Talking Boxing with 'VICIOUS' VIVIAN HARRIS
"I don't care if he comes to the States or if I've gotta go to England..I think he's scared"
by
Coyote Duran
11/8 -
The 140 pound division is arguably the deepest and best division in boxing today. With reigning king Kostya Tszyu atop the throne, amid the many belt holders and contenders, there stands a truly underrated force who waits patiently for his next victim. Guyanese born, Brooklyn, NY based WBA Super Lightweight titlist "Vicious"
Vivian Harris was within a hair's breadth of stepping into the ring with undefeated Brit Ricky
Hatton.
Negotiations would fall through and Harris was a titlist without
an opponent. Harris had to jet to Europe to take on a man he already
defeated once before on his own home turf, Oktay Urkal. After knocking out
Urkal in the rematch, Harris is back to square one: Waiting while every
other competent junior welter has a dance partner.
TalkingBoxing's Coyote Duran spoke to Vivian about his troubles securing the big fights, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Ricky Hatton and why he believes that no one in the 140
pound class will beat him. Ever. Harris was energetic, friendly and willing
to talk about why he's the man to beat at 140 pounds.
"Vicious" VIVIAN HARRIS
Coyote Duran: Congratulations on your recent knockout win
against Oktay Urkal, in Germany, Vivian!
Vivian Harris: Thank you.
Coyote Duran: That was an incredible risk going back to
Europe, after you defeated him once, going back there and actually knocking
him out on his own home soil. He's a real tough nut to crack being a
former Olympic medalist. How frustrated were you that you were going back
and putting your belt at such huge risk?
Vivian Harris: To be honest with you, I wasn't frustrated. I
was just frustrated at the fact that the fight with me and Ricky Hatton
didn't come through and then when Floyd Mayweather got put up as my
mandatory, he kind of ducked. I mean, that's what I was frustrated about
but wasn't frustrated about having to go back and fight him (Urkal). You
know what I mean? And then I was frustrated then they (The WBA) had him
there at #4, which means when I beat him, he was at #4 and he shouldn't
be at #4 (after losing to Harris the first time). You know what I mean?
They left him right there after I beat him the first time. So, at #1
the two guys (previously ranked at #1) fell out and Floyd Mayweather
don't want to fight me and now that left Urkal, now, at #4 and I said "Yo,
I got to go ahead and fight." and so I 've gotta go ahead and fight.You
know what I mean?
I'm the champion and I should be treated like a champion and the law says if the fight goes to a purse bid, I should get 75% and he should
get 25%  |
| Vivian Harris referring to the failed Ricky Hatton bout |
Coyote Duran: Well, to me, it seemed like the WBA were
treating it like your first fight didn't even count.
Vivian Harris: Exactly! You know what I'm sayin'? And I think
that it was not my fault. You know what I mean? 'Cause I beat him the
first time and they were supposed to remove him from the ratings and
then they leave him right there at #4.
Coyote Duran: Sure! And that should have been something that
should have made the sanctioning bodies and promoters even take more
notice........
Vivian Harris: (Excitedly) Exactly! But I just put that all
behind me and....I put it behind me and I'm just gonna move forward. You
know what I mean? And whoever I've gotta fight, I'm definitely gonna
destroy because I'm gonna definitely show the world that I'm the best
junior welterweight around here.
Coyote Duran: O.K.! Could you explain to the fans what made
that potential Ricky Hatton fight fall apart? Was it money and what's
your opinion.....?
Vivian Harris: (Excitedly jumping in again) Yes, definitely!
It was money, you know what I'm sayin'? At the end of the day, it's
gotta be money because Hatton, he talking about that he draw a big crowd
in Manchester, England. I don't care what he draws in Manchester,
England. I'm the champion and I should be treated like a champion and the law
says if the fight goes to a purse bid, I should get 75% and he should
get 25%. And when I fought (Diobelys Hurtado) for my championship belt,
I didn't ask for a whole lot of money. I take what they give me because
I wanted to become champion and I know when I become champion that's
when I'm gonna start making my money. These young fighters today, they
want money before they even become champions. You know what I'm
sayin?
