For the vast majority of Tony Harrison’s career, the Detroit native solidified himself as one of the best junior middleweights around. But while he comfortably carved out a spot amongst the division’s elite, defeats against Jarrett Hurd and Willie Wilson left Harrison just short of his title aspirations.
Nevertheless, with seemingly one final chance to prove his mettle, Harrison crossed the championship finish line, beating Jermell Charlo via unanimous decision in 2018 as a heavy underdog.
Although his reign was transient, Harrison (29-3-1, 21 KOs) has done his best to work his way back up the ranks. In the immediate aftermath of his truncated run, Harrison went 1-1-1. Charlo, on the other hand, became the division’s undisputed champion and unquestioned top dog.
With the truculent Houston native originally set to defend his throne against Tim Tszyu earlier this year, Harrison quickly jumped on a golden opportunity. With Charlo forced to withdraw due to a broken left hand, Harrison gleefully stepped in as his replacement.
In addition to being forced to concoct a game plan to slow down his undefeated foe, Harrison will also look to ignore his loyal supporters as they battle it out at the Qudos Bank Arena in Australia on March 12th.
Tszyu, 28, solidified himself as a top contender and Charlo’s WBO mandatory thanks to a wide unanimous decision victory over Terrell Gausha. Still, even with Tszyu (21-0, 15 KOs) on a roll, Harrison views him as a tenuous, yet sturdy roadblock on his way back to where he feels as though he belongs.
As a third showdown against Charlo looms, along with the WBO 154-pound interim crown on the line, Harrison reveals that his desire to return to the summit of the mountain is higher than it’s ever been.
“I’ve never been this motivated to get to the top again,” said Harrison to Ronnie Duncan. “Like my motivation is at an all-time high.”