Putting the Klitschkos on Notice: Maurice Harris Makes a Run for the Title

Interview by Jeff Stoyanoff and Mike Zepeda

“You have to be willing to go in there and die for what you believe in.” – Maurice Harris

Maurice Harris, 24-14, 10 KO’s, recently secured his first title winning the USBA Heavyweight Title with a unanimous decision win over Janos Nagy, 16-3, 11 KO’s, in August. In some ways, it seemed like a storybook ending for a talented, though somewhat undisciplined, fighter who, 18 years after turning pro, had only then managed to put it all together and reach the ultimate goal for any fighter. However, at 34 years of age, Harris feels he has only now turned a corner.

In a turbulent career that has been riddled with ups and downs, Harris has been in with just about everybody. His talent has been on display. He holds wins over then undefeated fighters like Sergei Liakhovich and David Izon as well as a notable win over contender Jeremy Williams. Yet, the career of Harris is also a portrait of struggle as he had suffered through a series of losses in many of the career building opportunities that had come his way previously. But, Harris is at the dawn of a new period in his career. With many of his previous struggles behind him and a new team in place, the new champion can finally focus exclusively on taking care of business in the ring. It may have taken awhile, but in the eyes of Maurice Harris, his boxing career starts now.

RSR: It has been a very good return for you capped off by winning the USBA Heavyweight Title over Nagy Aguilera in August. It had been a very long road for you in the sport. Now that a couple of months have passed, has it sunk in what it means to you to have finally secured that title?

It’s just a step closer for me. I mean, it’s good to have it, but I don’t go around taking it anywhere with me. I took it to my family so they could see it, but I don’t just have it with me all the time. It just sits in my suitcase most of the time. It’s good to know that I am a champ, but it’s not my ultimate goal.

RSR: I know when we spoke briefly last week you mentioned that you are currently training, but it didn’t sound like the next opponent had been decided yet. Can you talk a little bit about what’s on the table and what might be next for you?

Right now we’re down to a few things and there are a few opponents being thrown out there, but I can’t really say as of now. But, we are working on something big and when you hear about it you’re going to definitely call us.

RSR: You had mentioned a potential box off scenario as well, is that still on the table? Or, are you going to stay with the USBA and defend that title? Or, are you just looking to move forward and try to position yourself for a shot at a world title?

We’re trying to get a world title shot, that is the whole purpose of getting the USBA belt. But, as far as the IBF goes, from the way it looks right now, that’s what looks like our stake because the IBF has been good to me. I mean, I have the belt right now and Klitschko is the main guy. I don’t know what is going on in the background. I am just training and staying focused, just trying to get ready for whoever they put in front of me; it doesn’t matter at this time.

RSR: When you won the title in August, it was actually your second try. You of course had a shot against Chris Byrd back in 2001. Opponents aside, what was the primary difference between Maurice Harris in 2001 and Maurice Harris in 2010?

Growth and development. You just get older and you get wiser. I mean, I have more children now. I mean, you get more focused. Because boxing has always been a part of me; it’s like second nature almost. You know I haven’t really been beat up and I just let some people at Boxing 360 just change my life around for me; make me love it again. I was used a lot in the beginning. I wouldn’t say every management that I was in. I think I was just young and I was trying to burn the candle on both ends. But, you know once I got settled and started having children it started giving me another aspect because when I look at it this is really all I know. So, I can’t do nothing except give it my best because I always loved it but I was fascinated with it more then. I loved it, but I was more fascinated, but now I love it love it (laughs). You know, I’ve been through everything there is to go through in fighting and for me to be in this position now is a god given gift and I feel good about it.

RSR: When you were talking about burning the candle at both ends, was that simply a case of distractions outside the ring being more of a factor?

Yes, one foot in and one foot out. Just not doing what I was supposed to do, like half training. Not coming in in shape and thinking I could do it on just talent alone and then a lot of people out shined my skill. Now, I’m a grown man though, a fully developed grown man. I’m not a 17, 18, 19 year old kid anymore. I have some bumps and bruises as an adult you know, with the fight with Fres Oquendo. Now, it’s just all clear though. It’s all clear and I can see clearly. It’s not hard for me to get up now and go run; it’s very, very easy, you know? I mean everybody has a problem with going to work everyday, but when you love something so much and you just have a passion for it, you just do whatever you have to do to get the job done.

