Witter v Harris

[bazza76]

Come on lads you're being really harsh. Witter has the most prestigious belt in the weight division and has just kicked Harris' arse - big time. To disimss his victory just because Harris didn't look good does him a dis-service. The left hook that finished the fight would have floored any fighter in the division.

Like it or not - Witter is backing up his claims that he's the best in the division.

I don't think I am being harsh on him mate.
Up to now in his career Witter has shown that there has been parts of his game he needed brushing up on.
I know the lads on the TV were raving about him last night, but I still thought he was sloppy. Sure enough, he cought Harris with some lovely punches, Harris never got to grips with his style though and left himself totally open while being very sloppy, Harris also has shown he has not got the confidence to be world class.
Witter went up a notch in my book last night, but that is all, I am sure there are a few fighters in that division that would beat him. He is good in spells during fights, but against a world class opponent that is not good enough and he will get found out.
What a left hook he cought Harris with though, as you say, it was good enough to put anyone on their back in that division.

[bazza76]

The most prestigious belt? Backing up his claims that he's the best in the division?

He won a vacant world title making him what's called a paper champion. The most prestigious belt is the one that the very best in the division has held, the fighter who has beaten all comers. That man, up until 2005, was Kostya Tsyu. When Hatton beat him Hatton became the best and is still the best in the division.

The Ring belt, which Hatton holds and Tszyu held before him, is the most prestigious belt and the person who holds that in any weight division is universally recognised as the best regardless of what polotics filled alphabet title a fighter holds.

I'm sorry, Les, but beating an average fighter in Demarcus Corley for a vacant belt and then defending it against a blown up Super-Featherweight in Artouro Moura doesn't even bring him close to being anywhere near the best in the division. Fair enough he beat Harris but I think if you're really honest with yourself even you'd have to admit that Harris was shot.

Witter never has nor ever will be the best in the division and he's done nothing to back up those claims in my eyes.

One good performance, one that's being described as a career best, against a shot fighter doesn't make you anywhere close to being the best no matter what that uncharismatic **** Witter would have you believe.

Great post Scot

[bazza76]

Lads, I know you are viewing/watching this thread, I have a bit of work to do, be back in a while

[Howard_lfc]

Witter never has nor ever will be the best in the division and he's done nothing to back up those claims in my eyes.

One good performance, one that's being described as a career best, against a shot fighter doesn't make you anywhere close to being the best no matter what that uncharismatic **** Witter would have you believe.

Witter thinks he's the best in the division - and until somebody wipes the floor with him he's entitled to think that. Boxers need supreme confidence/arrogance - and he's got it.

Was Harris 'shot' before this fight? I haven't read back through the thread but I don't recall people saying he was shot before the fight. He was 'chinny' which I mentioned to Bazza.

Witter did a job on a class fighter. He was faster and carried more power. I realise that because people don't like him they dismiss his achievments in favour of saying his opponents are no good. That's fine but I tell you what - if that final punch would have landed on Ricky's chin - the outcome would have been the same.

[bazza76]

Witter thinks he's the best in the division - and until somebody wipes the floor with him he's entitled to think that. Boxers need supreme confidence/arrogance - and he's got it.

Was Harris 'shot' before this fight? I haven't read back through the thread but I don't recall people saying he was shot before the fight. He was 'chinny' which I mentioned to Bazza.

Witter did a job on a class fighter. He was faster and carried more power. I realise that because people don't like him they dismiss his achievments in favour of saying his opponents are no good. That's fine but I tell you what - if that final punch would have landed on Ricky's chin - the outcome would have been the same.

Fair enough about the mans personal confidence, I agree, he is entitled to think he is the best until proven otherwise. Not that I think he is though.

Harris before the fight, well, I had not seen him fight in quite a while, and judging by that fight last night, his confidence in his own ability does not look as strong as it should. I was very surprised at how bad he was. I think that is why people are saying he was shot after.

Everyone has a punchers chance though Les, I doubt Ricky would be as sloppy to let Witter to get a shot like that in on him though.

[Darth Marty]

I try not to dismiss anyones achievements because of personal dislike, honestly in my opinion Witter was good last night, but Harris was a shadow of the Harris I remember, really badly so in fact. Theres no doubt that Witter can punch a little, but I bet its no more so than anyone at his weight...certainly Hatton carries a more destructive dig!
Witter will be a decent world champion until he comes up against one of the big boys, and not one as shot as harris so recognisably was last night.