Coyote Duran: Absolutely!
Vivian Harris: Ricky Hatton, he get babysat so much that he
wanted more money than me. And that's why I said I wanted to fight him
for the purse bid and then when I say that, his promoter say that I
don't deserve $2,000,000. So, I don't deserve $2,000,000, his fighter don't
deserve to fight for the championship. And that's why the fight didn't
happen.
Coyote Duran: Now why do you think Hatton won't come to the
States? Why do you think he's so comfortable in Manchester?
Vivian Harris: To be honest with you, I don't care if he
comes to the States or if I've gotta go to England, you know what I mean?
But I think he's scared. He don't wanna leave. He don't wanna leave.
He's accustomed to fighting over there and the crowd......It's like Urkal!
Urkal fights with the crowd. He don't fight......I think if he don't
have a crowd, he would be beaten all the time because he only fights when
the crowd starts in, "Urkal, Urkal, Urkal!" and that's when he starts
fighting! He don't really fight, you know what I mean? So, that's the
same thing, I think, with Hatton. You know what I mean? They so
accustomed to fighting at home and if they go out, they're not going to get that
support and then they won't know what to do!
Coyote Duran: Now in your opinion, is there a fighter, any
fighter, at junior welterweight, that can pose a serious challenge to
you?
Vivian Harris: No. There's no fighter right now today on
Earth, in the junior welterweight division, that would beat me. That could
beat Vivian Harris. None. No fighter. 'Cause you know why? Vivian
Harris, I've been up and down in the junior welterweight division. I've been
through a lot in the junior welterweight division. I've fought a lot of
different kind of styles and different kind of fighters. You know what
I mean? I had to adapt to different kind of styles, you know what I
mean? A lot of junior welterweights today on top didn't go through that,
that didn't go what I went through. I mean, they fight fighteres that
they know they gonna beat. They never take no chances. They never have to
take a lot of chances. So when I won the (WBA) world championship, all
my defenses AND when I fought for the championship, I fought unorthodox
fighters. Fighters that were big, big, bigger....than anyone of the
junior welterweight fighters today. Unorthodox fighters, if you look at
it, fighters that just throw a jab and a right hand and a left hook, no.
They're gonna adopt an unortodox style. Look at the way I fought
(Urkal), I had to make adjustments for that. When I fought M'Baye, Souleymane
M'Baye. That's them kind of styles, man. I passed all these tests. So,
these guys that Miguel Cotto and these guys are fighting is nobody! You
see, they're not fighting anybody. They're fighting guys that are right
there and is no.....(seemingly frustrated at the thought) You know what
I mean?
Coyote Duran: With that in mind, with the way you adjust to
particular styles that most fighters can't cope with.......
Vivian Harris: (Hopping in) That's what makes me a champion,
man.
Coyote Duran: ......The fact that you're willing to go to
Europe to fight men on their own soil, not just once, but twice, reminds
me, you really share parallels with Winky Wright who did the same thing,
like forever.
Vivian Harris: (Acknowledging) Hmm.
Coyote Duran: In these cases, it takes sometimes too long for
a guy to get his props when he really does deserve them now.
