Boxing: Audley aims for bigger prize with Sky approach

Audley Harrison has one fight left with the BBC but he has started negotiating with Sky's boxing promoters Frank Warren and Jess Harding.

Audley Harrison has one fight left with the BBC but he has started negotiating with Sky's boxing promoters Frank Warren and Jess Harding.

Harrison was dropped by the BBC last Friday and will fight for the final time on the channel this Saturday when he defends his World Boxing Foundation heavyweight title for the second time against Poland's unbeaten Tomasz Bonin.

Due to the endless speculation and rumour regarding Harrison's split with the BBC, the Olympic champion decided to announce officially that he has approached both Warren and Sky directly to try to secure a lucrative fight against current British heavyweight champion Matt Skelton.

However, it was also revealed that Harrison held secret talks with his former co-promoter from his early days at the BBC, Harding, who just 10 days ago switched his fighters and his allegiance from the BBC to Sky.

"I've written to Warren and put forward two exceptionally fair options for a fight between me and his boxer, Skelton,'' Harrison said. "The first option is that he negotiates a buy-out of my promotional rights and the second option is that we do a 50-50 joint promotion.''

Harrison's plan is dependent on a showdown with Skelton taking place in September or October but there could be a problem if the British Boxing Board of Control decide to name somebody else as Skelton's mandatory challenger.

* The former world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson is set to make his latest comeback against Kevin McBride, of Ireland, with 30 July being pencilled in as the provisional date. Tyson's aides are finalising arrangements for the fight to be staged in Louisville, Kentucky.