AT the ripe age of 41, and in the twilight of his career, former world-rated middleweight Wayne Harris tackled Canadian Matt O’Brien on December 10, 2005.Harris had been fighting for 21 years as a professional and was 13 years O’Brien’s senior. The six-round fight was held at the Montreal Casino in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
On that cold night O’Brien won by a unanimous decision with all three judges scoring the fight 60-53. The lanky Harris, elder brother of former WBA junior welterweight champion Vivian Harris, had one more fight the following year before retiring from the ring.
Harris started his career on Boxing Day in 1984 with a fifth-round knockout of Rockford Abrams. He then won bouts against Cliff Jones, Maxie Sargeant, Simeon Thomas, Mortimer Cornell and Albert Brown respectively before running into a brick wall named Lennox Blackmore in June 1986.
A former Commonwealth lightweight champion Blackmore served up Harris his first defeat (TKO in 9th). In May 1993 Harris joined the small list of Guyanese to have fought for world titles when he lost to Reggie Johnson with the WBA crown at stake.