Boxing: Harrison in need of Mexican showdown

Scott Harrison knows that the waiting game is coming to an end and early next year he will finally get the chance to meet one of the world's leading featherweights.

Scott Harrison knows that the waiting game is coming to an end and early next year he will finally get the chance to meet one of the world's leading featherweights.

Harrison defends his World Boxing Organisation featherweight title tonight for the third time of what is now his second reign and there is a pattern developing that suggests Harrison needs to move forward or risk losing his title in a fight that he had failed to prepare for.

Harrison meets the Ethiopian Samuel Kebede at the Braehead Arena, on the outskirts of Glasgow, in what, on paper, looks like a quality fight, but should be a relatively easy night's work for the defending champion. Kebede is unbeaten in 24 fights and is now based in Sweden, but so far he has only managed to stop or knock out 14 of his victims. Harrison should be able to stop Kebede by round eight or nine.

After tonight's bout Harrison will have to sit down with his manager, Frank Maloney, and his promoter, Frank Warren, and talk sensibly about meeting the winner of next month's fight between Erik Morales and his fellow Mexican Marco Antonio Barrera. The two Mexicans have fought twice already and next month's bout looks like it could be the best of the year so far.