Tag Archives: Tony Harrison

Posted on 04/20/2022

By: Hans Themistode

After falling flat on his face on the grandest of stages, Tony Harrison had officially broken through. The highly ranked 154-pound contender draped his shoulders in gold following his upset win over Jermell Charlo to claim the WBC junior middleweight title in 2018.

Since his career-defining triumph, however, Harrison has seen more valleys than peaks. One year following his victory over Charlo, Harrison was brutally stopped in their immediate rematch. From there, the Detroit native would spend roughly one and a half years on the sidelines before facing off against Bryant Perrella.

Despite being viewed as a considerable favorite, Harrison was forced to settle for a split decision draw. With his career at a crossroad, Harrison boxed circles around Sergio Garcia, winning a wide unanimous decision on April 9th, earlier this year.

As Harrison continues to enjoy his time back in the winner’s circle, he revealed that his lackluster showing against Perrella came due to a lack of motivation. At this point in his well-established career, Harrison admits that he’s only interested in facing fighters who will mean something to his legacy.

“I don’t want nothing that’s meaningless to me,” said Harrison on the Porter Way Podcast. “Bring me a fighter that’s gonna mean something.”

Having fought just a few short weeks ago, Harrison is currently enjoying the fruits of his labor. Once he’s done kicking his feet up and relaxing, Harrison is eyeing a showdown against one of division’s upper echelon.

In his opinion, 154 is stacked with talent from top to bottom. And, for what it’s worth, Harrison knows good and well that he could find himself in many fan-pleasing fights for years to come. But, regardless of that notion, Harrison is fixated on ending his rivalry with Charlo. Should Harrison find himself facing off against the fiery Houston native once more, there could be even more at stake.

On May 14th, in Los Angeles, California, Charlo is scheduled to take on Brain Castano. Presently, the winner of their upcoming bout would be crowned the division’s first undisputed champion since Winky Wright in 2001.

Regardless of whether it’s Charlo, or fellow highly ranked contender, Tim Tszyu, Harrison believes he needs to face someone that he views as a legitimate threat.

“To me, the Charlo fight means everything to me personally. That’s my personal favorite but you got guys like Tim Tszyu, that can mean something for legacy. Just bring me something that’s meaningful to me.”

Posted on 01/14/2022

By: Hans Themistode

After a long and successful run in the welterweight division, Danny Garcia has grown sick and tired of squeezing his enormous frame down to the 147 pound limit. So, in an effort to extend his career and return to championship glory, Garcia is currently pondering a move up in weight.

Although the Philadelphian hasn’t officially made his decision as of yet, he has revealed that even a 147 pound showdown against pound-for-pound star Terence Crawford is unlikely to happen due to his ongoing weight issues.

With Garcia’s next destination likely at 154 pounds, the former two-division titlist has set his sights on a third world title reign. At the moment, both unified super welterweight champion Jermell Charlo and WBO titlist Brian Castano, are set to face off on March 19th with undisputed glory on the line. In the meanwhile, should Garcia make the trek seven pounds north, he could be in search of a dance partner.

As things currently stand, many of the top 154 pounders are currently occupied. However, former WBC champion Tony Harrison doesn’t appear to have anything lined up on his fight calendar. Should the two face off at some point this year, newly retired Shawn Porter is of the belief that his former rival can and will pick up the victory.

“I do believe that Danny Garcia is moving up to 154,” said Porter on his podcast The Porter Way Podcast Clips. “I do believe Danny will be back in the ring again this year. I think that he would win in a fight between him and Tony Harrison.”

Garcia, 33, has grown more and more inactive over the past few years. The former welterweight champion has also produced a mixed bag of results, going 3-3 in his last six ring appearances. Most recently, Garcia was thoroughly beaten by unified welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. in December of 2020.

Still, despite his recent form, Porter believes a move up in weight would benefit the Philadelphia slugger. Having beaten Garcia in a hard-fought 2018 welterweight showdown, Porter is fully aware of what he’s capable of.

In addition to Porter believing that Garcia’s overall skill set is amongst the elite, he senses that Harrison has fallen from his once lofty position at 154 pounds. Following consecutive bouts against Charlo, with the latter resulting in an 11th round stoppage defeat, along with Harrison’s lackluster showing against Bryant Perrella, Porter is giving Garcia the edge in their hypothetical showdown.

“I feel like he has declined since his second fight with the Charlo brother,” continued Porter. “He got a draw against a fighter that he’s not supposed to draw against you know.”

Posted on 03/23/2021

Former WBC Super Welterweight World Champion Tony “Superbad” Harrison will enter the ring to face hard-hitting southpaw Bryant “Goodfella” Perrella in the super welterweight main event of FOX PBC Fight Night and on FOX Deportes Saturday, April 17 from Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall in Los Angeles.

Televised coverage begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT and features undefeated rising contender Omar “El Relampago” Juarez stepping up versus veteran Jessie Roman in the 10-round super lightweight co-main event. The telecast opener will see the return of sensational prospect Vito Mielnicki Jr. against James Martin in an eight-round welterweight matchup.

