Audley Harrison has reappeared in Britain. He came not only from his home in America but out of denial.
The Englishman who should have trained on from Olympic gold to the world heavyweight championship arrived in London ready to admit his mistakes and confront his failings.
And at 38, Harrison concedes that there can be no excuses and no coming back if he fails in his long overdue challenge for a serious title on April 9.
Coming for your belt: Audley Harrison (left) with Albert Sosnowski
Howard WinstoneIT took nothing less than a hero to keep fighting the best in the world, again and again, with boxing"s equivalent of one hand tied behind his back... until he eventually won the world title he craved.
Step forward the one and only Howard Winstone.
So heroic was he that in 2005, five years after his premature death at the age of 61, he was voted "The Greatest Citizen of Merthyr Tydfil" on the occasion of his Welsh home town"s centenary.
It was while working in a toy factory there that he lost the tips of three fingers, an industrial accident which robbed him of virtually all the punching power in his right hand.
Underthe guidance of his much-loved manager and trainer Eddie Thomas hedeveloped a piston of a left jab as he moved from an amateur careerclimaxed by a Commonwealth Games gold medal into the professional ranks.
Withthat one weapon and his elusive defensive skills he relied on winningon points rather than by knockout, as he did to defeat the popularTerry Spinks for the British featherweight title.
Gallantryon the epic scale came with his three challenges to legendary Mexicansouthpaw Vicente Saldivar for the unified WBC and WBA featherweightchampionship of the world.
Thousandsof Welshmen came by train to Paddington in 1965 to join we Londoners inwatching their favourite "boyo" box brilliantly to extend Saldivarthrough 15 close fought rounds at Earls Court.
Thatbrave defeat did not subdue Winstone. In 1967, Cardiff"s Ninian Parkfootball ground was packed to see him take Saldivar the distanceagain... only to lose once more.
Undeterred,he dared to venture into the even bigger arena of Mexico City"s AztecaStadium later that same year. Given the home support of some 90,000fellow countrymen, Saldivar knocked down Winstone twice before Thomasended an epic trilogy by throwing in the towel in the 12th round.
Butout of respect for the courage of his great rival Saldivar retired,leaving the way clear for Winstone to fight, and outpoint, MitsunoriSeki for the vacant titles the following January. Saldivar crossed theAtlantic to be at ringside at the Royal Albert and lead the cheeringfor a victory over-flowing with Anglo-Welsh emotion.
Winstone"sown career came to an end six months later on home soil in Porthcawlwhere, in his first world championship defence, he was knocked downtwice by Jose Legra before losing his world crown to a fifth-roundstoppage.
Theaffection for him never ended and his MBE was followed by the unveilingof his statue at the castle in Merthyr. Given modern technology perhapsthey should upgrade that to a mobile figure.
Afterall, this was the hero who adapted so brilliantly to boxing with onegood hand that the Welsh used to say of him: "Howard could dodgerain-drops in a thunderstorm."
Harrison goes to London"s AlexandraPalace that night to meet not only Poland"s Essex based Europeanchampion Albert Sosnowski but also his destiny.
This man seems to spend most of hislife in boxing"s Last Chance Saloon but there are few more glamorousexamples of that venue than the five-star Dorchester Hotel in which heheld court on Monday.
Beneath those West End chandeliershe took his dismissive nickname of "Fraudley" on the chin, saying: "Iknow that"s what people call me but they also say I"m a powder-puffpuncher. Yet I would argue that there"s a difference between theperception and the reality.
"Look at my record: 19 knockouts in 26 wins."
It is the four defeats, however, which trouble his critics.
In the 10 long years ofunderachievement since he won his Olympic medal in Sydney, Harrison hasbeen ignominiously outpointed by Danny Williams, Dominick Guinn,Michael Sprott and Martin Rogan... not exactly a catalogue of world-class heavyweights.
He says that those setbacks have"Been an advantage because they force me to go back all the way down tothe wreckage of my lost years on the seabed and rebuild my ship on thestronger materials of character and determination."
Harrison never fails to talk a goodfight but too often, until now, the biggest problem has come with theringing of the first bell.
However, this is the first time hehas fully faced up to the large question mark raised over whether hehas the heart of a real ring warrior.
By definition, he asserted himselfas a Prizefighter by winning the three-fights-in-a-night heavyweightseries on Barry Hearn"s tournament of that name in October.
As Harrison puts it: "That has enabled Barry to open the door for me for this European challenge.
"I know people havedoubted my heart, but what really happened was that it was broken by thecircumstances in which I lost the contract the BBC gave me when Iturned professional.
