Harrison/Cook Meet The Press

Scott Harrison and Nicky Cook take off the gloves

Troubled Scott Harrison (25-2-2, 14 KOs) and his challenger Nicky Cook (26-0, 15 KOs), the unbeaten former British, European and Commonwealth champion, are fighting for Harrison’s WBO featherweight title Saturday in London’s Excel Arena, and if their recent telephone conference call is any indication, fists might fly with the same lethal intensity as their words.

Describing the conference call as bad-tempered, the BBC reports that Cook said, “Scott’s been a good world champion, he’s been there and done it, but now there is a new kid on the block and I’m ready to take over.

Nothing especially bad tempered about that, not as I write from the land of James Toney and Mike Tyson, but then Cook took off the gloves to embrace the No More Mr. Nice Guy stuff for the British press.

You’ve had your day and you’re just another fighter for me, Cook, from Dagenham, England, told the Glaswegian Harrison, so you can just shut your noise.

Harrison, out on bail after five long weeks locked up in a Spanish jail on charges of assault and theft, was clearly cruising for bruising when told Cook, “I’ve seen your likes before pal, and I’ll [effing] shut your noise!”

Nicky Cook, , whose major is fighting but who must have minored in getting under other men’s skin, said, “I’m the one who’s calm and collected and you are the one who’s sitting there nervous I’ve got you rattled.”

Rattled or not, the champion responded to the taunt as though Cook was dead meat about to be served up on a platter Saturday night: “You’re just a typical big mouth and you don’t bother me at all. I’ll shove that phone up your a**. I’ll see you on 9 December.”

“Yeah, I hope I see you too, spat Cook. Just make sure you turn up!”

Say what you will about the British, but our comrades in arms from across the pond, to their credit, like nothing better than a good fight.