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Last chance saloon for Audley Harrison

Audley Harrison admits he is running out of excuses © Getty Images

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Audley Harrison has promised to hang up his gloves if he loses to David Price on Saturday.

The former Olympic gold medallist believes he is in the best shape of his life as he prepares to take on unbeaten British and Commonwealth heavyweight champion Price, but he admits he will have nowhere left to turn if he suffers a sixth defeat of his professional career.

Harrison, who concedes his last good performance came back in 2004 when he stopped Richel Hersisia in the fourth round, believes he has rediscovered the form he showed eight years ago.

"My last good performance was Richel Hersisia," Harrison was quoted as saying in the Daily Mirror. "When I beat him, people were saying I could become world champion.

"But I lost the next eight years. I beat Danny Williams, but that was just revenge. I feel I'm picking up my career from that point eight years ago. I'm now the best I can be and the first guy who beats me at 100 per cent, I will know then that it's over.

"This is that moment. If I lose to David Price, I've got no future. It's over. It's over for me as a professional fighter if I lose to David Price. This is my door. This is the door I have to walk through. This is the last-chance saloon for me and I would not want it any other way."

Harrison admits defeat to David Haye in November 2010 was a "catastrophe" and is determined to justify the decision not to hang up his gloves two years ago.

"The old buzz was a lot of hype and bluster and arrogance," he said. "I used the chip on my shoulder to win fights. I had the talent, but I've realised that talent only takes you so far.

"Now I have got everything else. Life experience. I've had my failures. The failure I have had and overcome is like the Titanic going through the iceberg.

"The David Haye fight was a catastrophe for me. You weren't supposed to see me in a ring again. But here I am. I've come through that failure and got myself back. Most people can't get through that kind of failure, they give up. But I never gave up on myself.

"I have grown up. I have been beaten up so much by the universe, I have been shaped by my experience and it's all leading me to that place where I will become a complete person. I feel totally balanced now and a complete person. I am content in my life and the final bit to fix is my boxing career and I will fix that on Saturday."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.