[bazza76]

Who was his promoter last night?
What an abysmal turnout, I see all 20 of Witters fans were there last night. Les, you weren't there by any chance

[kurtangle01]

Witter thinks he's the best in the division - and until somebody wipes the floor with him he's entitled to think that. Boxers need supreme confidence/arrogance - and he's got it.

Was Harris 'shot' before this fight? I haven't read back through the thread but I don't recall people saying he was shot before the fight. He was 'chinny' which I mentioned to Bazza.

Witter did a job on a class fighter. He was faster and carried more power. I realise that because people don't like him they dismiss his achievments in favour of saying his opponents are no good. That's fine but I tell you what - if that final punch would have landed on Ricky's chin - the outcome would have been the same.

I agree that it's good for a fighter to have confidence in himself. That's what Harris lacked last night and he looked like he'd rather be elsewhere and got sparked out.

I didn't say Harris was shot before the fight because I thought he looked very good in his last fight against Juan Lazcano but I never thought that Morales was shot until Pacquio knocked him out or Judah looked shot until Baldomir beat him and I never thought that Gatti looked shot until Mayweather beat him. The problem is that all to often it can happen to fighters in an instant and it looked to have happened to Harris last night. I'm may be proved wrong but we'll have to wait and see, eh?

The Vivian Harris that fought last night was slow and laborious and left his chin out to dry on to many occasions and if you do that you're asking to get knocked out. Witter was doing the same but Harris never found his range and missed when the opportunity presented itself. Witter was rocked in the fight himself though.

I don't dispute that that punch would have knocked out other fighters but I don't agree with your comment about Hatton being KO'd by Witter simply because I don't think Hatton would be as careless as Harris to let Witter catch him like that. Hatton as we all know is a come forward fighter and doesn't take a backwards step. He would close the distance and not let Witter box him at range. Harris got caught on the way out.

As for you saying Witter was backing up his claims to being the best in the division? As I said, only when he's beaten a string of top level fighters and taken on more big challenges and stepped out his comfort zone can he say that. If he's selling out arenas and beating the likes of Malianaggi and Torres and Hatton stays up at Welterweight I'd probably agree with you. But as it is he's struggling to sell out a gym hall in his hometown and for the most part fighting men who are nowhere near world class performers.

Compare him to Hatton and it's like night and day.

[Howard_lfc]

Who was his promoter last night?
What an abysmal turnout, I see all 20 of Witters fans were there last night. Les, you weren't there by any chance

Nah - I'm part of the Junior Witter Fanclub - Widnes branch. There's only me in it !!

Kurt - I take all of your points but I stand by my assertion that Witter's finishing shot would have had the same effect on Hatton. I agree that Hatton is better than Harris but he's not as hard to his as you suggest. IMO of course.

[kurtangle01]

Read this, Les, you'll love it!

I don't like Witter but talk about excuses.

HARRIS ACCUSES WITTER OF FOUL PLAY
By G. Leom

"They injected him with something...."

GL: Not a lot of people in America got to see your fight with Junior Witter. What went wrong and why didn't you come home with the title? "First I would like to thank God for getting me back home safe in the United States. It was a horrible fight I was in. We got there seven days before the fight. They wanted us to come in three days before the fight and they didn't appreciate that we wanted to come in seven days before the fight and I think that was wrong. When we got there they didn't give us any food money, have anybody to bring us to the gym. I had to train in my hotel. They didn't start paying for the hotel until Wednesday, but the fight was everything you shouldn't expect in a championship fight. There was nobody allowed from my corner to make sure that his hands were getting wrapped properly. He's not a big puncher, but every time I'd get hit and bruised up. It was the worst experience I had. When I had got dropped in the seventh round his corner jumped into the ring before I got counted out. That's a disqualification right there. His corner isn't supposed to jump into the ring until the referee calls off the fight."

GL: So You feel the whole situation was shady?

Vivian Harris: "It was all shady. The day before the fight he was losing weight to make the weight at the hotel. Then on the night of the fight he's bigger than me and stronger than me. I don't know if they injected him with stuff, but I know I was there to fight and the first time I got hit I started getting bruised and he fighting like he was a puncher. He's never beaten anyone of my caliber so for him to hit me with shots like that and hurt me, something was wrong."

GL: Do you not give Witter any credit for winning the fight?

VH: "I don't give him no credit because he didn't beat me fair. He knows he didn't beat me fair. The night of the fight he was so confident and being scared the whole week and that's because of what they did to make sure they win the fight any way they can. My cutman tried to point it out to everyone how they jumped in the ring before the fight was over."

