Boxing: FORM AN AUDLEY QUEUE; Everyone wants a piece of Harrison, but first he has to take off L-plates.

Byline: John Dillon 

IT was supposed to be the glittering homecoming of boxing's golden boy of the Olympics.

Instead, Audley Harrison's big-fight debut is only just taking place as planned tonight, with blood spilled long before any punches have been thrown.

And critics who have been sniping at his improbably high-profile entry into the paid ring were lining up to take further shots at him.

Millions will sit down to watch the BBC's live coverage of the first professional fight of super-heavyweight gold medallist Harrison against American Mike Middleton at Wembley Arena.

No doubt there will be footage of his moment of glory in the amateur ring in Sydney last September.

Yet those golden memories have been spoiled by a tawdry week of money-grubbing and back-stabbing only the paid fight business could contrive.

Even last night, just as the row over an apparent attempt by Harrison's team to hoodwink opponent Middleton out of pounds 20,000 in TV rights money appeared to be settling down, there was fresh trouble.

Harrison's manager Colin McMillan and promoter Jess Harding were both forced to emphasise that Middleton will still be in the opposite corner tonight in response to rumours they had attempted to dump him.

McMillan said: "We can confirm that Middleton will be the opponent and he will paid according to the terms of his contract."

Boxing's grapevine buzzed all day yesterday with suggestions that other fighters - heavyweight Derek McCafferty and cruiserweight Dominic Negus among the whispered names - would be brought in as cheaper alternatives.

Unsurprisingly the BBC, with pounds 1million invested in Harrison's switch to the paid ranks and an advertising campaign touting the fight aired all week, stamped on that idea before it even got beyond the gossip stage.

The selection of Middleton, a 33-year-old journeyman from Florida beaten nine times, has been widely criticised as a soft touch. That is nonsense. All any fighter embarking on a pro career should be expected to do is to get an unthreatening feel for the new arena.

Yet the fact that the fight is top of the bill and on prime-time TV has led to calls for a stiffer opening test.

Harrison said: "At this stage of my development I am looking to go into the ring and then and have my team say: 'Yup, you've done that right and you've done this right.'

"I want to be able to gain something positive. That kind of thing will help me make the transition from the amateur ranks."

It sounds reasonable enough. But Harrison's American trainer Thel Torrence, an acolyte of the legendary Eddie Futch, has reservations about the razzmatazz surrounding Harrison's first paid outing. He said: "If it was down to me I would have put him on the undercard. The kind of attention he has been getting is what the top fighters in the world get."

Yet the attention last night was still on Harrison's back-up team. The idea that they tried to dupe Middleton would not go away and it is certain to lead to some serious questions, not least at the BBC.

In a delicious twist of irony, their own sporting website carried a withering attack by Middleton on McMillan and Harding. Middleton said: "I was given a copy of McMillan's autobiography, which says that boxers are taken advantage of all the time by promoters and managers. I read it and laughed.

"My original contract gave me pounds 3,500 for a six-round fight. I was under the impression it would be on the undercard as I have never heard of a pro debut being a main event. But Harding and McMillan came to my hotel earlier this week and told me I needed to sign a new contract.

"The new agreement was 11 pages long and gave up my rights as a fighter, not to mention the TV money I was entitled to from our original agreement.

"I told them I would not sign without my manager being present to look over the deal."

It wasn't long before rival promoters Frank Warren and Frank Maloney, upset by Harrison's intention of reaching the top without their services, were giving Middleton the benefit of their experience.

Andy Ayling, a Warren employee, suddenly materialised this week as Middleton's agent, determined to ensure that he gets his share of the TV money his original contract guarantees him. Ayling said last night: "We have a contract for the fight and Michael will be sticking by the terms of it. We hope that Audley's team do the right thing and also stick by it."

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CAPTION(S):

HE'S SITTING PRETTY: But Audley Harrison knows the hard work is only just beginning; MIDDLETON: Surprised by events