Biography
Audley Harrison is a British Boxer from London.
At the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Audley became the first British fighter to win an Olympic gold medal in the superheavyweight category.
Career
Audley became British superheavyweight champion in 1997 and he retained the title in 1998. Later that year, he went on to win gold at the 1998 Commonwealth Games. He then doubled his gold tally when he defeated Mukhtarkhan Dildabekov at the Sydney Olympics in 2000.
In May 2001, Audley began his professional career with a first round knockout victory, closely followed by several other convincing wins.
Audley carried on his winning form when he made his US debut in 2003. He then permanently relocated to the USA where he was unbeaten in 11 fights, eight of which were knockout victories.
He returned to the UK in December 2005 to face Danny Williams for the Commonwealth title. Harrison stepped in after Williams' opponent pulled out five weeks before the fight. Audley lost on a split decision.
In February 2007, Harrison was knocked out by Michael Sprott for the European Union title. Three years later Audley won the vacant EBU belt in London. He won by knockout, despite being behind on all the judges' scorecards.
Audley became the main contender for David Haye's WBA championship after he vacated his European title - he was defeated in the third round.
Background
Born and raised in Harlesden, London, Audley's first taste of boxing came when he got into a fight with a friend while at college. A friend commented that it looked like he was a professional and that inspired him to give boxing a try.
Audley now lives in L.A with his wife Raychel and his five year-old daughter, Ariella.
Trivia
Audley studied at Brunel University and graduated in 1999 with a BSc Honours degree in Sport Science with Leisure Management.
In 2001, he released his autobiography Realising the Dream.
After his Olympic medal win, Audley was awarded an MBE.
Dancing partner
Audley Harrison is dancing with Natalie Lowe.
Fan of Team Audalie?
Join in the discussion on Audley and Natalie's Fanblog page - ""!
