Harris tops St. Clair
By Steve Ninvalle in New York
Somehow, they must have forgotten that somewhere in the national pledge it states that Guyanese should `love my fellow citizens'. In front of a packed house at the Blue Horizon in Philadelphia on Friday Guyanese boxers Gary `Superman' St. Clair and `Vicious' Vivian Harris banged each other for 10 rounds from which Harris emerged with a unanimous points decision to maintain an unbeaten record. The junior welterweight fight televised live on ESPN 2 brought about St. Clair's second defeat in 20 fights and first in that category. Harris' well deserved victory improved his record to 16 wins with 13 knockouts, and hopes for a world title challenge. The taller of the two, Harris endured his toughest battle to date but was in control against a game and tenacious opponent who took the fight on four days notice. Seemingly intent on fulfilling his prediction to knockout his opponent Harris started the first round aggressively and caught St. Clair with a hard right hand midway through the round. St.Clair got into work mode in the second stanza letting loose body and head punches but was drifted by a left hook early in the following round. In his best round of the bout the 24-year-old St. Clair, coming off a six-month hiatus, proved a formidable adversary. His body hunting tactics momentarily paid off as Harris' attack slowed to a trickle. However, the lanky Harris, on the advice of trainer Lou Duva implemented the jab in a relatively tame round five. His better condition and longer reach allowed him to tag a tiring St. Clair without mixing steadily. After a triple left hook landed for St. Clair in round eight, Harris repaid with telling attacks to the body and head. St Clair's trainer Lennox Blackmoore was soon after asked to leave the ring apron area for reported unprofessional conduct, leaving Darius Ford to guide the fighter for the remaining rounds. At the end, the three judges had Harris winning 100-90, 98-92 and 99-91. Both fighters came into the fight weighing 138 and one half pounds. Speaking with Stabroek Sport after the bout St. Clair said that under the circumstances he did his best. " I hit him more than he has ever been hit before. There was no way he would have knocked me out. Gary St. Clair goes into the ring to fight and that's what I did. I guess people can say that they got their money's worth." Up to press time efforts to get a comment from Harris proved futile. Harris, who seemed over-determined to keep it all business in the ring and prove that their friendship had been ruined by St. Clair's acceptance of the fight, twice failed to acknowledge St. Clair's gesture of good sportsmanship. At the end of round three when Harris received a blow after the bell, St. Clair moved towards his compatriot to apologise but Harris after contemplating for a moment, turned away. Then at the end of the final round it was very evident that the long standing relationship between the two had been injured. In another goodwill gesture St. Clair went across to shake gloves with Harris but was again shunned. St.Clair was taken in as a late substitute for Harris' original opponent Teddy Reid who pulled out because of a back injury. Reid approximately one year ago had been defeated by Andrew `Sixhead' Lewis another Guyanese. A full fledged junior lightweight, St. Clair was forced to move up two divisions in four days to get to junior welterweight.
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