Jeff Harding’s amazing comeback - By Johnny Lewis

By Johnny Lewis, trainer of five world champions

I’m anticipating this Friday night to be one of the proudest moments of my 50 years in boxing.

We have a very special guest at a fundraising night at the Woolloomooloo PCYC.

After many years of struggling with his own personal demons, a fighter who means so much to me will be the very special guest speaker on what shapes as one of the great nights of my career.

Jeff Harding, the two-time light-heavyweight champion of the world and the man my old cornerman Grantlee Kieza christened The Hitman, will be our special guest to tell us about his great moments in the fight game and his biggest fight to get his life on track again.

Jeff produced the most dramatic moment in boxing that I’ve been involved with, coming back against Dennis Andries in 1989 to stop him in the last round to become the biggest Australian ever to hold a world boxing title.

Just to be involved with such a display of courage and determination from a real Aussie battler still brings a lump to my throat but I get an even bigger thrill from the way Jeff has beaten the well-documented problems that have haunted him over the last few years.

Brad Fittler, Luke Ricketson, Darren Beadman and Danny Beasley will also be there along with Paui Briggs, Solomon Haumono and Gairy St Clair.

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I’m very disappointed to hear that people are spreading rumours that Lester Ellis once decked Jeff Fenech in a sparring session.
The rumours are without a shred of truth.
The rumours are so ridiculous they don't even deserve a response but I will say this:
Lester was the first person I ever saw get the better of Jeff sparring but Jeff never went down.
Jeff was very young then and still learning.
But the second time they sparred it was one-way traffic from Jeff.
Lester and Graeme Brooke had come up from Melbourne for a week’s sparring.
But Jeff totally dominated Lester and the next thing we knew Lester and Graeme Brooke had packed up and gone back to Melbourne.
It's very disappointing when false stories like this are circulated. I don’t know who is behind them but there's not one ounce of truth in the rumours.''

#Johnny Lewis and Mark Warren host Always IN Your Corner on the Super sports network on 2sm from Noon every Saturday. You can listen to the report live at 2sm.com.au.
Johnny is brought to you by Gosford City Suzuki and Pain Away.

 

15 Aug 2007

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