The event will be promoted by TGB Promotions and will take place without fans in attendance at the Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall, an AEG venue, in downtown Los Angeles.

“Former world champion Tony Harrison is one of the brightest stars in the super welterweight division and will look to show that he’s ready to reclaim a world championship live in primetime on April 17,” said Tom Brown, President of TGB Promotions. “Tony’s will and skill makes him a tough matchup for anyone at 154-pounds, but he will also have all he can handle in the very talented Bryant Perrella, who will be making his debut in the division. This exciting main event is buoyed by rising stars Omar Juarez and Vito Mielnicki Jr. competing in separate fights as part of a jam-packed night on FOX that boxing fans won’t want to miss.”

The pride of Detroit, Michigan, Harrison (28-3, 21 KOs) spent his early boxing career under the tutelage of the late Emanuel Steward in the legendary Kronk Gym. As a professional, the 31-year-old was still considered one of the most skilled fighters in the sport despite coming up short in his first two attempts at a world title. The third time was the charm for Harrison, who shocked the boxing world in December 2018 by outpointing long-time champion Jermell Charlo to earn the WBC title in Brooklyn on FOX. Their rematch one year later ranks among the best fights of 2019. Harrison and Charlo fought mano-a-mano until Charlo stopped him in the eleventh round to regain the belt.

“Due to the pandemic, we’ve lost a lot of people over the last year, including my father Ali Salaam, and I’m dedicating this fight and the rest of my career to him,” said Harrison. “My father was always there in my corner, and I’ll continue with him right by my side spiritually. But my brother L.J. is my head trainer now and we’re working hard to prepare for a tough fighter in Perrella. I’m coming off the longest layoff of my career, so I’m just excited to get back in action. The realest fighter in the game is coming back and I’m glad we’re going to be bringing this fight to everyone on free TV on FOX. This fight will be fireworks and I’ll be looking out for whenever it’s execution time. When I see the opportunity, I’ll knock his head off and put it on my mantle.”

The 31-year-old Perrella (17-3, 14 KOs) began boxing at age 15, amassing an impressive 70-9 amateur record before turning pro in 2012. Fighting out of Fort Myers, Florida, Perrella rose quickly through the pro ranks, stopping 13 of his first 14 opponents, including a second-round TKO over previously-unbeaten David Grayton in June 2016. Three months later, he suffered his first pro defeat against current welterweight world champion Yordenis Ugas. Perrella bounced back from a close loss to Luis Collazo in August 2018 with a decision victory over Breidis Prescott and a stoppage of Domonique Dolton in his 2019 campaign. In Perrella’s last bout, in February 2020, he was on the short end of a controversial, last-second knockout at the hands of Abel Ramos, in a bout where Perrella was ahead on scorecards.

“I’ve made big changes in my game and they will reflect a more proficient fighter when I step in against Tony Harrison,” said Perrella. “I don’t care about status or resume heading into this fight. I’m coming to do what I do best, and that’s dominate. I can’t wait to get in there and perform on April 17.”

Posted on 04/11/2020

By: Hans Themistode

He may not have gotten the win on both occasions, but two fights with Tony Harrison was more than enough for WBC Jr Middleweight champion Jermell Charlo to prove his point. 

Charlo spent the better part of four years as the division’s biggest star. He didn’t have the most belts, he also didn’t have the most knockout power, but he always made the most noise. 

Charlo isn’t the philosophical type, but he believed that his destiny was to become the undisputed champion in the near future. 

Those ideas though, became obsolete when he lost his titles, albeit controversially to Tony Harrison. 

From there, the most unlikely of rivalries began. 

Yet it was short-lived when Charlo won the immediate rematch. Technically, the scoreboard is screaming to the world that it’s tied. So a third fight makes all the sense in the world. But to Charlo, it’s actually more in his favor. 

“Would I ever fight him (again)? F–k no,” Charlo bluntly states. “Why…so we can go back and prove another point, a point we already proved? I already proved that in the first fight, but I guess everyone was just listening to the hype man, to Tony Harrison. He hyped real good, and then he got his ass knocked out.”

“What y’all want me to do, go wiggle and dance with him in the ring? It’s entertainment, and that’s why you should tune in and watch my next fight.”

If it’s entertainment you want, then these two are the one’s to deliver it. Remember when Harrison called Charlo a “cornball” and wore a matching shirt. Or how about when Charlo constantly accused Harrison of faking an ankle injury. Even funnier was the time when Harrison completely acquiesced to Charlo’s faking claim. He even went as far as to say that everyone was in on it.  

Both men might be world class fighters, but their true calling might be on the comedy scene. In the meanwhile, both Charlo and Harrison are at or near the top of the division. But what would be the point in having a third contest? The better fighter was already crowned in their last contest according to Charlo.

“I had to take Tony out. I just wanted y’all to know that was a whole fraud move,” Charlo (33-1, 17KOs) noted while hosting a live chat on the official Facebook fan page of Premier Boxing Champions (PBC). “I don’t know what the boxing world was on when they were trying to do me like that. It’s always something to try to make a legacy important and I guess that’s what I went through.”