South Beach's crown jewel of entertainment, LEVEL Nightclub, hosted this much heralded evening of boxing. ESPN2 was the appointed broadcaster of the event.

I understand that television is important, it pays the bills, etc., etc., etc. However, at some point, common sense must prevail and even the mighty magic lantern -as my good friend Geo Elsasser would call it- needs to be reigned in. The fight order of the event was screwed over to accommodate the TV schedule. If you sat ringside and weren't anchored to the ground, you ran a darn good risk of being mowed down by the roving cameramen and/or the cable guys who walk/run behind them. If that didn't ruin it for you, there was that guy, the one shouting obscenities whenever things didn't go his way, ESPN way or whatever way. ESPN's crew was definitely out of control...

Unable to build up momentum due to the fight order change, Olympic super heavyweight king Audley Harrison, opened up the evening's proceedings. Preceded by beautiful Las Vegas style show girls and bouncing to the cadence of reggae music Harrison was enthusiastically received by the SRO crowd. Don't ask me why, but I did experience a Lennox Lewis flashback watching the big man enter the ring.

I'll spare you the hype. Audley Harrison fights like a guy who has twelve pro fights; like a man trying to find his niche in the ring and in all fairness, were he Joe Contender, we would expect little. In his favor, Harrison is a southpaw with quick hands; he throws the uppercut beautifully and effectively, and scores well with his combinations. He is agile for a man his size, but Audley Harrison is a work in progress.

A straight right left combination to the chin of opponent Quinn Navarre starched him thirty two seconds into the third round. Audley Harrison moves on, undefeated in 12, with bragging rights to 8 KOs. Navarre slips to 30-11, 1 (20 KOs).

Mr. Harrison has star quality written all over him. He is personable, articulate, intelligent and from what I observed, very business minded. The move to the United States is a calculated risk, and he seems to be handling his affairs here with extreme care. One can only hope that the pressure won't get the best of him, and while I'm at it, please allow me to thank the "A-Force" for being a loyal reader of Bragging Rights Corner, as evidenced by statements he made when we were introduced at the weigh-in.

Middleweights Joseph "Spiderman" Benjamin and Kronk Gym's Brian Mihtar followed the main event of the evening. Benjamin entered the ring in full Spiderman regalia, and when the bell sounded, he became Spiderman, confounding his opponent with odd angles and moves, much to the delight of the fans. Mihtar would have none of it, and these two rocked each other solidly throughout three assaults. Two minutes and fifty seven seconds into the third round, Spiderman succumbed to the stronger Mihtar, who now improves his record to 2-0, 1 KO, while Benjamin drops to 1-2.

Female heavyweights followed, and I'll just fast forward to the end result. Kathy Rivers stopped Lisa McFarland fifty-seven seconds into the fourth round of their "bout."

Andre "Tombstone" Purlett vs Lionel Butler were up next. Andre's entrance was colorful; more beautiful show girls, and great entrance music; leading the Purlett entourage none other than Emanuel Steward.

Purlett weighed in at 209 lbs. His opponent, Lionel Butler broke, I mean, tipped the scale at 282 lbs. Butler was a late replacement who took this fight with only four days notice, and let's just say that he must not have been visiting the gym on a regular basis. Lionel looked like the Michelin man's distant cousin; however, he brought it to Andre in the opening round, causing some anxious moments for Team Purlett.

Fighting back after having survived round one, Purlett unloaded a huge right bomb 1:57 into the second stanza that put Butler to sleep; it was the third and final fall in the round. Good comeback for the Guyanase fighter, who did show improvement under the tutelage of Manny Steward and James Ali Bashir. The detractors will say that Purlett's chin is questionable; I say his heart isn't, and last night he did what champions do, he found a way to win. Butler's record falls to 31-15-1, 25 KOs while Purlett improves to 37-2, 34 KOs.

Last but not least, fan favorite Hicklet Lau faced Louisiana's Thomas Grisson. The junior welters closed the show in style, going at it from the opening bell. However, Lau dominated Grissom with superior boxing skills and punching power. This one went two rounds, the official time of Grisson's departure was 1:52. "El Marielito" Lau scores a much needed confidence boosting TKO, improving his record to 18-10-2, 9 KOs.

In the house: Rapper Fat Joe, Eliecer Castillo, Epifanio "El Diamante" Mendoza, Shannon Briggs, Mauricio Pastrana, as well as Bobby Bostick and Nelson Lopez, who head Ringside Promotions and Events, LLC. Mr. Fernandez informed us exclusively that they are planning a major, major event -possibly in the heavyweight division- which will catapult them into one of the most dominant promotional firms in the business. Stay tuned...