Student Harry calls the shots at Mike Tyson press conference
Date 10.11.2020
A quick-witted University of Northampton student came through the challenge of receiving a late call up to take part in a press conference for legendary boxer Mike Tyson’s comeback bout.
Multimedia Sports Journalism third year, Harry Davies, was given 24 hours’ notice he would be asking questions at the press conference previewing Tyson’s fight with ex-four-weight world champion Roy Jones Jr.
Harry, who writes for MMA cage fighting website, Bloody Elbow, has been able to interview some of the best fighters in the sport. His sports journalism credentials led him to securing a place on the Tyson press conference journalist roster, but he wasn’t told who he’d be interviewing until the day itself.
He said: “Given how little time I had to prepare for the press conference, I was up all night until 6am planning potential questions for the fighters on the card, as I didn’t know who I would be speaking to until the following day.
“I was informed the next day I was talking to former UFC fighter Rashad Coulter and Viddal Riley, who is known for being the boxing coach of internet celebrity KSI. What I didn’t realise is the press conference would be broadcasted on BT Sport’s YouTube channel to their three-million subscribers – the video now has over 500,000 views on the channel.”
You can watch Harry quiz Coulter and Riley 14 minutes 22 seconds into the press conference, below.
“The experience was very surreal and is exactly the type of thing I want to be doing full-time when I graduate from my degree,” said the 22 year old student, who is originally from Ely, Cambridgeshire.
“I am in my last year now, and have gained a lot of valuable experience during my three years on the course. I am currently doing my best to manage my workload on a weekly basis for Bloody Elbow, as well as my current assignments that will determine how well I do in my degree.”
Harry got the gig with Bloody Elbow, which is owned by US digital media giant, Vox Media, after setting up his own MMA blog, The UFC Updates, while he was still at school, aged just 16.
He said: “I quickly gained a lot of experience covering the sport and worked my way up to write for the Bloody Elbow in 2018.
“Since I’ve been writing for them, I have been able to interview some of the best fighters in the sport. But I think being a part of the Tyson press conference is the biggest highlight for me, so far.”