Vivian Harris:Yeah, but..you know what I mean, I just wanna
fight the best and I just wanna prove to the world that Vivian Harris is
the best and I'll fight different styles and I just wanna show that I'm
the best and that's all I wanna do. I wanna fight Floyd Mayweather. All
these guys that are thinking that they's the best, that's who I wanna
fight. You know what I mean? Floyd's talking about he's pound-for-pound
and he's this and he's that, but he don't wanna fight nobody and that's
really getting me upset. If you look at all the rest of the division,
everybody's taking a risk. Floyd is the only one that don't wanna take
risks, if you look at it. Everybody's fighting somebody, if you know
what I mean. Roy Jones fights Tarver. O.K., he lost. I mean, look at Shane
Mosley. He gives Winky Wright a shot AND Winky Wright gives him a
rematch. Floyd Mayweather was MY mandatory. He came as my mandatory! They
told him that they gonna pair him to fight me and then they gonna go
50/50 with him and Arturo Gatti. But if he does fight me, they gonna go to
purse bid and he's gonna get 25%. He didn't fight me! He turned it
down,'cause you know why? He don't wanna lose! He don't wanna get a tough
fight where he has to dig down deep in the water. He don't want that. He
wants a fight that he knows he's gonna win so he could train one month.
'Cause he don't wanna put in three months of work and say (as Floyd),
"Yo, I gotta stop do all this because I have a tough fight." They don't
want that. They want free money, you know what I'm saying?
Coyote Duran: I think it goes without saying that you'd like
to re-unify the division with the winner of Saturdays' rematch between
Kostya Tszyu and Sharmba Mitchell. Who do you see winning this
fight?
Vivian Harris: To be honest, always, I always wish the best
man good luck. I don't care who wins. May the best man win, you know
what I mean? But I would love to fight the winner. That's all I have to
say. I would love to fight the winner. I don't care who wins.
PART TWO IS HERE!
Coyote Duran: Adding to the list of the risks that you're taking
and the way that you're changing your career, another way that you're
making the fans take notice is having Emanuel Steward as a guiding force
in your camp. Can you tell me what this means to you and how your
outlook on your career has changed because of it?
Vivian Harris: I think Emanuel Steward is a very good
trainer. A smart guy. I think it's definitely gonna take my career to the next
level. It IS taking my career to the next level, you know what I mean?
In my first fight with him, it was a great fight. He just observes a
lot of stuff. He knows when to attack, when not to attack. That's what I
love about him, but I definitely think he's gonna take me to the next
level.
Coyote Duran: As a native of Guyana, you're in some pretty
special company with guys like current and former titlists like (WBC
Cruiserweight titlist) Wayne Braithwaite and (former WBA Welterweight
titlist) Andrew "Six Heads" Lewis. When you beat Diobelys Hurtado, how did
the victory affect your fellow Guyanese at home?
Vivian Harris: Wow. It was like something big for my country.
My country didn't have a champion but had an ex-champion (in Lewis).
They had a big parade for me. It was big, man. I've got a lot of
pictures! I got a lot of stuff. They gave me a lot of stuff. They gave all that
stuff. I mean, it was great!
Coyote Duran: Vivian, you're a confident guy. You're a master
at talking the brash, mean game. In some way, it could be a way to get
fighters to face you. Does it, instead, do the opposite and scare them
away?
Vivian Harris: Exactly. But I'm not trying to scare them
away. I'm just tryin' to fight them, you know what I'm saying? I love to
fight and I don't know why one man would be scared of the next man. If
you cut both of us, we've got the same blood and I don't know why.....if
I say that I could definitely beat Floyd Mayweather, why would I scare
Floyd from fighting me? Floyd should be conscious of himself and that
he could beat anybody.....he talk it! If he talk it, he gotta walk it!
He's just talking it. He's not trying to walk it and all he's gotta do
is prove to the world that he can beat the best. He's talking that he's
the best.
|
I'm looking at something as a co-main Event on the Arturo Gatti card in January and we hope that comes through, you know what I mean? |
| Vivian Harris |
Coyote Duran: We've got Arturo Gatti fighting Jesse James
Leija in January. Mitchell and Tszyu this weekend. Miguel Cotto's taking
on Randall Bailey and Ricky Hatton's got Ray Oliveira. Now that Oktay
Urkal is out of the way, does Main Events have anything special in store
for you? Will there be a tune-up or will you have to wait for your next
big 140 pound battle?
