Warren comes to the aid of Watson

Promoter Frank Warren was today revealed as the white knight behind a compensation pay-out of £400,000 to brain-damaged boxer Michael Watson.

That sum, approved by the High Court in London in settlement of 36-year-old Watson's case against the British Boxing Board of Control, is considerably less than the £2.5 million that Watson might have received for the terrible injuries sustained in a world championship fight against Chris Eubank in September 1991.

But given the state of the cashstrapped Board's finances - the governing body for boxing in Great Britain went into administration after Watson won a High Court ruling found that the BBBC breached a duty of care to the undefeated Commonwealth middleweight champion - and the Board's lack of insurance, the settlement was said to be the best that could be achieved.

Part of the payment to Watson, who is now confined to a wheelchair, will emanate from a mortgage on the BBBC's London headquarters. But £100,000 will come from Warren agreeing to pay in advance for match licence fees covering the next five years.

He will also make a £35,000 payment to Watson and will hope to raise a further £100,000 from a benefit night featuring champion boxers next February.

Mr Justice Buckley praised Warren for attempting to achieve "something by way of a net return".

But he added that the £400,000 was "sadly a long way short" of the damages that Watson would have received had the Board had sufficient funds or been insured.

Audley Harrison is to take a step up in class when he faces former Polish amateur champion Piotr Jurczyk in his third professional fight at Glasgow's Kelvin Hall on Saturday 20 October.

The Olympic gold medallist, widely criticised for his performance in out-pointing Derek McCafferty in Newcastle last month, will take on an opponent who has won nine and lost eight fights. But Jurczyk ended his last bout against former French heavyweight titleholder Yacine Kingbo with a first round knock-out. Harrison said: "People can expect to see a leaner and meaner Audley."

Joe Calzaghe flies to Denmark tomorrow intent on overshadowing Mike Tyson on Saturday.

The Welshman makes his ninth defence of the WBO world supermiddleweight title against American Will McIntyre on the same bill as Tyson fights Denmark's Brian Nielsen. Calzaghe said: "I'm going to steal the limelight off Tyson because mine is the genuine fight."