From Boxingtawk: http://www.boxingtalk.com/pag/article13439.html Sounds like Witter's left hook did more damage than I thought. Jake ? :dunno:
"They injected him with something." "He's never beaten anyone of my caliber so for him to hit me with shots like that and hurt me, something was wrong." :: Harris talking like his chin is granite or some shit.
I'll take it one step further - he left a message yesterday morning. I'm now glad I didn't call back. He and I did discuss a few of these things over the weekend - the hand wraps among them. I didn't know if it was the same as over here, where a rep from one corner is present when the other fighter is getting his hands wrapped. He said no such thing happened. He also complained that the temperature in his locker room progressively increased to the point where the a/c was off altogether. His surprise was that Witter hurt him with the very first punch he landed. Not just the knockdown blows, but damn near every power punch he landed. Viv's chin certainly isn't granite, but he's never been that hurt that early in a fight. I'm not necessarily validating it, just saying what he said to me over the weekend. But that's why he's now questioning the wraps. Not sure why he brought up the travel stuff. I thought it was fucked up that they expected him to fly to England only 3 days before the fight (and that Shaw agreed to it without putting up an effort) - but that sounds like a budget issue more so than a pre-fight conspiracy. It was smart of him to take a proactive approach and fly in early, but he had to expect that he wouldn't get reimbursed for his extra days in country. Methinks part of it is his manager speaking through Viv in efforts to file a protest and hopefully secure an immediate rematch, not unlike Steve Cunningham who was able to get his on a technicality as the commission conveniently forgot to administer a post-fight urinalysis.
Hilarious from Harris. Just man up and admit you got owned and say you'll come back stronger. Well this just lends further credence to Witters power IMO.
He's got to watch what he says.....forget taking his claims further, he's got more chance of getting sued cos he won't be able to prove anything. We heard about the flight thing (flying in 7 days ahead rather than 3) before the fight, but everything else has come out of nowhere. Going into the fight he said he was in the shape of his life. As for Witter, he's a proven puncher and physically didn't look any bigger than he does usually for a fight. The point about the corner jumping in the ring early may have a small amount of substance, only because the tv camera angles are inconclusive, but i just assumed that either Harris' corner had thrown in the towel, or the ref had waved it off before bothering to count Harris out. Why would they run in early?..., the KO was in that corner of the ring and they'd only be risking DQ. The interview is just very naive. Maybe Harris is banking on many US fans not seeing the fight....anyone who wants to see it enough can check out youtube and see Witter destroy him the way he did and make their own minds up. Hennessey Sports have a busy PR team, expect press releases rubbishing the claims sooner rather than later.
I don't think Harris has been hit as hard and as fast by anyone before Witter though, he didn't see a lot of the punches coming...so they are going to have greater effect. Witter's hands would have been watched by someone, the fight supervisor i guess. I'm more interested in what Gary Shaw has to say, if something is fishy he'll surely be all over boxing talk as well within the next 48 hours...if we don't hear from him it is probably because he doesn't feel there is anything to these claims....that would be more telling than anything from Harris
That bastard! I WANT TO SEE HIM GET KTFO AGAIN! Right after his loss, I was going to post a new thread (Will Harris finally be humbled). I guess not! I cant stand this bitch! All he has is excuses, excuses, excuses.
i know it's not his fault, but it seems like greg leon is great at bringing out the worst in fighters. he insinuates and asks the obvious, prompting some of these fighters to respond in a manner which make them look either really ignorant or obnoxious.
I wouldn't read too much into whether or not Shaw elects to voice his opinion on this. That was another complaint Viv had, that Shaw didn't make any contact with him until the night of the fight, and completely disappeared soon thereafter, without so much as a visit to the locker room to make sure everything was alright - you know, things you do when your fighter gets knocked out. I'm sure Jason and co. will have a field day with Viv's statements. But more important is whether or not the BBBC will speak out on any of the aforementioned. I get along with everyone @ Hennessy, but that's not to say that because they refute Harris' claims that they are to be taken on their word 100%. It's the commission whose words ultimately carry the most weight.
