Inspiration
However, Harrison has a huge following of fans and his greatest
strength is his own self-belief. This combination leads him
on to bigger and better things every day and he is diligently
working towards his ultimate goal of becoming heavyweight
champion of the world. “I am my own inspiration and
I work to my own tune,” Harrison told The Gazette during
his conditioning training stay at Club La Santa. “I
get inspired every day by different people and it drives me
on. Every day is a blessing and every day is a pleasure and
I get motivation from people who are positive and try to make
a difference,” said the 6ft 5in giant. Harrison’s
imposing build and sometimes menacing look belies the fact
that he is an articulate, softly spoken graduate of Brunel
University and the proud holder of a degree in Sports Studies
and Leisure Management.
He is also very aware of the
fact that he is now a public figure and graciously accepts
every element of the fame game. “Sometimes I have to
sign 100 autographs and have my photo taken 100 times but
that is the price of fame and I accept it.” At Club
La Santa, Harrison created quite a stir among the guests and
brought a smile to many faces with his easy banter and waves
to the kids. His biggest thrill in life is a magnificent one
that many people, boxing fans or not, would love to trade
with him as their ultimate moment - sitting at the head table
for Muhammad Ali's birthday party at the London Hilton. Sharing
the table with Ali and Harrison were Naseem Hamed, Lennox
Lewis and a member of the Jordanian royal family.
Harrison has great respect
for all three of the boxers who sat with him at the table
that evening and also for the infamous Mike Tyson. “Mike
Tyson is cool,” said Harrison. “He is not the
Mike Tyson he was 10 years ago. He has had his ups and downs
like everybody but it is difficult when the bad times in your
personal life are so public. It is the same with Paul Gasgoigne.
Everything he does is public. We all have our skeletons and
our moments of madness.”
The best
of the best
It is difficult to believe that a moment of madness would
ever be allowed to stop Harrison in his tracks. His determination
is almost tangible and there isn't a second's hesitation in
his answers to the questions put to him. He knows exactly
where he is going and how he is getting there. When asked
about his ambition for the future, he states: “To globalise
my name through boxing which has given me a platform. To keep
having fun and to keep excelling. To make a difference, not
just to my own life, but to the lives of other people. To
be the best of the best and to fight the best of the best
when it matters.” How's that for certainty?
Which brings me on to Harrison's
philosophy on life... “The only thing about certainty
is that nothing is certain and I live each day as if it's
the last because tomorrow is promised to no one.” This
way of thinking has brought Harrison a long way. As a poorly-educated
adolescent from north west London, he spent some time inside
a young offender's institution after being expelled from school.
During this period of his life, his goals and ambitions were
established and he set about making them a reality soon after.
His sporting ability was never in doubt, even at a young age,
and he played football at county level before dedicating himself
to the ring at the age of 19. “Football's loss was boxing's
gain,” laughs the Arsenal fan who also has music and
TV aspirations.
Lean
and mean!
He chose Club La Santa for his conditioning training because
it has everything he needs under one roof: good weather, swimming
and weights facilities, a boxing ring and the mountain terrain
for hill running. His diet is currently high in protein to
keep him “lean and mean”.
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