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FLASHBACK: My 1995 fight with Michael Nunn did wonders for me but it also served, to a certain degree, as the springboard for future 175 pound contender Eric "Magic Man" Harding to make his way up the boxing rankings.
One of the many great things about boxing is that it has given so many guys a chance to change their lives. Especially inner-city kids. Sometimes boxing has a way of handing an opportunity to the most unsuspecting people. One fight, one sparring session, one chance meeting can grant you the opportunity of a lifetime. Eric Harding was one of the many examples. The first time I ever laid eyes on Eric he was a total stranger to me. I had never heard of him before, not even in passing. I was a couple months away from the Nunn fight and was still looking for sparring partners for the fight. There are not too many tall, slick and smooth southpaws around. I was at Foxwoods watching a stablemate of mine named Robert Perez fight a six rounder and his opponent that night was Eric Harding. I was watching the fight and it occurred to me after just one round that this kid was almost identical to Nunn in both size and style. I turned to my trainer and told him, "That's the guy we gotta' get to come to camp with us." The big coincidence was that I knew his trainer, Mo, very well from being at the same national amateur tournaments with him. I asked him afterwards if it would be OK with him for Eric to come to Florida with us for two weeks to help get me ready and everybody agreed it would be good for all involved. Eric was also maneuvered on to the undercard of my fight with Nunn so, in effect, the camp was going to serve him well, too. He won a six rounder over a tough kid named Eddie Bryant from New York City on the undercard of Scully-Nunn and almost eleven months later he ended up moving to Hartford for good after running into some street related troubles in Philly. He chose Hartford and our gym based solely on the relationship we forged in getting ready for the fight almost a year earlier.
Eric Harding is living proof of what boxing can do for a guy. Opportunities sometimes are right around the next corner. If I don't have the fight with Nunn scheduled then I never have a reason to request his help for sparring. He never meets me and when he runs into trouble in Philly he doesn't have Hartford to turn to.
Almost two years after moving to Hartford, when Otis Grant was getting ready to fight Roy Jones late in 1998, I got a call from Otis' trainer Russ Anber looking for sparring. I told him, "I have a guy in my gym who would be perfect, a southpaw that switches to righty and he can fight. He will give you all the good, tricky work you need." Eric went up there to work with Otis for the fight and they were very pleased with him and the sparring he gave. Now, if it wasn't for the sparring with Otis, Eric would not have been in the gym very much as he had no fights scheduled. However, just a few days after returning home to Hartford he got a call on four days notice to fight former champ Montell Griffin. Eric was an unknown boxer that had never even been ten rounds before but he had just come from camp with Otis and, not wanting to pass up a no-lose opportunity, he took the fight. Went to Miami and beat Griffin, too, on a close twelve round decision one night before Roy and Otis fought in Connecticut at Foxwoods Casino. He comes back the next day in time to meet us at the Casino and go to the fight. At one point he and I went out into the arena and walked around the perimeter of the bingo hall that was hosting the fight. Every ten feet or so someone would stop him to shake his hand and say, "Good fight last night. Congratulations!"
I told him: "Eric, look at this. Two days ago you were an unknown fighter who never went ten rounds before. A prelim kid. Forty-eight hours later every boxing fan in the whole country knows who you are. Crazy huh?" The look of realization on his face was one of surprise proceeding satisfaction.
What was even cooler, and even a little prophetic, was afterwards at the post-fight press conference. I was standing towards the back of the makeshift press room while Roy answered media questions. Like he does sometimes at these things (you have seen him do it plenty of times in post-fight interviews with Larry Merchant on HBO) he interrupted his own answering of a question when he saw me in the crowd and yelled into the microphone, "What's up, Scull-Cap?!?" Then he continued answering the question. Then he saw Eric standing next to me and gave him a smile and a nod, as if to say "Good job last night" to him, before verbally acknowledging Eric's win from less than twenty-four hours earlier to the assembled media. Boxing is full of opportunity for even unlikely recipients. Twenty-six hours earlier Roy Jones had most likely never even heard the name "Eric Harding." One day later he was more than likely looking out into the crowd at the guy knowing the chances were good he would one day be challenged by him for his world titles.
In 2000 Eric did get his chance at Roy Jones and, to the surprise of many, he gave Roy a very tough night before succumbing to an arm injury before the 11th round began. I think Roy would be the first to admit that it was one of the most difficult fights of his career to that point. Eric got the chance at Roy by becoming the first man to beat Antonio Tarver and, really, he beat Tarver more than Roy or Glen Johnson later did when they beat the Florida fighter. Antonio turned the tables on Eric, however, with a convincing TKO victory in their rematch. Eric subsequently lost a twelve round decision in June of 2003 to Glen Johnson and had not fought again until he came back with a decision victories over former contender David Telesco and up and coming prospect Daniel Judah.
