Boxing: Harrison faces first real screen test

Audley Harrison will finally trade punches with a man who has been in the ring with some recognisable boxers when he meets the American Quinn Navarre at the Level nightclub in Miami's South Beach tonight in the first of three fights in America.

There is a wonderful tradition in the heavyweight division of new fighters beating old fighters, and in an odd way acquiring any meaningful scalps on the veteran's record. It is a totally spurious exercise but it is still amusing and Harrison, never slow in identifying an angle, has made a wise decision in picking Navarre for this first of three live fights on ESPN.

A brief perusal of Navarre's fight record throws up several sound fighters including Andrew Golota, Lamon Brewster, Buster Douglas and, most impressively of all, Larry Holmes. It is the first time in 11 fights that Harrison has shared a ring with a true journeyman and it is a step, even if it is a safe step, in the right direction.

Navarre, 35, has lost all of his meaningful contests but has managed to win 30 of his 41 fights, and he is unbeaten in five since losing in six rounds to the British heavyweight champion, Danny Williams in 2000.

It was 35 months ago that Harrison won Britain's first Olympic gold medal for 32 years and since that night in Sydney he has beaten a list of predictable fighters, but against Navarre he will find his performance compared to some of boxing's big names. BBC viewers can judge when the fight is screened late tomorrow.