Scott Harrison vs Wayne McCullough on March 22
Saturday, March 22, 2003, At 11 PM ET/PT* - From Braehead Arena, Glasgow, Scotland
05.03 – Local favorite Scott Harrison will make the first defense of his World Boxing Organization (WBO) featherweight title when he meets former World Boxing Council (WBC) bantamweight champion and current WBO No. 8 featherweight contender, Wayne McCullough, on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING, Saturday, March 22, at 11 p.m. ET/PT. In the co-feature, undefeated International Boxing Federation (IBF)/WBO International and British Commonwealth 130-pound champion Alex Arthur will attempt to add a fourth belt to his resume when he battles an opponent to be announced for the vacant British super featherweight crown. Frank Warren’s Sports Network will promote the bouts from Braehead Arena in Glasgow, Scotland.
Harrison (18-1-1, 9 KOs), of Glasgow, became the first Scot to capture a world 126-pound title in the 110-year history of the division, and the first since Paul Weir in 1995, when he outpointed defending champion Juan Pablo Chacon across 12-rounds on Oct. 19, 2002. Spurred on by an enthusiastic crowd in Glasgow, Scotland, Harrison won by the scores 117-111 twice and 117-112. A former British Commonwealth and International Boxing Organization (IBO) Intercontinental featherweight kingpin, Harrison has won 15 consecutive bouts. Prior to the Chacon contest, he also had scored six straight knockouts. The only blemishes on his record came in consecutive 1997 starts when he lost by fourth-round TKO to Miguel Matthews (Oct. 4) and boxed to a six-round draw with Stephane Fernandez on Dec. 16.
McCullough (26-3, 17 KOs), of Belfast, Northern Ireland, has defeated three consecutive opponents inside of the distance since resuming his career in 2002. In his first comeback fight on Jan. 12, 2002, the Belfast native knocked out Alvin Brown in the second round on SHOWTIME. McCullough, who is coming off a fourth-round TKO over Nikolai Eremeev on Nov. 2, 2002, did not fight for more than 26 months after losing a 12-round decision to then-unbeaten WBC super bantamweight champion Erik Morales on Oct. 22, 1999. The crowd-pleasing, superbly conditioned McCullough captured the WBC 118-pound crown with a 12-round decision over Yasuei Yakushiji on July 30, 1995. The champion then made two successful defenses before losing a 12-round decision to Daniel Zaragoza on Jan. 11, 1997. McCullough, who compiled a 190-10 amateur record, became Ireland’s first Olympic boxing medalist in 36 years when he won a silver medal at the 1992 Olympics.
Arthur (14-0, 12 KOs) of Edinburgh, Scotland, is a stablemate of Harrison. The promising boxer-puncher won the British 130-pound title in his last start when he scored a sixth-round TKO over Carl Greaves on Dec. 14, 2002, in Newcastle, England. In his lone start that has gone past six rounds, Arthur captured the IBF International 130-pound crown by registering a 10th-round TKO over Dariusz Snarkski on March 11, 2002, in Glasgow. The Scotland native won the British Commonwealth belt with a fourth-round knockout over Steve Conway on Oct. 19, 2002. Arthur, who went 99-13 in the amateurs, won countless others international tournaments before turning pro at age 22 on Nov. 25, 2000. The crowd-pleasing youngster was voted British Boxing’s Best Young Boxer in 2001 by the Boxing writers club, and became the eighth Scot in the history of the 51-year-old award to do so.
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