Jeff Harding

[Benncollinsaad]

Where would you put Jeff Harding in the lhw history ranks?

[BigMacFoster]

Just how long exactly does it take you to come up with these threads? Do these threads pop up in your dreams? Or perhaps you write them down in your little notebook days before hand.

So when are you changing your avatar again?

[Stoppage]

Just how long exactly does it take you to come up with these threads? Do these threads pop up in your dreams? Or perhaps you write them down in your little notebook days before hand.

So when are you changing your avatar again?

What do you gain from posting these stupid remarks? If you had a point to it then I can understand but you just insult people like it's OCD.

I mean honestly, why don't you make yourself useful to a thread, for a change.

Back to the topic, Jeff Harding was a good champion. He beat every opponent he faced except for Mike McCallum. Can't blame him though. McCallum was a great fighter.

I wonder why he quit, though? He wasn't old and his loss to McCallum wasn't in dominating fashion.

[mickey malone]

What do you gain from posting these stupid remarks? If you had a point to it then I can understand but you just insult people like it's OCD.

I mean honestly, why don't you make yourself useful to a thread, for a change.

Back to the topic, Jeff Harding was a good champion. He beat every opponent he faced except for Mike McCallum. Can't blame him though. McCallum was a great fighter.

I wonder why he quit, though? He wasn't old and his loss to McCallum wasn't in dominating fashion.

He quit because he was an alcoholic... But not a bitter one like BigMouthImposter.. I'm afraid it's sad, but true.. He never had a lot before he became champ, & after a few big pay cheques, his addiction took over.. I know 1or2 people who know him, & he's now broke & in pretty bad shape.. It's a real shame, because he was teak tough with a typical Aussie brawling style.. Never an ATG, but the wars with Andries & McCallum were brilliant.. Somewhere between 20 & 25 on an AT L/H list would be about right.. Unfortunately, he never hung around long enough to achieve his true potential, which I believe could have carried him a lot higher..

[BennyST]

He quit because he was an alcoholic... But not a bitter one like BigMouthImposter.. I'm afraid it's sad, but true.. He never had a lot before he became champ, & after a few big pay cheques, his addiction took over.. I know 1or2 people who know him, & he's now broke & in pretty bad shape.. It's a real shame, because he was teak tough with a typical Aussie brawling style.. Never an ATG, but the wars with Andries & McCallum were brilliant.. Somewhere between 20 & 25 on an AT L/H list would be about right.. Unfortunately, he never hung around long enough to achieve his true potential, which I believe could have carried him a lot higher..

Spot on mate. Lovely guy, but had a few too many battles with the booze which had taken him to the lowest points sadly. His determination, will to win, body punching, stamina and chin were brilliant and he would have been a champion in any era. His only loss to McCallum was in a great fight and most people don't realise that he actually came back to fight McCallum after a long lay-off and near retirement.

His best wins were obviously his two wars with Andries and his great win over the long time champ Christophe Tiozzo.

[BennyST]

It's an interesting point to me that many of the Aussie champs didn't have that many pro fights and yet most were either undefeated during their championship reign or very close to it, like Andries, often retired early and never really made anything from boxing sadly.

One of our truly greatest champions Lionel Rose lived in a shed throughout his entire boxing days even after he became champion and a national hero. It was sad because he beat one of the greatest bantamweight champs in history with such a stunning display of skill and boxing and then went on a brilliant championship reign with wins over HOF'ers and yet he came out of it with next to nothing. The first ever indigenous champ.

Anyway, to whoever hasn't seen Harding's fights with Andries, all three, they are absolutely must watch fights. Easily some of the greatest brawls in the history of the sport and also among the best trilogies. Up there with Rafa and Izz, Barrera/Morales, Bowe/Holyfield etc etc. Go to youtube and check them out. Amazing stuff!

Make sure you watch the first one first though as it gives you the brief history of Harding at that point. A late fill in for the injured number one contender, he was completely unknown and had recently been fighting in the local RSL's around here. He got his big chance and went for it.

[1SILVA]

Where would you put Jeff Harding in the lhw history ranks?

Somewhere between 50 and 100. His three fights with Andries was the probably the greatest trilogy in 175 pound history

[Dynamite Kid]

Spot on mate. Lovely guy, but had a few too many battles with the booze which had taken him to the lowest points sadly. His determination, will to win, body punching, stamina and chin were brilliant and he would have been a champion in any era. His only loss to McCallum was in a great fight and most people don't realise that he actually came back to fight McCallum after a long lay-off and near retirement.

His best wins were obviously his two wars with Andries and his great win over the long time champ Christophe Tiozzo.

and McCallum thought he was in for an easy night, no one got an easy night against Harding, tough as ****.

That was actually one of my favorite McCallum fights, war!

[mickey malone]

It's an interesting point to me that many of the Aussie champs didn't have that many pro fights and yet most were either undefeated during their championship reign or very close to it, like Andries, often retired early and never really made anything from boxing sadly.

One of our truly greatest champions Lionel Rose lived in a shed throughout his entire boxing days even after he became champion and a national hero. It was sad because he beat one of the greatest bantamweight champs in history with such a stunning display of skill and boxing and then went on a brilliant championship reign with wins over HOF'ers and yet he came out of it with next to nothing. The first ever indigenous champ.

Anyway, to whoever hasn't seen Harding's fights with Andries, all three, they are absolutely must watch fights. Easily some of the greatest brawls in the history of the sport and also among the best trilogies. Up there with Rafa and Izz, Barrera/Morales, Bowe/Holyfield etc etc. Go to youtube and check them out. Amazing stuff!

Make sure you watch the first one first though as it gives you the brief history of Harding at that point. A late fill in for the injured number one contender, he was completely unknown and had recently been fighting in the local RSL's around here. He got his big chance and went for it.

Harding was well known for his wit and humour to..

Just before the fight you mention (Andries1) I remember Jeff was being interviwed by the British press, & one reporter rightly suggested that Andries was a more seasoned pro & questioned the experience of Harding, to which he replied in an instant, " Of course Dennis is more experienced than me, he's been knocked out, and I haven't!"