Daniel Geale draws on Jeff Harding's heroic victory in Atlantic City in 1989 for inspiration

IF Daniel Geale ever needed some inspiration ahead of his world title bout, then he needs to look no further than Jeff Harding.

IF Daniel Geale ever needed some inspiration ahead of his world title bout this weekend, he needs to look no further than at the heroics of Jeff Harding back in 1989.

Twenty-four years ago light-heavyweight Harding travelled to Atlantic City’s Trump Plaza Convention Center on less than one month’s notice to take on the WBC world champion, British boxer Dennis Andries. In one of the most fascinatingly bouts in boxing history, Harding produced an epic upset via a final round stoppage.

The two boxers bludgeoned each other mercilessly throughout the contest, and Harding’s interaction with master trainer Johnny Lewis between the 11th and 12th rounds has become as legendary as a result.

"Jeffrey, you go out and you hit him with everything. We’re a minute away from the WBC Championship," said Lewis.

"I love you Johnny," said Harding.

"I love you too, son. Now go out there and come back a champion."

Fast forward to the modern day and Geale is the Australian fighting an Englishman in Atlantic City. He faces Darren Barker for the IBF middleweight title.

The 32-year-old has been reflecting on Harding’s historic upset victory, using it as encouragement for his own challenge.

“I think that’s a fight that all Australian boxing fans remember very fondly,” said Geale.

“For me especially, being here in Atlantic City, it’s something I take a lot of motivation from. I like to take little bits and pieces from the styles and the stories of lots of boxers from the past, and definitely Jeff Harding is one of those. It was just an amazing fight and to dig deep and finish over the top of him like he did was just a great effort."

Unlike Harding, Geale will enter the ring a firm bookies favourite against Barker. However, he believes that a key portion of the international boxing community firmly expect the Englishman to prevail.

"On the world stage I think I’m always the underdog really. In Germany they didn’t expect much from me either time, and over here I don’t think they expect me to win, or even know that much about me. Barker’s fought here before and they know about him, but they probably don’t rate me yet,” he said.

With the fight being broadcast live to the US audience via HBO, Geale steps into the unknown with the fifth defence of his IBF title.

Fighting in front of a huge American audience as a belt-holder in the glamorous middleweight division places him on the cusp of boxing superstardom. Should he prevail a re-match with Felix Sturm looms as his mandatory defence, before the enticing possibility of a middleweight unification bout back in the US.

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The Geale-Barker bout begins at 11:30am (EST) on Sunday. The bout is being shown live on Main Event.