Audley Harrison

JEREMY PAXMAN:
It had been 32 years since Britain had won an Olympic gold medal at boxing, three years before Audley Harrison was born. Now the young man from west London has the world at his feet. So many Olympic gold medallists have become professional world champions. Many have been compared to the young Muhammad Ali, but in Audley Harrison's case, it might turn out to be appropriate. I was made to box at school and hated it. Tell me what the fascination of it is, what the pleasure is.

AUDLEY HARRISON:
For me, and for the other people who get involved in boxing, it's a sport where you have to utilise so many different things in yourself. From a mental point of view, you've got to overcome fear and anxiety. From a physical point of view, you've got to be in the best shape to deal with an opponent who is coming at you for three rounds, four rounds, even 12 rounds. Technically it's like a chess match. You have to always try to out-think your opponent and get it right.

PAXMAN:
Is it true you became interested in taking up boxing after watching one of the Rocky films?

HARRISON:
Yeah, that's a true story. I still train to the Rocky tape, because psychologically it's a motivational soundtrack and I get motivation from using that tape. When I was 13 and the Rocky movies came out, I was fascinated by it. So I had a fascination with boxing even though I didn't put on a glove until I was 19.

PAXMAN:
You'd been in trouble by then hadn't you? With the police. You'd been in a young offenders' institution. What was it that made the transition for you?

HARRISON:
Well, really...I think life is phases. You go through phases in your life and some people become, not penalised... There's people in prisons now and young offenders' institutions who are probably no worse than myself, but I was able to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I wanted to go through that phase. I was brought up in a community with a high crime rate, high unemployment. And that's what the kids done in that area, and I was a product of that, but I was never going to be a product of my environment where I was never going to move on. So I tried that. It's just what kids done. The gang used to hang around together.

PAXMAN:
What sort of things?

HARRISON:
We used to play around, you know, vandalism, running around, playing around in the shops, thieving from the shops, stuff that kids done from that area. It resulted in me getting a custodial sentence when I was younger. While I was in there, I had time to reflect on what I wanted to do with my life. I had been expelled from school. I was one of them "Why?" kids. "Everyone stand in a straight line." I would be like, "Why?" "Don't ask why, Mr Harrison." "Why do we all have to stand in a straight line?" I was too inquisitive for my young age. It got me into trouble. It was, "this guy's an intelligent guy, but he left with no qualifications", so I could never have said in future, "I've got no qualifications." So I had to address that matter. While I was in the youth centre, I had time to reflect. I decided when I came out I'd push it as long and as hard as I can to get a degree.

PAXMAN:
Is race anything that motivates you?

HARRISON:
I think I'm very motivated. I'm self-driven to achieve my goals and make my mark. Being a black British plays a part, because growing up as a young lad, I was never really shown any sort of racism, never really understood key words in racism. I had to educate myself. When you go in certain systems, you see certain things which can be regarded as overt racism and you get to deal with it or fight it. I was always someone who takes things in, analyses things and puts them out in a positive way. I am a guy who turns every negative into a positive.

PAXMAN:
You said you weren't aware of racism yourself. When you read about some poor kid like Stephen Lawrence and the awful thing that happened to him, what did you think?

HARRISON:
I was very annoyed. I've had my own scenarios, as has been well documented, later in life with a case similar to the Stephen Lawrence thing.

PAXMAN:
Where you were attacked?

HARRISON:
I was attacked. It was a police case which came up and got a lot of publicity.

PAXMAN:
That's right, and you got compensation didn't you?

HARRISON:
That's correct. But the Stephen Lawrence case and other cases like it... The thing is, if you've got a public role, for me that role brings to the table accountability and responsibility. I thought in the Stephen Lawrence case that that just wasn't done.

PAXMAN:
The report into the Lawrence inquiry talked about a culture of racism endemic to certain institutions in this country. Do you think race relations in this country are good or bad?

HARRISON:
I think they are very much improving.

PAXMAN:
Is it a country you like enough to want to stay in? Many people in your position, a chance of aiming at the world championship, may be tempted to go and live in New York or somewhere?

HARRISON:
Sure. No, I'm definitely black British, British born, and I intend to stay here. I'm not going anywhere. Probably I will be crossing over to America, because that's where my profession will take me, back and forth, but I'm a Brit and this is where I will be staying.

PAXMAN:
But it's a snake pit - the world you're in. I don't mean culturally. I mean the business of boxing. It's full of shysters and conmen and people who are going to exploit you and rip you off if they get half a chance.

HARRISON:
The funny thing is I think in life you don't get what you're worth, you get what you've negotiated. I'm going to make sure that I'm not going to get ripped off. I'm going to keep my healthy enthusiasm about the sport, because I think it's a positive sport. As long as you can control the controllables. A lot of boxers can't control the controllables and the power gets taken out of their hands and they start falling. Then they start losing their money.

PAXMAN:
So you're already think about what you're going to do when you stop boxing?

HARRISON:
The whole picture. Most definitely.

PAXMAN:
What are you going to do?

HARRISON:
The ultimate goal is the heavyweight champion of the world. I'm going to give it my best shot. But if I don't reach that goal, I won't have no qualms about walking away from boxing. I've done presenting already. I've commentated on boxing shows. I've promoted a few shows as well. As an amateur, I used to run my own club in the university and I was promoting my own shows. I've done a lot of marketing stuff. I used to do my own PR before I went to the PR company I'm with now. So there's so many avenues for me. That kind of deflects from my boxing anyway. I'm ahead of myself. I want to set up my business now. I'm going to dedicate myself to boxing for another six years. After that, the world's my oyster. I've got so many things I want to do. Every day for me is a blessing. Definitely the big picture is there. I can see myself at 55. I don't want to say what, but I can see myself at 55, being in a good position, with teeth... (JEREMY LAUGHS) ..where I can get involved in key... probably a sporting politician.

PAXMAN:
You go and get the world championship first.

HARRISON:
Most definitely.

PAXMAN:
Thanks a lot.

HARRISON:
Thank you very much.