Boxing: Harrison sees Marcos or Kebede as replacement

Scott Harrison does not yet have a confirmed replacement for William Abelyan for a fight scheduled for 6 March at the Braehead Arena in Glasgow.

Harrison is still expected to defend his World Boxing Organisation featherweight title, and at present Mexico's Enrique Marcos and Ethiopia's Samuel Kebede are favourites to replace Abelyan.

The proposed fight against Abelyan was expected to raise Harrison's profile in America, and it is to be hoped that it can be rearranged once Abelyan has recovered from the mysterious illness that forced him to withdraw in the early hours of yesterday morning.

"It is a nuisance because Scott had trained for Abelyan and trained very hard, but he is a complete professional and he will not let his concentration dip,'' Harrison's manager, Frank Maloney, claimed.

Jess Harding is looking for the right venue to put on what is arguably the most genuine grudge match in British boxing since Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank shared a ring for the second and final time in 1993. Harding has won the right to stage the vacant European Union heavyweight title fight between Danny Williams and Herbie Hide and has 90 days to put the fight on. The last time the boxers shared a room they had a fight at a press conference that led to several tables being flattened.