{"id":16918,"date":"2024-01-23T01:52:36","date_gmt":"2024-01-23T06:52:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/sport\/floyd-mayweather-almost-fought-uk-kickboxing-legend-liam-harrison-in-an-exhibition-bout-that-could-still-happen-boxing-news\/23\/01\/2024\/"},"modified":"2024-01-23T01:52:37","modified_gmt":"2024-01-23T06:52:37","slug":"floyd-mayweather-almost-fought-uk-kickboxing-legend-liam-harrison-in-an-exhibition-bout-that-could-still-happen-boxing-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/sport\/floyd-mayweather-almost-fought-uk-kickboxing-legend-liam-harrison-in-an-exhibition-bout-that-could-still-happen-boxing-news\/23\/01\/2024\/","title":{"rendered":"Floyd Mayweather almost fought UK kickboxing legend Liam Harrison in an exhibition bout that could still happen | Boxing News"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Star kickboxer Liam Harrison was “devastated” after a knee injury forced him to pull out of an exhibition bout with Floyd Mayweather and he still hopes to fight the boxing icon in the future.<\/p>\n

Mayweather ended his boxing career with a perfect record of 50-0, and will go down as one of the legends in the sport.<\/p>\n

In recent years he has fought in numerous exhibition bouts, including against YouTube sensation and WWE star Logan Paul.<\/p>\n

Harrison reveals how he almost joined the list of athletes who had faced Mayweather in a boxing ring, telling Sky Sports’ MMA Club<\/em>: “I got asked to fight Floyd Mayweather last year and I couldn’t believe what was happening!<\/p>\n

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“After one of my fights, I got a bad knee injury. My MCL was torn, my ACL was torn, my knee was just flopping around my leg! They asked me to do the fight and I thought it’s only boxing, I don’t have to throw any kicks. I thought I’ll take it, so I just said yeah.<\/p>\n

“For the first couple of days I was training, hitting pads, doing pad work, I thought I’m alright here, I’ll get through this.<\/p>\n

“Then when I started sparring and I didn’t have control of where their movements were going, people started pushing me back, after training I was getting out, unwrapping my leg. It was all just swollen.<\/p>\n

“It got to the point where I was training hard for a day then I couldn’t walk for three days just because of how badly damaged my leg was.”<\/p>\n

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Mayweather interrupted the press conference to make clear who is the greatest of all time<\/span>
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Despite initially accepting the offer, Harrison explained how the injury’s severity ultimately ended up preventing the exhibition contest, stating: “I said to my surgeon this is the chance to fight Floyd Mayweather here, can I get through this camp do you reckon?<\/p>\n

“The fight was scheduled for February 17, or something like that, and my surgery was due for January 30. I said: ‘Can I push it back and get through the fight?’<\/p>\n

“He said: ‘Listen I’m not going to tell you what to do, but you might do some lasting damage here.<\/p>\n

“‘You might end up walking with a limp, you’ll need a knee replacement by the time you’re 40.’<\/p>\n

“He said: ‘Is all that going to be worth it?'”<\/p>\n

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A look back at the colossal clash between Mayweather and Ricky Hatton in Las Vegas in 2007<\/span>
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Harrison is one of the best kickboxers ever to emerge from the UK and is currently highly ranked in the ONE Championship martial arts promotion.<\/p>\n

The 38-year-old could have jeopardised his future in kickboxing if he had gone ahead with the boxing exhibition with Mayweather. Ultimately he decided against pursuing that lucrative showdown.<\/p>\n

“I thought I’m probably not going to lay a glove on this guy even when I’m at full fitness. I probably won’t be able to hit him, let alone if I’m on one leg,” he said.<\/p>\n

“I thought: ‘Is it going to be worth just getting in there and humiliating myself where I can’t move properly?’ I had to pull out and I was absolutely devastated.<\/p>\n

“But you never know, it might come back around.”<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Star kickboxer Liam Harrison was “devastated” after a knee injury forced him to pull out of an exhibition bout with Floyd Mayweather