Michael Anthony Grant[1] (born August 4, 1972) is an Americanprofessional boxer and world heavyweight title challenger. Grant’s pinnacle of his boxing career came in 2000 when he unsuccessfully challenged Lennox Lewis for the IBF, WBC and IBO heavyweight titles. He came in undefeated but was knocked out in two rounds by the eventual champion. He also held fringe titles in the IBC and WBF during this period.
Early life
Before his boxing career,[2] he blossomed into a three-sport star at Chicago's Harper High School. He was a right handed pitcher who drew attention from the Kansas City Royals, an imposing two-way player at tight end and defensive end on the football field and a front court force on the basketball court. Grant graduated in 1991 and went on to play American Football at Mount San Antonio College near Los Angeles, and Fullerton College in Orange County, California.
Amateur career
Grant had just 12 amateur fights. In the Golden Gloves 1994 semi-finals he suffered his only amateur loss to Derrick Jefferson on points.
Grant's undefeated record and victories against Sullivan, Savarese and Golota earned him an opportunity to challenge newly crowned undisputed heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis. Lewis was coming off a unanimous decision victory against Evander Holyfield and wanted to make a statement with his first title-defence.
Grant started the fight very aggressively but Lewis put him down with a right hand. He got back to his feet and was beaten badly by Lewis, a left hand on the side of the head sending Grant reeling into the corner and counting as a second knockdown. Grant was badly hurt but seemed to recover toward the end of the first round until a vicious right hand sent him down for the third time. Remarkably Grant beat the count. His trainer Don Turner implored him to use his legs. While Grant tried to rally, Lewis took his time in round two before finishing Grant off with an uppercut.
Later career
Sidelined by injuries for fifteen months, in his comeback fight Grant fought and lost to Jameel McCline in 2001. McCline knocked him down in the first round, and Grant had to retire due to a broken ankle. After a brief comeback, then-undefeated Dominick Guinn knocked him out in 2003 in seven rounds. Since the loss, Grant has fought sporadically against limited opposition while having several high-profile trainers, including Don Turner, Teddy Atlas,[3]Buddy McGirt and most recently Eddie Mustafa Muhammad.
On May 7, 2010, Grant fought for the first time in eighteen months and won by first-round technical knockout over Kevin Burnett at Oheka Castle, Huntingdon, NY.[4]
On August 21, 2010, with a 20 kg weight advantage, Grant was physically dominant, but lost on points to Tomasz Adamek by a unanimous decision.[5]
On March 11, 2011, Grant fought Tye Fields at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. Grant scored a one-punch third-round knockout.[6]
On November 19, 2011, Grant faced Francois Botha for the vacant World Boxing Federation (WBF) Heavyweight title. Grant won by a 12th-round KO, having needed a KO due to being well behind on all three cards. The fight took place in Johannesburg, South Africa, the first time he had fought outside the USA. Immediately after the fight, Grant called out the Klitschko brothers who held all of the major heavyweight titles.[7] After an 18-month layoff, Grant defended the WBF belt against France-based Cameroonian Carlos Takam on May 24, 2013, in Noisy-le-Grand, France, losing by 8th-round technical knockout.
