-Says Vivian Harris
Former World Boxing Association (WBA) junior welterweight champion Vivian Harris has vowed to return to the sport hours after an unintentional head butt forced the cancellation of his bout against Mexico’s Noe Bolanos.
Harris and Bolanos banged heads during the second round of their non-title event clash at the Desert Diamond Casino in Tucson, Arizona, USA Friday night.
The bout was the main event on the ESPN2 Friday Night Fights and the clash caused the 31-year-old Harris to collapse in his corner.
He was later taken out of the ring on a stretcher and to the UPH hospital at Kino Campus as a precautionary measure.
Harris subsequently passed the precautionary CAT scan Golden Boys Promotions Chief Operations Officer David Itskowitch said.
“I was more concerned for my daughter that was ringside,” Harris, of Carlstadt, New Jersey told BetterBoxingScene.com).
The fight was declared a no contest but Harris seemed unconcerned. “That’s boxing, things happen. You have to just keep moving on. I’ll be back again to perform better and better every time. I’m focused,” he added. He will see a neurologist this week.
Earlier this month it was announced that Harris had signed with Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions.
“Vivian Harris has always been a great fighter to watch, simply because of the excitement he brings to the ring,” said De La Hoya president of Golden Boy Promotions.
The bout with Bolanos was Harris’ first since he signed with Golden Boy Promotions.
It was also his first bout in 10 months since he was knocked out by Junior Witter on September 7, 2007 and his second fight with trainer Tommy Brooks in his corner.
In his previous bout Harris, climbed off the canvas twice in the first round against unknown Octavio Narvaez to score a sixth round TKO.
Media reports described as insensitive, pronouncements from the Bolanos camp that Harris was feigning injury to avoid what was shaping up to be a tough night in the ring.
“When he saw the body punch in the first round, he didn’t want to go through,” said the Mexican’s trainer Juan Mendoza. “That’s the bottom line right there. … My boy’s too strong for that dude,” Mendoza added.
But Harris said he believes that had the Bolanos fight continued he would have gradually taken over with his experience and class.
“I was getting more relaxed with my jab and keeping him at long range. I’m kind of pleased with myself because it’s kind of hard to change my habits of banging out in the first round,” he told BetterBoxingScene.com).
Harris said he had never been hurt so bad before.
“That was the worst. That head butt was some rare, crazy stuff. It was no joke. The first round had a head butt too but it wasn’t like the second one. Still I wanted to fight,” he told the website.
Harris also commended the commissioner of the Arizona State Boxing for his handling of the situation.
“That’s a good commissioner. He takes good care of the fighters. I really respect him for that. He came to the back of the dressing room and made sure I was OK. I didn’t want to go to the hospital but he made sure I did so that I’d be OK.”
Harris won the WBA junior welterweight title with a second round knockout of Cuban Diosbelys Hurtado on October 19, 2002.
He defended the title thrice before losing it to Carlos Maussa in June of 2005.
Two years later he unsuccessfully challenged Witter for the World Boxing Council title.