RSR: One of the things I read that I hadn’t realized before is that you were Lennox Lewis’ chief sparring partner for a number of years. As you look back on that experience, can you talk a little about what that experience did for you in good ways. But also, was there a downside in terms of how it impacted your ability to build your own career at that time?

Well, it didn’t really affect me, it was just that I wasn’t ready for the responsibility because I was still a young man and I still wanted to do things the way I wanted to do them. Then, I had people around me that were always dictating and controlling how I moved. So, that was like a mental distraction. Now, it’s a lot easier because I am a lot more calm and a lot more relaxed and I just let it all come to me. Having faith in God alone, just having that alone just makes you a better person if you believe. This should set an example for anyone who doesn’t believe because I overcame all of the naysayers who said I couldn’t do this and I couldn’t be that. And now it’s like here I am. I am one of the players in the game, but it’s not like a pretentious thing, I am not going to go all off and come across as real cocky. But, it just feels good to be in this position and I just want to make the most of it.

RSR: You did mention the Klitschko’s earlier and, of course, the division is really dominated by them right now. But, I asked about Lennox Lewis before because one of the things that is talked about is how this is the era of the new super heavyweight and the style that the much bigger fighters bring to the table. You have had as good of a look at that style as anyone facing off against Lennox Lewis day after day. Bottom line, the Klitschko’s have been especially dominant lately. What do you think it is going to take to beat that style that they bring with the sheer size that they bring?

I have boxed with both of them. I worked with both of them a couple of times back in 2005. So, I kind of got a feel for them. The whole key to that is that you have to believe in what you are doing. You have to be in great shape. You have to be willing to go in there and die for what you believe in. You notice a lot of the guys they have been fighting recently have been scared. The way they have been fighting, they have been fighting scared. They have been timid. They have been scared to attack. They just don’t do what they are supposed to do when they get in there; and that’s not doubting them because you never know what’s going on inside a person’s head. But, you know, I have a bag of tricks if that fight was to happen because I have been around and I have boxed with just about everybody. There are not too many guys in the heavyweight division that I haven’t worked with, so I have a bag full of experience.

The style that they bring, they are big and intimidating guys. They are beating these guys down, so a lot of guys are going to be scared to fight or get in there already. Once they get in the ring with them they have already lost the fight because they are intimidated. They are great fighters, but me on the other hand, I’m just a different type of fighter. I’m just going to leave it at that.

RSR: You started out at Light Heavyweight going back to the beginning of your pro career. You are certainly used to giving away weight. You have given away 25 or 30 pounds in fights and that is often talked about in this day and age. What is the advantage that these bigger guys have when they come in at 260 or 265 pounds?

Well, of course they are stronger. But, I was up to 260 back in March if you look at my record when I fought a guy named Billy Zumbrun. I just got out of shape because I was off for so long and I just kind of blew up. But, I can, through working out, I can put on the pounds, so that is nothing. But, if I was to fight a guy like Klitschko, right now I’m at 230, but if I was to fight a guy like Klitschko, I would put on about 10 pounds. I would be at about the same weight he is. The thing about us is, we just box differently. We are two different fighters. I have a more American style. They have more of a European style. My style is more finesse. Their style is more thudding, you know? You just have to be on your game when you fight them, that’s all. You can’t go in there underestimating them.

A lot of people say that until they get in there. Then once they get in there it’s like, wow, this is a different thing, I didn’t expect this. Because those guys worked hard and they got better, especially Wladimir because he stayed around for longer. His brother just came back and he‘s fighting the same to me. His style pretty much hasn’t changed; plus he’s older. Wladimir has just been fighting; he’s been more busy. So, he’s gotten better of course. He’s a lot better than what he was starting out because he‘s been champion for some time now.

RSR: The Klitschko’s and the Heavyweight division in general seem to get a bad rap. You alluded to it when you talked about just how good they are, but you talked about their lack of finesse in their style. Do you think that plays into how both they and the Heavyweight division in general are perceived by boxing fans?

Yes, just look at the guys they are fighting. There are very few fighters that can come along and really fight with finesse and sharpness, you haven’t seen heavyweights fight like that. Eddie Chambers? He’s all right, I can’t take nothing away from him. He’s a great fighter. But, there aren’t any guys with precise sharpness with pinpoint accuracy that aren’t afraid to just go in there and try. This is what got me about Kevin Johnson. How can you go into the Heavyweight Division, get all the way to the number one spot, fight for the most prestigious title in the world, and you get in there and clam up? This man didn’t even try at least, if you are going to go out you need to go out like a trooper. The same way he’s thinking is the same way I’m thinking with the Klitschkos; that’s how I’m looking at it. See, my era of fighting, when I came up boxing with Mike Tyson and all of them, it was an honor to get in the ring with those guys and hold my own. So, I have a different fight because I am a veteran of the game; I’m 34 years old. But, I’ve always shown signs of greatness.