"I lost focus by trying to be my ownpromoter, losing sight of boxing while running a business. I also losttwo to three years of my career when I moved to America and disappearedinto a cloud.
"But now I"ve rediscovered my love of boxing. Watching theWinter Games on television has reminded me how I used to be part of thesoul of boxing when I was at the Olympics. Back then it wasn"t aboutthe money, it was purely sport. I come back now full of nostalgia forall that means.
Happy days: Harrison with Barry Hearn
"I don"t think anyone who knowsanything about this game questions that I have loads of ability. Thedoubts have concerned my mentality but I will prove in this fight thatdeep down I still have the will, the determination and, yes, the heartwhich enable me to win that gold medal while boxing with a badlydamaged hand."
Promoter Hearn promises that giventhe elevation to the top 10 in the world rankings which comes with theEuropean title, he will deliver to Harrison his dream of a world titlefight next time out.
"People do ask me why I"m stillpersevering," says Harrison. "Call me crazy but becoming world championremains my goal and I still know I can do it."
There have been mutterings of anall-British battle with David Haye but Audley is dismissive of hiscountryman, who defeated the Goliathan Nikolai Valuev.
"Where I live in the USthey have hardly heard of Haye," he says. "They remember me from the Olympics andask me what happened to Audley Harrison and whether I will ever fightone of the Klitschkos.
Downfall: Michel Sprott knocks out Harrison in 2004
"Those brothers are the only champions theyrecognise so, to be truthful, while David and me would be a big sellerat Wembley Stadium, I would still have to go and beat either Vitali orWladimir to gain full world champion recognition."
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"I"m ayoung 38 without too many miles on the clock. I used to be the toughestkid off the block and now I"m strong again."
He will need to demonstrate that onApril 9 because the underrated Sosnowski is a forever training,perpetually fit and physically powerful 30-year-old with his own dreamto pursue.
After only two defeats in his 45professional bouts he, too, is hungry for a shot of the world title. Heis also renowned for throwing hundreds of punches in every fight, acontrast to Harrison"s more wary habits.
And now, as one of the 800,000 Polesestimated to be living in and around London, he expects his supportersto out-number Harrisons at the Alexandra Palace.
"After Chicago and Warsaw this is the third biggest Polish city in the world," he says. "My people know I am ready for the fight which will open up my career."
Harrison, who has become moreaccustomed to jeers than cheers from his fellow Londoners of late,makes a patriotic appeal for them to rally behind him at this criticalmoment.
"I"m going to open up my gym so as to reconnect withmy dormant supporters," he says. "This is about England v Poland and I want myfans to bring their flags and their whistles and help me through itwhen the going gets tough.
World champion: David Haye (right) lands one on Russian giant Nikolai Valuev
"I know that this will be a seriousbattle but in every way I will be 100 per cent this time and there willbe no excuses and no regrets if I falter again. It will be my skillsand my will against his and in case anyone is wondering, I know whichAudley Harrison will be turning up on April the 9th."
That has been the other question inthe last few years as we have watched Harrison betray his undoubtedtalent with his comparative timidity.
"I need people toremember that I am really a success story," he insists. "I came from a poorbackground and had no education yet I not only won Olympic gold, but putmyself through university."
It is not Harrison"s in-bornintelligence which has ever been in question. What his country waits tosee a few short weeks from now is whether, at last, he can apply it inthe prize ring with genuine ferocity.
Prizefighter is a knockout with fans
Pryce is all right: Hot prospect Bradley with Enzo Calzaghe
The Prizefighter phenomenon may not please the purists but this sudden-death challenge of winning three three-round fights in one night to pick up the big purse continues to draw sell-out crowds, many of them from a new audience of fans.
Britain"s light-middleweights take to Barry Hearn"s ring this Friday and all the seats for Bethnal Green"s historic York Hall were snapped up long ago.
Bradley Pryce, Welsh favourite to win the top cheque of 32,000, starts against Belfast"s Neil Sinclair. If the tournament goes to form, Pryce should meet young Prince Arron in the semi-final.
That, in theory, should lead to the climax for Pryce of a re-match with Leicester"s Martin Concepcion, who he beat to win the Commonwealth championship. But these unorthodox events invariably spring a couple of surprises.
Don"t have a ticket? Then tune in to Friday Fight Night on Sky Sports from 8pm.
Farwell Bernard, Ireland"s mythical world championBernard Dunne has retired at the age of 30 having recently lost his world super-batamweight title... but still in possession of a curious place in boxing history.
There was nothing unusual in the Irishman being trained for glory by Freddie Roach at the American master-trainer"s Wild Card gym in Los Angeles. Roach does that all the time with fighters from all corners of the world, witness Manny Pacquaio and Amir Khan.
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