By Terence Dooley

An America source, a camp insider close to one of the teams, has told BoxingScene the shocking reason behind Audley Harrison's decision to take a make-or-break fight with America's Deontay "The Bronze Bomber" Wilder on the undercard of Amir Khan versus Julio Diaz at Sheffield's Motorpoint Arena on April 27.

Harrison, 31-6 (23), is viewed as a sacrificial lamb going into the ten-threes meeting with 2008 Olympic heavyweight bronze medallist Wilder, 27-0 (27), but our source, who was present at the time, has exclusively revealed to BoxingScene that "A-Force" floored Wilder twice during recent sparring sessions in the U.S.A.  The 27-year-old Wilder has barely dropped a round thus far in his career, so his 41-year-old opponent, a Super heavyweight gold medallist at the 2000 Games in Sydney, was heartened by their respective sparring form and this was a huge factor in Harrison's decision to take the fight.

"Seeing Wilder go down once was a surprise, the second time was unbelievable, and I think it will have given Audley the confidence to take this fight," said our man on the inside when recalling the sparring session.

If true, it certainly raises interest in the contest and could present Harrison, who has suffered from pre-fight nerves in the past, with a lot of confidence ahead of the latest in a long line of final opportunities for the London-born, California-based southpaw.

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