Can Harrison Repel invasion of the Body Snatcher by Tom Podmore Apr 30th 2008

Wolverhampton's Dean Harrison takes his first significant step up the domestic ladder on Wednesday night (April 30) when he goes to work over eight against dangerous Stoke-based puncher Gary ‘The Body Snatcher' Reid, a former Commonwealth title challenger, at Wolverhampton Civic Hall. First Team (Paul (PJ) Rowson and Errol Johnson) promote a solid-looking seven-fight card in the Black Country. Whilst some may argue that Harrison's contest against wild but dangerous Ghanaian banger Alex Brew was a more demanding assignment, statistically more impressive with nine wins (seven inside) and a draw in 13 outings, Reid is a known domestic quantity. He is renowned for giving his opponents an excellent and torrid argument, even getting the better of those not quite up to his level. And whilst he may have lost three of his previous four – John Fewkes, Ajose Olusegun and Scott Haywood – Reid has gone the distance in all, pushed them all. In fact, he had a legitimate argument in feeling hard done by against Sheffield's unblemished Fewkes, who challenges for the English title next month, in October. He was also suffering from a nasty bout of flu against Derby's ‘Super Scott'. But you only have to glance at the former Wolverhampton-domiciled puncher's record to see he's never had an easy night. As well as reigning Commonwealth champ Olusegun, Gary has crossed swords with the likes of Young Mutley, Barry Morrison, Ted Bami, Bradley Pryce, Francis Barrett, Kevin Bennett, Oscar Hall, Willie Limond, Martin Watson, Nigel Wright, Dean Hickman, Jason Cook, Kevin Mcintyre… No easy nights for this sawn-off slugger, then. So meeting a talented, unbeaten but untested prospect in his hometown will hold little fear for him. Besides, the last time he made the short trip across from Staffordshire to the Black Country (April 2007) he annihilated hard-hitting Dean Hickman, who'd outpointed him over ten two years earlier, in five explosive rounds for the vacant Midland Area 10st belt. The former two-time British Masters champion has also boxed a wealth of Area, English, British, Commonwealth, European and ‘world' champions in a up-and-down ten-year paid career that has seen him fall a tad short against the top men in the country. But the man ranked at 13 in BBN's British ratings has hinted on several occasions that he is a domestic-level operator. Take the Kevin Mcintyre fight in 2006 as prime example of his devastating power and ability. The Paisley postman, now a British champion at welterweight, was thumped to the canvas four times en route to a one-sided six-round stoppage loss for the vacant British Masters light-welterweight belt in Stoke. Mcintyre simply couldn't take the pulverising blows that brutally thumped into his ribs. Potteries puncher Reid now trains three times a day, five times a week at the talent-packed Impact Boxing Gym and is more than just a ferocious body puncher. He clashed with Ricky Hatton in the ABA semi-finals eleven years ago and Hatton claimed an injury stoppage in a fight Gary thinks he was winning. “I had a pretty nasty and uncomfortable shoulder injury going into the fight with Hatton,” remembers the 35-year-old Lindon Newbon-trained fighter, who boxed for the same club, well-respected Wolverhampton ABC, as the opponent he faces over eight-threes this week. “It was a pretty even fight until I pulled my shoulder, maybe even edging things. I was certainly the better boxer on the night. “But I can't really say that the injury was to blame for my defeat,” continued the rock-chinned former English and Commonwealth 140lb title challenger, who has boxed three times against Errol Johnson fighters (Young Mutley (loss in seven) and twice against Dean Hickman). “He is a very talented boxer and we were the top two amateurs in the country back then. There was very little between us.” Harrison is unperturbed by Reid's 33-fight (13 wins, eight via the quick route, one draw) professional experience, title wins or the fact he was neck-and-neck with Hatton, a future two-weight world light-welterweight and welterweight boss, in the amateurs. He has readied himself by sparring with the English lightweight champion, Manchester's John Murray, for this. The Errol Johnson-trained, First Team-promoted boxer was himself an ABA semi-finalist in the vest of John Thomas' Wolverhampton ABC, won the Midland ABAs, had 49 amateur outings, split a pair of fights with unbeaten pro Martin Gethin – the current Midland Area lightweight champion – boxed for England and was rated in the English top ten. And he has banged out 11 wins in as many bouts (three quickly) since turning over with a four-round win over bigger and heavier Joe Mitchell, a dangerous Brummie who'd boxed as high as middleweight, in October 2006. He's been learning his trade since then – educational fights against Judex Meemea, Rakhim Mingaleev, Baz Carey and Daniel Thorpe – and has now been let off the lead. Harrison wants to be ready to box for the British light-welterweight title, currently held by Manchester's erratic but talented David Barnes, by the start of 2009 and knows he will have to repel the challenge of the Staffordshire banger in impressive fashion if he wants to keep those ambitions on track. The signs in his first 11 paid fights have been promising. He has only dropped two rounds in over 58 scheduled sessions, won by stoppage in Las Vegas (night before Hatton-Mayweather) over a puncher who ended the unbeaten run of Jorge Paez Jr, unbeaten in 12 entering, and recently took care of the dangerous African, Accra's Alex ‘Wild' Brew, in seven comfortable rounds. Calm, measured, skilful, good defensively and putting more force into his punches in recent outings, the Wolverhampton Wanderers supporter certainly looks as if he has the tools to be a British champion in the future. The 24-minute bout with Reid, however, will tell us more about his ability – and ability to absorb punches from a noted hitter. And both men like to aim punches at the body. Harrison attacks that area like Ricky Hatton: balls of his feet, moves them to the ropes, side to side, switching it from left to right. Reid, however, tears forward, looks to get under the arms of his taller opponents and then hooks the ribs with two-fisted ferocity. It could come down to who's done the most sit-ups in training. Harrison (5'9) will also have a three-and-a-half inch advantage in height on his fellow-Midlander, by the way, something that could play a pivotal role in the fight. Reid, as was recently demonstrated by tall Scott Haywood in Nottingham last month, has always had trouble against men who can stay out of harms way of his blows and keep things on the outside. Still, staying on the outside against tenacious and terrier-like Reid is easier said than done, the Staffordshire scrapper being deterred by very little. But I think that the 24-year-old Black Country ticket-seller will win, overcoming a few rocky moments in the early rounds to take control from the third and pound out a hard-fought points win in his acid test. However, if the former Midland Area light-welterweight monarch can get into his full stride – the form that saw him destroy quality men like Kevin Mcintyre, Leo O'Reilly and Dean Hickman in 2006 and early 2007 (combined record of 50-7-2) – then it's a fight that has the potential to swing the other way. The undercard features the West Midlands next batch of prospects: Stafford's Rob Hunt, 8-0 (1), Stourbridge's Scott Evans, 3-0 (1), unbeaten Wolverhampton duo Rob Kenney, 5-0-1, and Lyndsey Scragg, 4-0 (3), and Birmingham heavyweight Neil Perkins, 1-0. Wolverhampton debutant Russell Colley, who boxed for England as an amateur, also appears. Jamie Ball, the Dudley first-timer due to take on Lance Verallo, is off the bill. The 24-year-old's papers didn't come through in time.

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