Boxing

 

Michael Grant: The Long Road Back

By Wes Moore

21.10 - The questions really began to come after April 29, 2000 for Michael Grant. Was he pushed too hard, too fast? Was he too protected in first fights? Is his chin suspect? Then came his next fight on July 21, 2001 and the questions resurfaced. The man who many had pegged as the next dominant heavyweight force suddenly became a fighter that many label as damaged goods. The fights in question are of course his challenge of division king Lennox Lewis and his subsequent bout versus then unknown Jameel "Big Time" McCline. All the tools seemed to be there for imminent success. He had youth, size, power, stamina, and solid technique but the demolition by Lewis brought critics out of the woodwork. These setbacks have left Grant at a very important stage of his career. The road back to the top tier will be arduous for him and he is being moved along at a nice pace by Teddy Atlas and his handlers. His future could still be bright.

The first couple of years on the Grant ledger are not littered with big names but he fought on a fairly regular basis and worked toward getting ready for bigger opposition. He faced his first big competition in his third year when he faced Corey "T Rex" Sanders and Ross Puritty when he fought eight times in 1996. He was less active in 1997 but took on slightly better opposition including Lionel Butler, former cruiserweight contender Al "Ice" Cole, and the faded Cuban Giant Jorge Luis Gonzalez. He only fought twice the next year but stepped in with the rugged Obed Sullivan and former Olympic medalist David Izon. His activity was also slow in 1999 but led everyone to believe he was zeroing in on a really big opportunity. He beat Ahmad Abdin, Lou Savarese, and was then pushed to the brink by the erratic but dangerous Andrew Golota. He passed all of those tests and seemed ready for bigger fish. The announcement soon came down that he would indeed get bigger fish in the form of Champion Lennox Lewis.

The fight with Lewis could be characterised as utter and complete failure. He was clearly overmatched by the self proclaimed "pugilist specialist." Michael Grant was sent back to the drawing board after his failed bid to reach championship status. The solution that played out was for Michael Grant to do battle with an unknown(to most fans) Jameel McCline. I remember that Michael looked very fierce and ready to fight but also seemed to be bone dry. The opening bell saw McCline charge Grant and soon he crushed him with a vicious shot. The landing that followed saw an awkward landing for Grant and an ankle injury that forced the end of the fight. All that seemed destined for Grant was wiped away in three rounds of action.

The rebuilding process began nearly eight months after the McCline fight in March 2002. The comeback has thus far included TKO wins over Rey Minus, Joe Lenhart, Anthony Willis, and Robert Davis. This year also saw Grant win versus Thomas Williams via TKO in what was later graded an exhibition since Williams has had a "controversial" in ring past. The year closes out for Michael Grant as he headlines a charity card in Washington D.C. versus James Walton. The fight should see Grant march on and most likely will lead to him facing tougher competition in 2003. I think that time will tell for Grant but the future will show that he is NOT a tomato can, he is NOT washed up, and he does NOT have a glass chin. You can reach me at largedog@bellsouth.net and until next time watch out for the upper cut behind the jab.

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