I got the opposite from that interview, though. Knowing both of them, I got the sense that Greg did the interview, just to do it. He didn't seem to believe too much in Viv's words, and even suggested that most viewers would probably read it and conclude that Viv's just making excuses. The problem is, it's the type of stories G always pursues. It's never been the site to catch a feel-good story, unless it's about someone in his regular rotation.
That's how it is when you go overseas. The handwrap thing is grounds for an immediate rematch according to the WBC. But the whole 3 day thing...that happens in any fight where a fighter goes overseas. I don't know a fighter who has gone that hasn't expierienced that. Harris really hasn't faced anyone like Witter, so one can say that he just hasn't expierienced that type of speed and power combination from a fighter. But if you couple that statement with the hand-wrap issue, then he's got an arguement. I don't know if anyone will say anything about them running into the ring. Harris was still down by the count of 10 too I think. Hotel room problems? It always happens. Can't get to a gym? It always happens. Every fighter is told to never count on the other guy's promoter. You gotta take managers in your own hands. His team is to blame for not having someone there to fight for him when he was getting screwed. Especially on the hand wrap issue. Just like Cunningham's team was to blame when they got jerked around in Poland. They got lucky with the drug test. Harris better get lucky with the hand wraps.
Dude, they announced Vivian was there almost a week before the fight. He was there August 31 according to the press releases. cunningham lost due to a poor decision. How do you dispute being KTFO?
yea in this one, it sound as if greg himself doesnt buy the story and thinks vivian is making excuses, therefore, not only did greg do an interview w/ a guy who's surely gonna make excuses, but he also makes him look dumb as fuck in the process. eh well, i guess he's at least consistent on doing these types of interviews.
I'm not sure where it says in the rules a dressing room must be air conditioned. Fuck Gleason's gym is damn hot in the summer so I'm not sure what he's talking about. The correct reaction should have been to give the guy props and say I got caught, it can happen to anybody, but I'll be back. Then he can bring up the handwrap thing. But now it looks like he's just making excuses. C
The immediate rematch wasn't based solely on the decision, though (and it was one that could've went either way, but that's for another day). It was due to the lack of a drug test. Like I said earlier, a technicality. Hell, it happened on my show last year. Everyone saw Bobby get knocked out. Everyone saw the ref bodyslamming Shelby Gross prior to that. Everyone saw the ref take 20 seconds just to get to 9 1/2 prior to that. But in the end, the result was erased because Shelby smoked a joint recent enough to where it showed up in his drug test. As far as the travel, they ran the press release because Viv let it be known he was in country four days early. I'm sure he did so because he expected to collect 4 extra days of travel pay :: Arben and I sound like we're on the same page with this. I agree that whoever's managing Viv these days (I don't know who it is, I just know it's no longer Jose) didn't do his or her job, but their out is with the hand wraps. His team a right to argue it after the fact, but if nothing else, it exposes their lack of preparation beforehand.
Also the promoter thing is kind of BS. Promoters don't give a shit about anything but money. Here is a classic situation. On the undercard of Rodriguez-Feliciano, a fighter promoted by Mr. X (former promoter I worked for) was brutally KTFO, laid out for like 10 minutes and taken out on stretcher. The promoters reaction was, MAKE SURE YOU GET THE CHECK FOR THE TICKETS HE PURCHASED. CASE CLOSED. Cupey
But the handwraps don't guarantee a rematch correct? I mean it could just be they change the results to a NC?
That's because promoters don't have a fiduciary duty to their fighters. Even still, Shaw is supposed to be the big compassionate teddy bear.
I don't think so. Cunningham's loss stood up, right? Or was it overturned? I thought that he "just" got the rematch. Granted, it's a separate issue, but in the same ballpark.
the decision wasnt overturned but IBF did mandate an immediate rematch. too bad the WBC didnt do the same when pretty much the same shit happened in japan when navarro schooled kawashima although navarro got the first crack at the title soon after kawashima lost it to tokuyama.
actually nevermind, the navarro-kawashima was just inept judging. it had nothing to do w/ post-urinalysis.