That’s why it comes as no surprise to me to hold a belt because I’ve always had it and this was just on the job learning. So, dealing with those guys? They’ve sparred with me, even though it was a while ago. Just like they’ve gotten better, I’ve gotten better too because I was always in the background. These guys today, they don’t bring no finesse to the game and it’s like they get in there and they are scared. So, I have all that experience and I feel good in having it. It’s just a messed up division right now so somebody has to come back and take it and bring it back to this country. It will be an interesting fight if we were ever to clash because I have a lot of respect for them. They don’t really know me like that. I don’t know if they remember me because it was so long ago that we boxed; about five years ago. But, it would be an honor to fight one of them.

RSR: Are there other names out there? Obviously, looking back at your career, you are going to be willing to get in there with anybody. But, is there any other name besides the two of them that you are thinking about like a David Haye or Tomasz Adamek?

I offered to fight Tomasz Adamek, but they turned me down. So, at this point, it really doesn’t matter to me. It doesn’t matter because I don’t ever underestimate nobody. I am always going to come and be in peak condition and I’ll put my skills against whoever. So, I don’t have anybody that I am dead set on in particular like who I want to fight and this, that, and the third; I’m not living like that. I just take it one fight at a time. Whatever fight comes up, whatever God has in store for me and my team, whatever the case may be then that’s who we fight. I don’t duck nobody, I never ducked nobody. That’s probably why my record is the way it is and plus I didn’t have the experience. I just take it one fight a time and whoever they put in front of me I just go in there and give it my all. That’s all I can say.

RSR: You have talked recently about your association with Boxing 360. As I said earlier, you’ve obviously had a great year with the streak of wins and then winning the USBA Title. Can you talk a little bit about what the association has done for you and how it is different than your previous management and how it has impacted your career?

It’s just my age and being hungry. 360 caught me at a good time because I had some things that were going on in my life back then. 360 just made me get more motivated because I had so many problems at the time because I was off for so long. I had so many problems and they just came and straightened them all out. They came and they straightened everything out for me and when I had the burden lifted off of me somewhat, it was more easy for me to train. So, 360 takes care, I feel like, of 90 percent of what’s going on with me right now and I just do the other 10 percent. They take care of everything outside so I just take care of everything inside. So, that’s our motto. That’s our slogan. I just feel good about that, being part of this team.

RSR: Real quick, I am wondering about lower divisions and how they require a lot of speed. It helps when you are younger as the rust tends to set in a little faster when you are older. But, in the Heavyweight Division it seems like being a little older actually seems to help. Do you feel like you are at your best right now as opposed to earlier in your career?

I think I’m at my best right now. I was always fast. That’s what a lot of people don’t understand about me. I came from a lighter weight division. When I first started I was 165. That is what a lot of heavyweights don’t bring is the speed. I look at my career and I took some losses; the only two times I’ve been knocked out was when I fought Jefferson and I fought Oquendo. But, a lot of times when I was TKO’d I was young and I would quit cause I didn’t know the game. But, I am older now and I still have the same speed and my weight is down. You know what? Believe it or not, I still have hand speed like a middleweight and some guys don’t even have hand speed at that weight and I‘m faster than they are. So, I got a lot of tricks in my bag; not trying to stray off the subject, but it just feels good to be in this position. But, speed pays a lot. A lot of people say when you get older you slow down, but I don’t believe that. I think it’s all mental. Like I told you, I have never been beaten up so it’s like I’ve been preserved. I’ve just been in the background for a lot of years, but the speed makes it big difference; of course it does.

RSR: You were talking about your record and some of the previous fights you have had. It seems like a lot of fighters today are brought along slowly in an effort perhaps to protect the investment and preserve the confidence of a promising fighter. Your career has followed a different path. You have been in with anyone and everyone it seems. Amidst all of the ups and downs and the turbulence in your career, did the confidence and belief in yourself ever waver depending on how it was going? Or, did you always maintain the same belief no matter what was going on in the ring?