Vivian Harris: I would never call anything a tune-up. I'm not
looking to fight a tune-up. I'm looking to fight whatever they put in
front of me. I just wanna stay busy, you know what I mean? I just tell
my new manager, Emanuel Steward, I just wanna stay busy. There's a big
fight in whatever fight. I just wanna stay busy. Any fight is a tough
fight for me. I'm definitely looking at every fight as a tough fight for
me. I'm looking at something as a co-main Event on the Arturo Gatti
card in January and we hope that comes through, you know what I mean?
Coyote Duran: Any names come up for that one in specific or
is it a wait-and-see?
Vivian Harris: No, no, no. No names come up for that one.
We're tryin' to get Floyd Mayweather 'cause he wanna fight. So I'm tryin'
to get him. That's who I wanna fight. I wanna fight Floyd. I wanna
fight Floyd because all of the division is tryin' to take over. Now Floyd
is leaving the lightweight division and comin' to 140. But he don't
wanna take a chance! That's not right! He could take a chance. If you want
to be rid of (for example) Bernard Hopkins and all these guys, take a
chance, you know what I mean? These guys (the rest of the junior
welterweights) are taking chances. Why you don't wanna take a chance? You just
wanna walk into this place and be on TV talking that you're the best
and best pound-for-pound. That way, he don't have to fight nobody, you
know what I mean?
Coyote Duran: The winner of the Tszyu/Mitchell rematch will
also get a belt that I think is very, very important: The Ring
Magazine belt. With all the titles at stake amidst this division, how
important would winning The Ring belt be to your legacy?
Vivian Harris: Well, I definitely want that, you know? I
definitely want The Ring belt 'cause all the great fighters have
The Ring belt. It would definitely make me feel very good and my
country would definitely love it!
Coyote Duran: To the fighters that you perceive as avoiding
you, what does Vivian Harris have to say to them, directly?
Vivian Harris: To the fighters that don't wanna fight me?
Coyote Duran: Yep.
Vivian Harris: I just wanna say: Just be a man. Be a man and
fight, you know what I mean? You wanna become champion, then fight a
real champion. Fight somebody that's tough and that's gonna give you a
real fight. And may the better...the best man win. That's the way I look
at it. If I could go take chances and go to Germany twice and fight
Urkal, he's very awkward, if I could take chances and do that, why don't
these guys take chances and fight me? Right here! In America.
Coyote Duran: I would love to see that. I would love to see
that and it boggles the mind that we're not seeing it and I think that
your record speaks for itself and I think that the fact that you're
willing to go out of your way to fight anybody really turns off a lot of
potential challengers, especially those who are undefeated.
Vivian Harris: Yeah, but I think that the media can put it
(Vivian's name) out there and make these guys fight (Harris). I'm the
best and I think if the media talks more then they'll (other fighters)
have to do it. If the media keeps praising them for not fighting anybody,
that's gonna make them don't wanna fight nobody.
Coyote Duran: Finally, Vivian, is there anything that you
would like to say to your fans in Brooklyn, Guyana and all over the
world?
Vivian Harris: I'd like to say to my fans in Brooklyn and
Guyana and all over the world that just stay patient with Vivian Harris.
Everything is gonna happen in its own time, you know what I mean? I
believe in God and everything happens for a reason. I thank God that we did
the last fight and that was good. Whatever we have coming up next,
definitely everything's gonna be well and we just keep praying that one of
these guys step up to the plate and fight Vivian Harris. God knows when
He wants Vivian Harris to take over the whole junior welterweight
division so we're just gonna leave it up to God, you know what I mean? We're
not gonna rush anything.
Coyote Duran: I understand. You're showing some immense
patience. I really, really appreciate this time you've taken with me, man.
You've been very, very generous with your thoughts today.
Vivian Harris: Thank you, man!
TalkingBoxing.com would like to thank Vivian Harris for his time and
generousity in setting aside this time to speak with us!
Coyote Duran can be reached at theboxingguy@yahoo.com
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