunity and I'm fully focusing on that now. I refuse to get distracted by the bullshit any more." But it is obvious that the "bullshit" is occupying Harrison's thoughts. He has been living in the United States with his wife Raychel and their daughter Ariella for the past five years, first in Las Vegas and now in Los Angeles, and wastes no time in claiming that the move was a necessity. "I wanted to stay in the UK but was basically forced out," he says. "There has been a campaign against me in this country from day one. People have wanted to stitch me up and deny me any chance of getting on with my career, either as a promoter or a fighter. "I was OK while I still had the support of my broadcaster , but once they also joined the campaign , my stay in this country from a professional point of view became untenable. I had to leave if I was going to continue doing what I was doing." Harrison refuses to specify who precisely has smeared and obstructed him and instead makes a general reference to the British boxing establishment — or the "system" — as the architects of his decline. His critics will no doubt brush aside these claims as yet another rant from a deluded man who cannot accept that his career has been a failure, punctured most notably by the defeat to Rogan and the devastating third-round knockout by Michael Sprott in February 2007. Harrison accepts those defeats, coupled with those against Williams in December 2005 and Dominick Guinn of the US four months later, "do not look good" on his record, but is keen to point out that he has won 23 out of 27 fights since turning professional in 2001, with 17 knockouts and wins on both sides of the Atlantic. He says his feats should be celebrated rather than castigated. Asked why he seems to have become the pantomime villain of British boxing, Harrison makes his most explosive claim. "My race has definitely been an issue, particularly in regards to me being a self-promoter," he said. "Britain remains an institutionally racist country – people here don't mind seeing black people doing well but they don't want them to be independent from the powers that be. I wanted to be independent, my own boss, and people didn't like that. They didn't like to see a black man in charge of a company which at one point employed 22 people, as was the case with A-Force Promotions. "Look at Ricky Hatton, Joe Calzaghe and Oscar De La Hoya. They've all set up promotion companies and been self-promoted too, but have not received even half the criticism I have. Why is that? It's pretty obvious, if you ask me. "This is also part of the reason why I moved to America. That is a country where anyone, whatever their race, can get to the top. Look at Barack Obama, he is the ultimate message of hope. Will Britain ever have a black prime minister? Never, it will never happen here." Again there is no specific target for Harrison's accusations. "Don't worry, this story will eventually be told," he adds. "But I want to do it properly. Whitney Houston had a one-hour special with Oprah recently and was able to talk in detail about the stuff she's gone through. I want to do the same, perhaps on a show in Britain." Before all that, however, comes Prizefighter and having spent the past few months "working on his fundamentals" with a new coaching team in California, Harrison insists he is in perfect shape for the competition, which could well see him face Williams in the final. The last time the pair met was their rematch in December 2006, which Harrison won with a third-round knockout. "I've got Danny's number," he says. "He's a warrior, but that isn't enough, you've also got to have skills and tactics. I have those things, Danny doesn't." Crucially, Harrison claims, his enthusiasm for boxing has also been restored, something that began to desert him after he teamed up with the promoter Frank Warren after his victory over Williams. "Beating Danny gave me another shot at the world title, but to go all the way I felt I needed to be in the system," he says. "I knew signing with Frank would open doors that were closed to me. "But I was unhappy. Every fight was the Frank Warren show, even though it was me who was in the ring. I lost my motivation and, I know this sounds terrible, but I felt happiness after losing to Rogan because it meant I could get out of my contract. Signing with Frank is one of the biggest mistakes of my life and I will never make it again. When I do finally win the world title it will be as my own man." It is easy to dismiss Harrison but it should be noted that for every false dawn there has also been a catalogue of achievements. Sydney 2000 aside, this is a man who has also survived a stint in Feltham's young offenders' institution, attained a degree in sports studies from Brunel University and continued to fight after the death of his brother Vincent last year. "Life is full of mountains that you have to keep on climbing," he says. "I have done that throughout my life and will do so again." By Sachin Nakrani from the Guardian