Tony Harrison aims to take family legacy to new heights

Tony Harrison, who has clawed his way back from a derailing defeat, now finds himself fighting for the vacant IBF junior middleweight title.

The stakes heading into Tony Harrison’s fight against Jarrett Hurd on February 25 (8:00 p.m. ET, FOX/FOX Deportes) at the Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama, could be viewed as a case of déjà vu for the brash and talented Detroit native. This, of course, refers to Harrison’s only career setback to date: a stunning TKO loss to Willie Nelson in a fight he was winning.

However, recent developments have imbued Harrison’s upcoming bout with even greater significance. With BoxingScene.com reporting that IBF champion Jermall Charlo has opted to vacate his title and move up to middleweight, Harrison (24-1, 20 KOs) and Hurd (19-0, 13 KOs) will now battle for the vacant strap.

The Nelson defeat, though, was a harsh lesson for Harrison, who, heading into the contest, was viewed as one of boxing’s brightest prospects due to both his natural ability and charisma. For the better part of nine rounds, Harrison outboxed Nelson and displayed the breadth of his skills, landing stinging combinations and commanding the ring’s geography. Then, suddenly, disaster struck in the form a Nelson right hand.

“I’ve been in situations that were so much bigger than me losing a fight,” Harrison told FanSided over the phone. “It was a realization of, just, life – how things can happen when everything is going right.”

Indeed, everything was set up for Tony Harrison to use the Nelson bout as a springboard to stardom. Harrison was the fight’s A-side, and his then-unblemished professional ledger with a glittering knockout percentage was bolstered by his boxing upbringing under the tutelage of the legendary Emanuel Steward in the cauldron of Detroit’s fabled Kronk Gym.

Reflecting on the loss that taught him the lessons needed to reposition himself for another run at boxing’s elite echelon, Harrison is blunt in his self-assessment, claiming he was “stupid” for engaging with Nelson when he had the fight won. He admits that emotions, and the desire to knock Nelson out, got the better of him, and that the humbling outcome prompted him to get rid of certain negative influences and focus on fostering stability in his life. “I no longer have to fight a style for the people,” Harrison said. “I can fight for me.”

What Tony Harrison is fighting for, beyond a world title and his own ambitions, is a legacy grounded in family, as well as both his connection to Steward and the embattled city of Detroit. These are the things that have shaped Harrison as man and fighter — things he carries with him into the ring for each bout.

Harrison’s father also fought professionally, and his grandfather, Henry Hank, was a top middleweight and light heavyweight contender in the late 1950s and early 1960s who was never given a shot at a major championship. Considered a concussive puncher and masterful defensive technician — his only stoppage loss in 96 bouts was to sledgehammer-fisted Bob Foster — Hank was part of what Charles Farrell, in a Deadspin piece, refers to as “Black Code” fighters, a term that he explains carries “racial, cultural, generational, and economic” implications. These boxers developed and mastered a defensively savvy, cerebral style born out of necessity and perfected with advanced ring intelligence. And yet, as Farrell notes, bias, prejudice and politics prevented most from even fighting for a title.

Tony Harrison has already surpassed his father’s ring accomplishments, and now he finds himself on the precipice of doing something even his legendary grandfather was not given the chance to.

“I was thinking that if my granddad was still alive he’d be super proud of me,” Harrison said. “And at the end of the day, for me, that’s really all that matters.”

When asked about Emanuel Steward’s role in his development, Harrison was initially left grasping for words, seemingly overcome by the memory of a mentor who meant so much to him. Harrison spoke of how he developed a kinship with Steward analogous to a sibling relationship that extended beyond the gym and ring. They would do things together as quotidian as going to the local bakery, and Steward would always invite Harrison over for barbecues. It’s the memory of these shared experiences, of time that cannot be bought or reclaimed, that Harrison holds so dear.

“If I could live it all over again, I would,” Harrison said. “The time with him was just the best. He developed me into a better person. Before I got with Emanuel, I was just this street savvy dude savagely doing every stupid thing I could.

“My outlook on life grew from a boy’s mentality to a man’s mentality.”

One shared dream that Harrison and Steward held was to bring big time boxing, television coverage and world championships back to Detroit. And Harrison knows that winning a world title is the first crucial step in turning their reveries into reality. To do so would also give the city’s proud but struggling populace something positive to focus on. “It [Detroit] makes a man a man. All the trials and tribulations I went through, most of it was just from being in Detroit. If you can make it here in Detroit…” Harrison said, trailing off. “It’s home for me.”

Harrison’s fight against Jarrett Hurd is one that has hardcore boxing fans salivating. Junior middleweight is one of the most talent-laden divisions in the sport, even though it lacks household names. For Harrison and Hurd, the chance to seize the spotlight on WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder’s undercard is the kind of platform that could propel the winner to broader stardom.

In Hurd, Harrison sees a mirror image of himself: an athletic, explosive and hungry young contender. That Harrison and Hurd were both eager and willing to fight (before the bout was even elevated to a world title fight, don’t forget) is a testament to their willingness to face elite opposition, and it encouragingly furthers an early 2017 trend of compelling, high stakes match-ups.

To get back to this point, Tony Harrison has reeled off three consecutive victories, with his most recent outing being an impressive stoppage of Siarhei Rabchanka. Harrison graded his performance an eight out of 10, conceding that he could have pressed the action more consistently in order to dictated the bout’s pace. When he went back to the gym, Harrison placed even greater emphasis on conditioning, as he’ll need to be in peak shape against Hurd to throw steady volleys of punches and dart in and out of range.

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With all Harrison has been through, and all he’s overcome, it’s no wonder that the brash and endearing budding star connects so strongly with fans. His is a story born of taking on obstacles in an environment many cannot overcome; it’s a tale of loyalty, of family and of tantalizing potential. And in Jarrett Hurd, Harrison has an ultra compelling foil against whom that promise can be tested.

“When you understand the person you’re looking at, and you know the story behind them, I think that’s why I relate to the fans so much. I have a message.”