WHATEVER the merits of Tomasz Bonin’s 26-bout unbeaten record, you can bet that at around 11.15pm tomorrow at Alexandra Palace, he will be lying flat on his back. Bonin, of Poland, is the latest boxer with an inflated record flown in to test Great Britain’s Olympic super-heavyweight champion. But it is Bonin’s bad luck to be the first to come across Audley Harrison in a very bad mood.
Harrison, mounting his defence against an endless stream of criticism, has portrayed Frank Warren, his rival promoter, and the BBC, his paymasters, who have just dropped him, as the bad guys.
Harrison accused the BBC of undermining his attempts to get more significant opponents by refusing to pay for a decent standard of opposition. Warren was accused of launching a campaign of negative publicity which, Harrison said, contributed to the BBC getting cold feet. “Frank has played a good game, but the loser has been boxing,” Harrison said.
If agreement can be made with Frank Warren and BSkyB, Matt Skelton, the British and Commonwealth champion, will be next up after Bonin. If not, the United States beckons.