I'm done with Harrison, says angry Warren

Promoter Frank Warren, furious at the late withdrawal of Scott Harrison from his WBO featherweight title defence on Saturday night, has vowed the Scot will never fight for him again.

The 29-year-old from Cambuslang, who spent five weeks in a Spanish jail after an alleged assault incident before insisting he would be fine to fight, can also expect an exasperated Warren to take court action.

Harrison's late walkout, because he could not make the weight, has left Warren having to upgrade his star youngster Amir Khan to title status against Frenchman Rachid Drilzane at London's ExCel Arena.

A day after his 20th birthday, Khan will contest the IBF intercontinental belt at light-welterweight over 10 rounds, instead of the original eight-rounder.

Although Warren tried to bite his lip over Harrison, explaining that he would wait until after the ITV-screened show before revealing how he felt about the troubled boxer and what he now proposed to do, he said more than enough to make his feelings clear.

There is going to be a lot of fall-out over this,' he said. Scott Harrison has now gone. As far as I'm concerned he is out of it.

'If I had bent over any further to help him, I could have got a job as an India rubber man in Gerry Cottle's circus. It was just a joke. We are unhappy and seeking legal advice about this.'

Warren is particularly upset by Harrison's trainer father Peter claiming on Wednesday night that the promoter was late in letting the public know of the fighter's plans to withdraw.

Warren added: I certainly had no knowledge that Scott Harrison was pulling out of this fight. It is all pretty dreadful. I have promoted some of the nicest guys in the world, some of the guys who are not so bad and some who are the biggest a******** you can meet in your whole life. But this situation is beyond belief. I can't ever recall a time like this.

What you can't deal with is not getting information. People are just not telling you what is happening. You are told one thing is happening, then you discover it is something else.'

Harrison has not fought since November last year, since when he has pulled out of a scheduled fight in March, been arrested twice, spent time in the Priory Clinic for alcohol problems and been imprisoned in Spain.

Warren is particularly upset for Harrison's challenger Nicky Cook, who gave up the WBC No 1 mandatory spot to fight for the WBO version. In the meantime, Cook has a 10-round, non-title fight against an opponent to be named.

I'm very concerned for Nicky, who has trained hard for this fight under very difficult circumstances,' said Warren. It's a great shame for him as he has been a consummate professional.'

Bolton's Olympic silver medallist Khan said of his first pro title chance: It has given me more focus for the fight. I'm over the moon that the day after I turn 20 I'm going to be in a title fight.'

Khan will return to lightweight after the fight but reckons he can also defend the light-welterweight title if he beats his French opponent.

With Harrison out and stripped of his world title, there is even more pressure on heavyweights Danny Williams and Audley Harrison to deliver in their rematch, which is now top of the bill at the blighted show tomorrow night.

They have to deliver. There will be no excuses,' said Warren, who is trying to get the fight Commonwealth title status. Williams won their first meeting on points in a bore of a battle.

The rematch has been hastily arranged after Matt Skelton last week pulled out of his Commonwealth title defence against Harrison through injury, forcing Warren to dig deep into his pocket to land Williams as a late-notice replacement.