SCOTT HARRISON could be set for a three-belt world title shoot-out with Mexican double champ Juan Manuel Marquez.
The Cambuslang WBO featherweight holder watched the latest, decidedly unimpressive defence by the Mexican of his WBA and IBF titles against Orlando Salido last weekend.
And he was more than interested to hear Marquez say he’d welcome a fight with the Glaswegian.
Now Harrison’s trainer and father, Peter, has revealed his son could go to America in the New Year to meet Marquez – if he sees off Ethiopian challenger Samuel Kebede in Glasgow on October 29.
Harrison senior said: “Marquez was anything but impressive and Frank Maloney phoned me to say Scott would walk right through him.
“Both Scott and I agree with that – there is no way we want to look past Samuel Kebede, but a fight with Marquez is what Scott wants for New Year.
“With Marco Barrera set to fight Erik Morales for the third time on November 27, we are planning to go to Vegas to turn the heat up on the winner for a fight at 9st 4lbs.
“That wouldn’t be a problem for Scott, assuming all goes well meanwhile with the defence of his titles.”
The action over the weekend means Harrison is now rated No.3 featherweight in the world by the boxing bible, The Ring.
Quite simply, Marquez was so bad he knows he has turned off the lucrative US tv money market.
Harrison – who would bring his WBO belt to the table – is now vital to the Mexican’s hopes of re-marketing himself. However, Harrison’s camp have also had a request for a fight from Manny Pacquiao, the fearsome Filipino who destroyed the myth of Barrera’s invincibility in 11 rounds last year. Again, after drawing with Marquez earlier this year, Pacquiao finds himself frozen out of the title picture and Harrison back in.
The figure of Korean terminator Injin Chi is another possibility for Harrison in the New Year.
He is the reigning WBC champ, but the chance for Harrison to claim two of the three other featherweight titles not held by him may seem more attractive – especially in the light of Marquez’s weekend performance.
With the gateway towards achieving boxing’s ultimate title — undisputed – now starting to open, Harrison jnr knows he can afford no slip-ups against Kebede at Braehead next month.
He said: “Kebede is 24 and zero with 14 knockouts, so I am concentrating on him. But Marquez is the type of fight I need.”
