On Aug. 24 in Minneapolis, a journeyman heavyweight named Curtis Harper surprised his opponent (undefeated KO artist Efe Ajagba), his corner (including trainer Nate Campbell), the promoters, the crowd, and even his wife, by stepping out of the ring after the opening bell and striding back to the dressing room.
Afterward, Harper was ripped by the promoters, scolded by his team, and savaged on social media by boxing fans, some of whom assumed it was an act of cowardice.
Thomas Hauser, aย two-time Pulitzer Prize-nominated author and journalist, tracked down Harper and asked him to explain his actions, then joined us on this week’s Ringside Boxing Show to share what he found out.
Hauser also shares an interesting prediction about Harper’s boxing future in the wake of the incident.
Before our interview with Hauser, expert analysts Rizwaan Zahid and John J. Raspanti weigh in on Ryan Garcia’s level of progress at age 20 (is he really ready for Gervonta Davis, the fighter he repeatedly calls out?), Barry Hearn’s flabbergasting opinion that Wilder-Joshua should marinate for two more years, HBO’s boxing future after hinting that Kovalev-Alvarez II might be too expensive for them to televise, Derevyanchenko’s chances of beating Daniel Jacobs, Terry Flanagan’s showdown with Regis Prograis, whether Garcia-Porter will live up to its hype, and the Maryland Boxing Commission’s amazing decision to lift its suspension of Leon Lawson, trainer (and uncle) of the Dirrell brothers, who has been banned since he punched Jose Uzcategui in the face after a Showtime fight a year ago.
And be sure to check out the No. 1 website in the world for daily boxing news. We updateย www.ringsideboxingshow.comย 365 days a year with the biggest headlines and hottest stories. If you’re a hardcore boxing fan, this should be your first stop every morning and might be the only website you need to visit all day.
Dennis Taylor is host of The Ringside Boxing Show, editor-publisher ofย www.ringsideboxingshow.com, and co-author (with John J. Raspanti) of “Intimate Warfare:
Ringside Boxing Show: Guest Thomas Hauser on Curtis Harper incident and much more – The Grueling Truth The Grueling Truth Radio
If you enjoy hearing from the legends of pro sports, then be sure to tune into โThe Grueling Truthโ sports shows, โWhere the legends speakโ
Contact us: [email protected]
Players must be 21 years of age or older or reach the minimum age for gambling in their respective state and located in jurisdictions where online gambling is legal. Please play responsibly. Bet with your head, not over it. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, and wants help, call or visit: (a) the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey at 1-800-Gambler or www.800gambler.org; or (b) Gamblers Anonymous at 855-2-CALL-GA or www.gamblersanonymous.org.
This site is using Cloudflare and adheres to the Google Safe Browsing Program. We adapted Google's Privacy Guidelines to keep your data safe at all times.