Tony Harrison’s Comeback: Two-Year Layoff Ends Against Edward Ulloa Diaz At Middleweight

Tony Harrison returns from a two-year layoff against Edward Ulloa Diaz in a 10-round middleweight fight this Saturday, July 26th, at the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan.

The WBC junior middleweight champion ‘Super Bad’ Harrison (29-4-1, 21 KOs) wants to restart his career at 160, and go after a quick world title in this barren division.

Tony Harrison Returns

Harrison-Diaz will be fighting on the undercard of Claressa Shields vs. Lani Daniels. The event will be shown live on DAZN starting at 6:00 p.m. ET.

Harrison, 34, last fought on March 12, 2023, when he was knocked out in the ninth round by Tim Tszyu. He was competitive in that fight, but Tszyu’s power eventually was too much for him. This wasn’t the depleted Tszyu we’ve seen since last year. He still had a chin when he fought Harrison and stood up to his power.

Harrison’s opponent, super middleweight Edward Ulloa Diaz (15-6, 12 KOs), has lost three out of his last five fights. He’s not looked good, losing to Jonathan Gonzalez-Ortiz, Jimmy ‘Kilrain’ Kelly, and Roberto Garcia.

160 lbs Title Hunt

“I never do it for the fun. If I get back in. I’m passionate about it. I love it. The goal is to see if I can get back to the top and win it again,” said Tony Harrison to Fighthype about him coming back after a two-year layoff.”

Harrison is going to have to be strategic with the opponent choice. The champions in the division are solid, and it’ll be difficult for him to beat any of them.

“I’ve been off for two years. I’m never trying to rush it,” said Harrison. “Rushing it would be for money. Rushing it would be the wrong word. I’m definitely not rushing it. I’m taking it fight by fight. Consistency is my thing. I want to be consistent for as long as I can. Do it as quick as I can, fast as I can, and get to the top as fast as I can.:

Harrison is about to turn 35 in September. He can’t afford to take his time if he wants to give himself his best chance of capturing a belt. He needs to rediscover the form he had in 2018 when he beat Jermell Charlo.

Middleweight Division Shakeup

“I’m moving up to 160. I’m moving up to middleweight. The 154 division, I’m saying goodbye to it,” said Harrison. “That’s even more wide open [160]. I think it’s the perfect timing. I’ve been wanting to move up. I’ve been at 154 for about 20 years. I think it’s the perfect time to move up.

“I think it’s the perfect time to get back into a division where there’s nothing going on. There’s no energy. There’s no spark. There’s no charisma. There’s no character. It’s the perfect time to get in.

“Struggling? I didn’t make the weight. I didn’t want to do it,” said Harrison when asked if he was struggling to make 154.