It was always just believing. Just keeping my faith in the father because you always see how good you are, but then you got the but on the back of it. But, only if he can just focus. I just had to find myself. I never gave up on myself and I’m telling you the 360 team played a big part in it because if it weren’t for them there is no telling where I would be. I would probably be working some factory job. But, I believe that God knew what was in my heart and that’s how it went. That is why I’m at where I’m at right now because I had to prove, not just to myself, but to them as well what I was about. Because, he didn’t have to take me on. He was looking for new talent. But, once he came and saw me spar he was like look at his reflexes. We’ve got something. I haven’t seen anything that looks like that in the Heavyweight Division. And, now everybody that he has been putting in front of me, I’ve been beating. It’s all about belief. I am a strong believer in God. I always knew I had it. I just never knew when it would come.

Maurice Harris

Nickname: “Mo Bettah”
Division: Heavyweight
Professional Record: 24-14-2, 10 KO’s

Date Opponent W-L-D Location Result
1992-12-04 Joe Kenna 0-0-0 Bushkill, US
L UD 4

1993-02-12 Anthony Harris 0-5-0 Bushkill, US W TKO 1
1993-02-27 Michael Taylor 2-1-0 Bushkill, US W TKO 1
1993-03-20 Richard Frazier 2-1-0 New York, US L TKO 4
1993-05-07 Scott Lopeck 3-1-0 New York, US L KO 3
1993-10-01 Tom Murray 0-1-0 New York, US W TKO 1

1994-01-21 Richie Brown 2-0-0 New York, US D PTS 4
1994-03-22 Ettol Windham 0-0-0 Pensacola, US W UD 4
1994-04-23 Richie Brown 2-0-1 Schenectady, US W UD 4
1994-06-21 Zuri Lawrence 0-0-0 Boston, US D PTS 4
1994-06-27 John Andrade 15-0-0 Providence, US L TKO 6
1994-10-29 Vaughn Bean 14-0-0 Atlantic City, US L KO 3

1995-08-16 Dale Brown 2-0-0 Newark, US L KO 3

1996-03-15 David Izon 18-0-0 Atlantic City, US W UD 8
1996-06-19 Dayton Wheeler 4-5-1 Newark, US L MD 6
1996-07-16 Terrell Nelson 4-0-0 Atlantic City, US W UD 6
1996-07-30 Gerald Nobles 5-0-0 Philadelphia, US L KO 3

1997-04-26 Sam Hampton 17-3-2 Atlantic City, US W TKO 4
1997-05-20 Jimmy Thunder 32-7-0 Lyndhurst, US W KO 7
1997-07-29 Larry Holmes 65-6-0 New York, US L SD 10

1998-04-18 Rashid Latif 0-5-0 Alexandria, US W KO 1
1998-06-27 Danny Wofford 16-69-2 Alexandria, US W DQ 6
1998-10-01 Orion Sistrunk 1-3-0 Newark, US W KO 1
1998-12-19 Artis Pendergrass 13-10-0 Miami, US W TKO 4

1999-05-22 Louis Monaco 7-19-3 Las Vegas, US W TKO 1
1999-06-19 Jeremy Williams 34-2-0 New York, US W UD 10
1999-09-11 Israel Cole 15-8-4 Las Vegas, US W UD 10
1999-11-06 Derrick Jefferson 21-0-1 Atlantic City, US L KO 6

2000-08-05 Bradley Rone 7-19-3 Madison, US W UD 8
2000-12-16 Harold Sconiers 14-5-2 Pittsburgh, US W UD 8

2001-05-12 Chris Byrd 32-2-0 New York, US L UD 12
vacant USBA Heavyweight Title
2001-06-16 Henry Akinwande 39-1-1 Cincinnati, US L KO 1

2002-06-01 Siarhei Liakhovich 16-0-0 Atlantic City, US W KO 9

2003-03-01 Fres Oquendo 23-1-0 Las Vegas, US L KO 10

2006-01-26 Franklin Edmondson 13-31-1 North Charleston, US W UD 8
2006-07-14 Tye Fields 36-1-0 Las Vegas, US L RTD 4

2007-11-17 Rodney Wallace 4-0-0 Winston-Salem, US NC NC 4

2010-01-29 Billy Zumbrun 23-10-1 Albuquerque, US W UD 6
2010-03-26 Julius Long 15-13-0 Chicago, US W UD 6
2010-04-15 Robert Hawkins 23-14-0 New York, US W UD 8
2010-08-06 Nagy Aguilera 16-3-0 Hinckley, US W UD 12
vacant USBA Heavyweight Title