By Nick Parkinson, DailyStar.co.uk
AUDLEY Harrison got revenge over Michael Sprott with a savage last-round knockout to win the European heavyweight title last night.
Harrison avenged a 2007 KO loss to Sprott to claim the vacant title at Alexandra Palace in north London.
By lifting the European belt, Harrison is now in the best position of his under-achieving career, with a world title shot later this year a realistic possibility.
However, the 38-year-old was heading for a clear points loss until he uncorked a stunning left hook in the 12th round.
Harrison suffered a right shoulder injury at the end of the second round and needed a knockout to rescue his career from the threat of retirement.
He said: “My right shoulder went. I knew I was behind, but I stayed in looking for a shot with my left hand and I was able to gain victory. With one hand from the second round, I found that shot. I showed heart, I showed bottle and I deserve to be the European champion.”
Harrison wants to face either WBC champion Vitali Klitschko or his younger brother Wladimir – the IBF-WBO king – rather than Britain’s WBA ruler David Haye.
Becoming European champion has catapulted Harrison into the WBC top 10 rankings, so a successful first defence against Ukrainian Alexander Dimitrenko would earn a straight shot at Vitali.
Sprott, 35, knocked out Harrison in three rounds in 2007 and last month returned with a 58-second stoppage win following the death of his sister in September.
Harrison had auctioned off the Prizefighter Series trophy he won in October for Sprott’s family, but there was no charity on show between them in this long-awaited rematch.
Harrison was the busier boxer in the first session and then unloaded a barrage of left hooks with Sprott on the ropes. But moments later, in the second round, Harrison’s legs were wobbled under the force of a fierce right by a fired-up Sprott.
The California-based Londoner looked in trouble in the third round as Sprott launched himself furiously at him.
Southpaw Harrison began getting through with his jab later in the third, but another big right from Sprott found the target.
Harrison seemed reluctant to throw his right hand after the middle rounds and Sprott took advantage by relentlessly marching forward on the attack.
Harrison launched a series of left hooks in the ninth, but took some big shots in the 10th as Sprott continued to dominate.
After winning the 11th round Sprott only needed to survive the last to be confident of a points win.
But Harrison found the best punch of his career to flatten Sprott with a left hook as the Reading boxer opened his guard at the wrong time.
Source: dailystar.co.uk
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