09.02.05 – By Tim Foley: Vivian Harris…step it up!!! This is your time to shine and your golden opportunity has come, but only if you choose to step up to the plate. With the Arturo Gatti vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr. fight seemingly flushed down the toilet, this should be your best chance to jump right into the elite 140 pound race. June 11th is a date that you should circle because Arturo Gatti will be in Atlantic City and you should be there as well.. Not as a spectator this time, but as the man staring across the ring from Gatti. I know this isn’t the original fight that most boxing fans want, but seriously, does anybody want to see another Chop-Chop Corley fight or Henry Bruseles debacle?? Gatti-Harris could become one of the all-time classics and not only give boxing a unification bout that the fans love and the sport needs, but also launch you into star status win, lose, or draw.
You are a fighter who has lived anonymously since beating Diobelys Hurtado for the WBA Junior Welterweight title. Sure, you have had two good fights with Oktay Urkal in Germany, but how many people in the U.S. have seen these fights? And really, who is Oktay Urkal?! These are not the kind of title defending wins that will put people in the seats.
You are such a pressure fighter that Arturo Gatti couldn’t help but come forward and try to slug with you. Your height and reach could probably give Gatti a ton of trouble considering Gatti now tries to stay on the outside and use his reach. You would be the one with the reach advantage and could probably give him hell. Gatti will have a packed house watching him fight at Boardwalk Hall, so you should try to make the fight. Not only that, but you will finally be in a televised fight against a world class fighter. How can you not lose in a situation like this?
Let’s just say you get beat by Gatti, but it’s a good fight with a ton of punches and some blood mixed in. You may lose your title, but you will probably be in line for more television fights in the future that could make you more money than you did against Urkal. You’ve already turned down a chance to fight Ricky Hatton over a money dispute, but you have to realize that if you turn down more fights, you will be relegated to fighting in small boxing halls and venues making a fraction of what you are worth.
Let’s also look at the other scenario. What if you beat Gatti? You will have beating HBO’s cash cow and launched yourself into the next status…the elite fighter at 140 lbs. If you can get by Gatti, Kostya Tszyu awaits for probably the biggest money fight of your career in front of a packed house in your hometown of N.Y.C. at Madison Square Garden.
I have to ask you, how many boxing fans would salivate over the chance to watch another title unification bout at 140 with the three major belts (WBC, WBA, and IBF) at stake? You need this fight….let’s be honest, BOXING needs this fight.
This is your time Vivian. You can have a good payday against Gatti, but if you win, the jackpot awaits.