04.06.05 – By Wray Edwards: In what turned out to be a disappointing mismatch a WBO featherweight championship bout was held at the Manchester Evening News (MEN) Arena in Manchester, England last night. Scrappy featherweight contender Michael Brodie, 31, took on hulking, twenty-seven year-old champion Scott Harrison. The so-called 126 pound WBO title was contested between Brodie, at just barely junior lightweight (around 130 at fight time), and Harrison who weighed in close to junior welterweight (140.).
The burley Harrison from Scotland came to the MEN venue to fight svelte local hero Brodie, and to get some American TV face-time. Showtime’s Steve Farhood and Nick Charles disclosed that local weight rules require a second weigh-in the day of the fight. Harrison weighed in for the second time at 12:05 am Friday morning for his ring appearance to enable him to have maximum weight-gaining time before the fight. Guess we know where his head’s at.
Nick and Steve speculated that Harrison probably weighed about 140 pounds by fight time. Their discussion had a very slight edge of concern but was well short of disapproval. They did remark about the obvious size difference. So the stage was set
for the rusty Brodie who’s last fight was against Chi fourteen months ago in which Michael was KO’d. Harrison, on the other hand, has fought three times during those fourteen months.
So let’s see, Harrison possibly outweighed Brodie by ten pounds or more, he is three years younger and has been much more active. This is an obvious set of disadvantages for Brodie. The only things he had going for him were the home-town crowd and his boxer’s courage. So how did it go?
Harrison came out in ROUND ONE trying to pull a Brewster for a short night’s work. He generally slapped Brodie around the ring. Michael just did manage to survive until the bell: 10/9 Harrison.
Harrison got Brodie’s attention because during ROUND TWO Michael fought back with reckless energy, stopped Harrison’s full-time advances and actually backed Scott up a few times. The round was close, but Michael appeared to have shaved an edge: 9/10, 19-19.
Again in ROUND THREE Brodie gave it his all and backed Harrison up even more. Brodie’s right eye began to swell underneath and he had a bit-o-blood in the corner of his left eye. Considering the differentials mentioned above, Michael was active
and accurate enough to carry the slimmest of edges again: 9/10, 38-39 Brodie. There was an ominous sign at the end of Round Three when Brodie doubled over as he painfully returned to his corner.
Between rounds Harrison’s corner showed concern that Brodie might be getting even and showing some progress. OMG, we can’t have that. There was also encouragement for more body shots. Scott’s corner may have seen Michael double over, and decided to
capitalize on the perceived vulnerability.
ROUND FOUR lasted about thirty seconds. The two boxers struggled with each other for about twenty seconds, and then at 2:38 Harrison delivered a stiff left to Brodie’s right hip well below the belt-line. Referee Mickey Vann’s face can be seen, in frame, looking right at the punch. Though he had warned Scott to keep ‘em up earlier on, there was no caution this time. 2:31 Scott right punches Michael just left of center on the line between the red of his elastic and the white satin of the
trunks. A full two inches of belt is visible above Harrison’s glove. No warning.
Still at 2:31 Harrison delivers another punch (left) on the belt (possibly slightly higher – all camera angles were a bit obscured. Michael’s trunks can be seen rippling from the blow. 2:30 Brodie takes a grazing right to the beltline again followed by a Harrison left (2:29) to the top of Michael’s belt. This was the first of the four punches to make any contact with skin. This was also the punch which put Brodie to knee with a slight action delay at 2:28. At least three of these punches appeared to be low but were not called. Michael purposely stayed down and was counted out.
Both fighters showed manly sportsmanship after the fight even though there were hostile stare-downs, and even a few after-the-bell blows. This fight will probably be the end of Brodie’s hopes for an ascendant career. It was very difficult to watch
this stalwart young man get taken apart by Harrison, who is essentially a tank-like wrecking crew. This was not a boxing match. It was especially disappointing, as it took place in the looming shadow of the fight between Tszyu and Hatton. No true Boxing Fan can take pleasure in watching a lamb being led to the slaughter. There is one consolation…considering how well Brodie did in the fight despite the fac that he was clearly not in the same class as the talented Harrison.
Actually, if Harrison has grit, I’m hoping he’ll fight some junior lightweight guy like Barrera, Morales, or, even better, Barrios if he wants to continue in the WBO stable. Those guys fight around 140. Let’s see if he can prevail against the top fighters.!