GL: But you were eventually counted out right?

VH: "Yeah. I was on my feet when he hit the ten count. At the count of seven they were in the ring and they weren't supposed to be there. They were also supposed to have somebody watch his hands get wrapped. Anything could have been in his gloves, and it wasn't a fair fight."

GL: Clearly it wasn't your best night, I'm just trying to figure out if it's because you're saying Witter did something shady or the way you were treated from the time you landed early.

VH: "I was treated unfairly when I first landed and they did something to him."

GL: If this protest goes nowhere, have there been any discussions of where you go from here?

VH: "It is going to go somewhere. Me and my manager and my lawyer are going to fight this all the way. This was bad for boxing. On the night of the fight someone from my team is supposed to be able to watch them wrap his hands and he should have been disqualified when his people jumped into the ring early. I'm not thinking about it like it's not going to go somewhere because it is, we have two legit points."

GL: Are you confident that if the fight were shown in America there would be an outcry from the fans demanding a rematch?

VH: "Definitely. That's why the fight wasn't shown in America and brought to America. They wanted it to be in England so they can control everything. If we had to fight over here the fight would have had to be fair and all of that wouldn't have taken place so I would have been very successful."

GL: Are you concerned that people reading this who have not seen the fight might look at this as you just making excuses for the loss?

VH: "I don't think so because everyone knows when you go to England this is what happens. England is not a fair place to fight. Fighters have gone there and bad things happen to them. Fighters have gotten hurt badly over there. This is the first time I got dropped in a fight where my mind told me not to get up. The second time I got dropped my mind told me to stay down, but my will brought me up. I just got up too late. Thinking about it, I'm glad I got up too late because with how his hands got wrapped, I'm just happy I didn't get hurt. I don't care what nobody thinks, I have a family I have to live for but the fighters need to be protected and they didn't do that over there in England."

GL: Is there anything you'd like to say in closing?

VH: "This is the first fight I lost that I know I didn't lose fairly. I was in better shape and stronger than him until the night of the fight. Then I was weak and he was so powerful. Something went wrong in that dressing room, something went wrong with his blood and I hope we get a urine test or a blood test. But I'm not stressing that because they could control that too. I didn't even know I was training at his gym until after the fight. I had no protection over there, everything was in his favor and I got set up for the loss. They knew this was his biggest fight and they did what they had to make him win that fight by injecting him with whatever they had to."

http://www.boxingtalk.com/pag/article13439.html

[Darth Marty]

wow, im surprised that someone as professional as Harris is such a whiny ****er!
It was fairly obvious from about round...umm..1 that Harris wasnt up for it!
**** him then.......Glad he lost now!

[Howard_lfc]

Read this, Les, you'll love it!

I don't like Witter but talk about excuses.

Wow! Those are serious accusations.
Harris has done himself no favours here. It doesn't sound like he wants a rematch either !!!

[kurtangle01]

Wow! Those are serious accusations.
Harris has done himself no favours here. It doesn't sound like he wants a rematch either !!!

Witter won that fight fair and square and if I'm not mistaken both fighters have to take drug tests before and immediately after every fight.

I think Harris should be reprimanded for those accusations and it's laughable how some fighters just can't admit that they lost to the better man!!

[Doc_Piptorious]

Witter won that fight fair and square and if I'm not mistaken both fighters have to take drug tests before and immediately after every fight.

I think Harris should be reprimanded for those accusations and it's laughable how some fighters just can't admit that they lost to the better man!!

Witter won the fight, no doubt about that. For Harris to even suggest anything was even a little iffy is just a joke. Harris is a fighter who has seen his best days long gone.


Witter will twitter on now about Hatton though, and talk it up as if he has Hatton running scared. If better hope that Hatton gets beaten badly by Mayweather, which I think he will, otherwise Hatton will school Witter if he gets him inside a ring.

[bazza76]

Witter won the fight, no doubt about that. For Harris to even suggest anything was even a little iffy is just a joke. Harris is a fighter who has seen his best days long gone.


Witter will twitter on now about Hatton though, and talk it up as if he has Hatton running scared. If better hope that Hatton gets beaten badly by Mayweather, which I think he will, otherwise Hatton will school Witter if he gets him inside a ring.

Where the **** did you get to
you totally went AWOL
Everything alright I hope.
Good to see you about again, although I do think MC Hammer is a ****!