Harrison vs Nelson

Highlights

• —The fight started tentatively with Harrison controlling the action behind his jab and initiating the offense as Nelson was content to counter.

• —The action began to pick up in Round 4, when both fighters started letting their hands go more and each landed hard rights.

• —Although Harrison seemed to be in control of the fight, that changed in Round 9, when a massive right from Nelson knocked Harrison out.

A game-changing right hand saved the day for Willie Nelson, who seemed headed for defeat at the fast hands of Tony Harrison, who was leading on all three judges’ scorecards prior to getting stopped in Round 9.

There was plenty of bad blood leading into the fight, including a skirmish at the press conference Thursday, but it didn’t translate to a lot of good exchanges early on.

Throughout the fight, Nelson was tentative offensively. A tall, lanky presence at 6-foot-3, Nelson used his height and reach advantage to fight from a distance, but he seemed reluctant to engage, preferring instead to counter Harrison, who was the busier fighter.

Harrison outlanded Nelson and pressed the action most rounds. But in Round 9, Harrison got by a massive right hand from Nelson, followed up by a hard left an another right which sent him to the canvas.

Harrison was able to beat the count and get back to his feet, but the referee stopped the fight with five seconds left in the round after Harrison failed to find his legs.

Willie Nelson rallied late after a slow start, scoring a ninth-round knockout to give Tony Harrison his first defeat. (Lucas Noonan / Premier Boxing Champions)