Those victories preceded a 12 round loss to future champion Chad Dawson in what was his last fight to date
(Note: This leaves off with Eric at 21-4-1 record. His only losses have been in twelve round fights to a quartet of world light heavyweight champions in Jones, Tarver, Johnson and, in his last fight, Chad Dawson)
One of the many great things about boxing is that it has given so many guys a chance to change their lives. Especially inner-city kids. Sometimes boxing has a way of handing an opportunity to the most unsuspecting people. One fight, one sparring session, one chance meeting can grant you the opportunity of a lifetime. Eric Harding was one of the many examples. The first time I ever laid eyes on Eric he was a total stranger to me. I had never heard of him before, not even in passing. I was a couple months away from the Nunn fight and was still looking for sparring partners for the fight. There are not too many tall, slick and smooth southpaws around. I was at Foxwoods watching a stablemate of mine named Robert Perez fight a six rounder and his opponent that night was Eric Harding. I was watching the fight and it occurred to me after just one round that this kid was almost identical to Nunn in both size and style. I turned to my trainer and told him, "That's the guy we gotta' get to come to camp with us." The big coincidence was that I knew his trainer, Mo, very well from being at the same national amateur tournaments with him. I asked him afterwards if it would be OK with him for Eric to come to Florida with us for two weeks to help get me ready and everybody agreed it would be good for all involved. Eric was also maneuvered on to the undercard of my fight with Nunn so, in effect, the camp was going to serve him well, too. He won a six rounder over a tough kid named Eddie Bryant from New York City on the undercard of Scully-Nunn and almost eleven months later he ended up moving to Hartford for good after running into some street related troubles in Philly. He chose Hartford and our gym based solely on the relationship we forged in getting ready for the fight almost a year earlier.
Eric Harding is living proof of what boxing can do for a guy. Opportunities sometimes are right around the next corner. If I don't have the fight with Nunn scheduled then I never have a reason to request his help for sparring. He never meets me and when he runs into trouble in Philly he doesn't have Hartford to turn to.
Almost two years after moving to Hartford, when Otis Grant was getting ready to fight Roy Jones late in 1998, I got a call from Otis' trainer Russ Anber looking for sparring. I told him, "I have a guy in my gym who would be perfect, a southpaw that switches to righty and he can fight. He will give you all the good, tricky work you need." Eric went up there to work with Otis for the fight and they were very pleased with him and the sparring he gave. Now, if it wasn't for the sparring with Otis, Eric would not have been in the gym very much as he had no fights scheduled. However, just a few days after returning home to Hartford he got a call on four days notice to fight former champ Montell Griffin. Eric was an unknown boxer that had never even been ten rounds before but he had just come from camp with Otis and, not wanting to pass up a no-lose opportunity, he took the fight. Went to Miami and beat Griffin, too, on a close twelve round decision one night before Roy and Otis fought in Connecticut at Foxwoods Casino. He comes back the next day in time to meet us at the Casino and go to the fight. At one point he and I went out into the arena and walked around the perimeter of the bingo hall that was hosting the fight. Every ten feet or so someone would stop him to shake his hand and say, "Good fight last night. Congratulations!"
I told him: "Eric, look at this. Two days ago you were an unknown fighter who never went ten rounds before. A prelim kid. Forty-eight hours later every boxing fan in the whole country knows who you are. Crazy huh?" The look of realization on his face was one of surprise proceeding satisfaction.
What was even cooler, and even a little prophetic, was afterwards at the post-fight press conference. I was standing towards the back of the makeshift press room while Roy answered media questions. Like he does sometimes at these things (you have seen him do it plenty of times in post-fight interviews with Larry Merchant on HBO) he interrupted his own answering of a question when he saw me in the crowd and yelled into the microphone, "What's up, Scull-Cap?!?" Then he continued answering the question. Then he saw Eric standing next to me and gave him a smile and a nod, as if to say "Good job last night" to him, before verbally acknowledging Eric's win from less than twenty-four hours earlier to the assembled media. Boxing is full of opportunity for even unlikely recipients. Twenty-six hours earlier Roy Jones had most likely never even heard the name "Eric Harding." One day later he was more than likely looking out into the crowd at the guy knowing the chances were good he would one day be challenged by him for his world titles.
In 2000 Eric did get his chance at Roy Jones and, to the surprise of many, he gave Roy a very tough night before succumbing to an arm injury before the 11th round began. I think Roy would be the first to admit that it was one of the most difficult fights of his career to that point. Eric got the chance at Roy by becoming the first man to beat Antonio Tarver and, really, he beat Tarver more than Roy or Glen Johnson later did when they beat the Florida fighter. Antonio turned the tables on Eric, however, with a convincing TKO victory in their rematch. Eric subsequently lost a twelve round decision in June of 2003 to Glen Johnson and had not fought again until he came back with a decision victories over former contender David Telesco and up and coming prospect Daniel Judah.
Those victories preceded a 12 round loss to future champion Chad Dawson in what was his last fight to date
(Note: This leaves off with Eric at 21-4-1 record. His only losses have been in twelve round fights to a quartet of world light heavyweight champions in Jones, Tarver, Johnson and, in his last fight, Chad Dawson)
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