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Harrison stripped of WBO title

09/11/2006

Troubled boxer Scott Harrison is to lose his WBO world featherweight title after his defence against Nicky Cook was cancelled with the champion still held in a Spanish jail.

Istvan Kovacs, the organisation's European vice-president confirmed to the Reuters news agency that the 29-year old would be stripped of his belt as he was unable to carry out the mandatory defence.

"He was on a last chance. The fact that he cannot fight again this time means he will be stripped of his title," he said.

"Maybe Nicky Cook can fight the interim champions [Juan Manuel] Marquez for the vacant title," the supremo offered by way of a solution to the gap left on the December 9th London Excel bill.

Harrison has been held in Malaga since October 6th over an alleged assault in the coastal city and had already been allowed to delay defences of the belt due to previous personal problems.

Harrison's manager Barry Hughes had earlier admitted that such a penalty was likely with little progress made on his client's bail application.

"I don't know whether the WBO have ever dealt with the Spanish legal system. They work in reverse. It's the slowest process I've ever been involved in and the most frustrating," he said.

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