29.03.06 – By Dan Horgan: In boxing, sometimes the hardest thing that a fighter can do is swallow a loss and fight their way back into contention. Countless times we see fighters retire directly after a loss or are just never the same. However, there is one man who always seems to defy the odds and keep coming back no matter how many times he loses, and that’s Montell Griffin.
Montell Griffin is a guy who has seen it all. A 1992 Olympian, Griffin started off his career like any other prospect coming up through the ranks. He fought some stiffs and some solid fighters while running up a 14-0 record, before the opportunity of a lifetime came up in the chance to fight the just three month removed pound for pound king in James Toney. Although the fight was close, Griffin sealed the deal with his jab and overall boxing skills and all of the sudden, boxing had one of its new stars in the making.
After winning nine more meaningless bouts, Griffin fought Toney again and scored another decision victory showing that his first bout was not a fluke, and that he was ready to take on any top light-heavyweight in the world.
Montell Griffin was 26-0 and had already captured the WBU, IBF inter-continental, and NABF championships before he stepped into the ring with pound for pound king Roy Jones Jr. Although a heavy underdog to the bigger, faster and stronger Jones, for eight rounds Griffin fought even with the all time great, and in the ninth round, the break of a lifetime came. After knocking Griffin down, Jones continued to fight and was eventually disqualified in one of the most controversial calls by a referee in years. All of the sudden, Griffin became the first one to beat an all time great and was recognized as the light heavyweight champion of the world. Despite the controversial stoppage, this was clearly Griffin’s highest moment as a fighter. Throughout the fight, Griffin, using every trick in the book he knew, out-hustled and frustrated Jones, giving him the excuse that he was indeed the better fighter.
Like every great champion however, Montell Griffin had his downfall, and in arguably the largest drop in status in boxing history, Griffin was embarrassingly knocked out in the first round in his rematch with Jones. Griffin went from being a top ten pound for pound fighter and light heavyweight champion of the world, to the guy who had really beaten a bunch of nobodies and was lucky that Jones hit him while he was down.
How can a fighter come back from such an embarrassment? Just ask Montell Griffin who let his fists do the talking as he won his next seven bouts before positioning himself for a shot at undefeated Eric Harding for he NABF belt he had won just two years ago. Griffin again used his technique and even floored Harding in the seventh round, but came up on the wrong end of a split-decision and his little run was over.
It must have took everything that Griffin had to come back from Jones thrashing, so another loss was probably even harder to swallow, but instead of giving up, Griffin went back to work. Griffin scored four straight knockouts before traveling to Germany to face the universally recognized second best light heavyweight in the world in Dariusz Michalczewski. This was Griffin’s chance to put all of the troubles of the past behind him, to prove that he was a top light-heavyweight, and a chance to become a two time world champion. However, Griffin was again embarrassed as he didn’t win a round until he was knocked out in the fourth.
Now at this point in Griffin’s career, it’s amazing that he didn’t just hang up the gloves and call it a career. He had won a world title, made a lot of money, and was still healthy, a rare combination for a fighter of any status. But for some reason, Griffin wanted more, and went on, in my opinion one, of the most remarkable runs in light heavyweight history. Griffin fought and beat the likes of Jesus Ruiz, Derrick Harmon, and George Jones in a six fight winning streak that brought him to the crossroads of his career: a fight for the light heavyweight championship of the world against Antonio Tarver. Everything seemed set: Roy Jones had moved up to heavyweight, Dariusz Michalczewski hadn’t fought a top contender in a few years, and by beating Tarver, he would one-up Eric Harding as Harding was starched in his second fight with Tarver. If Griffin wanted to be considered the best light-heavyweight in the world, his time was now. However, Griffin was again embarrassed as he was floored twice and shut out on every judges’ scorecard losing another decision, and essentially ending his career.
Since that fateful night with Tarver, Griffin’s career has continued to go downward. Despite a win over tough contender Sam Reese and competitive bouts with Rico Hoye and Julio Gonzalez (both losses), Griffin is considered all but done by most boxing critics and fans. But don’t give up on Griffin yet. If Griffin has proved anything over his 13 year career, it’s that he can come back from adversity and tough losses to shoot into contention again. Griffin takes his first step back Friday night versus journeyman Norman Jones for the USBA light heavyweight title in basically a do or die fight. Griffin is only human, and at the age of 35, it wouldn’t be fair for Griffin fans to expect another comeback. But if Griffin wins, he might find himself in another title eliminator for one more shot at glory. Expect Griffin to defy the odds.