On Saturday depending on your point of view I was either one of the lucky or unlucky ones to be at the Manchester Evening News Arena to watch the Haye versus Harrison fight. I’m still undecided as to whether I enjoyed the fight, all nine minutes of it or so. I loved the promotion of the fight, the build up in the arena and the atmosphere on the night, which included Harrison being booed in and out of the ring. I also was delighted with the result and with the fact I won big at the bookies, well I won £12 which is exactly the amount I put on with three different bets.

I know some people cannot stand boxing, but I love it. My interest in it stems back to spending wonderful days with my legend of a Grandad who I still miss every day and used to fill my ears with stories about when he was an amateur boxer during his time in the army. Whether he actually ever got in the ring I’m not bothered about because his stories were as good as any fight I’ve ever seen. He also, and this is the best bit, didn’t have a bone in nose which he claimed had been broken that many times from boxing it had to be removed. I never thought to ask as a child listening in awe but I’m guessing now that this means he wasn’t very good!

In terms of the venue we had a great view. The MEN Arena is ok in terms of access, it isn’t the worst venue I’ve ever been too but I never feel totally comfortable in the arena. The main reason for this is the fact that the concourse is always insanely busy and is a nightmare to navigate in a chair. Once inside the arena it is also incredibly dark so trying to see where best to park isn’t great. Parking your car though is good, but get there early as it fills up fast. If you don’t fancy going in the car then Victoria Station is right next door and you can get a one of Manchester’s trams into the station.

There is good information on the venue on its website and a dedicated disabled ticket phone line, all of which can be found here http://www.men-arena.com/arena/?page_id=78. Although a gripe of mine when booking tickets is that there only ever seems to be one person answering the phones, so be prepared to wait. One last thing though, a good tip when booking tickets is to ask for the camera platform. These are empty when the event isn’t being recorded and you get a space big enough for a wheelchair and one other seat. The best thing about this is that you are guaranteed to be able to sit next to the person you are going with, which you aren’t if you sit elsewhere in the disabled section.

Back to the fight, I can’t say anything as a review that hasn’t already been said. Although Kevin Mitchell of the Guardian described the fight in his report brilliantly. You can read that here http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2010/nov/14/david-haye-audley-harrison. I love Kevin Mitchell’s writing style, he is witty, honest, insightful and isn’t afraid to give an opinion, which are all traits I greatly admire. What I will say though is why didn’t Audley Harrison just change his style and have a go for one last fight. If you have trained your heart out for 12 weeks why then get in the ring and not throw a single punch of note? To just stand there and think you will take it to the later rounds was, as it proved, sporting suicide. I doubt we will see Harrison again, but as for Haye the signs are good that he will finally get in the ring with one of the Klitchkos sometime next year. I’m already poised ready to get my tickets.