There was no stunner, no triumphant home return punctuated with a championship-belt trophy.

Michael Grant: The Long Road Back

By Wes Moore

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 withLewis 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. (http://www.eastsideboxing.com/news/moore2210.php)

“Return of Buffalo Boxing” Features NABA-US Light Heavyweight Championship Main Event -- Undercard Loaded with
Local Contenders and New Talent 

Two-time former champion Byron “Slama from Bama” Mitchell takes
on Zach “Jungle Boy” Walters for NABA-US Light Heavyweight title

Buffalo’s own “Italian Hit Man” Paul Marinaccio Appears in Co-main Event

Promoter Nick Garone of X-Cel Worldwide will continue his much-anticipated revival of world-class professional boxing in Buffalo on Friday, February 20, at the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center.

The aptly named “Return of Buffalo Boxing” will feature an NABA-US Light Heavyweight Championship between hard-punching two-time super middleweight world champion Byron “Slama from Bama” Mitchell (26-4-1, 19 KOs) and Madagascar’s 6’ 4” former NABA-US champ Zach “Jungle Boy” Walters (23-3, 18 KOs).

In the co-main event, Buffalo heavyweight and favorite son Paul “The Italian Hit Man” Marinaccio will make his first return to the ring since his heroic stand against top-rated “Big” Michael Grant in an eight-round battle against tough Cleveland veteran Ryan Thompson.

A very special showcase fight will pit X-Cel Worldwide’s newest promotional client, Meacher Major (15-3-1, 13 KOs) of the Bahamas, against ultra-durable Philadelphia warrior Kevin Carmody (10-10-2, 1 KO) in a super lightweight eight-rounder.

Other featured bouts include the professional debuts of former amateur star light heavyweight Lionel Thompson (vs. Rodell Bollar) and cruiserweight Greg Brady (vs. Ohio’s Justin Riegle). Both of these talented newcomers will be looking to begin their careers with impressive performances in their separate four-found fights.

Also scheduled for four-round battles are undefeated light welterweight Michael Faragon (4-0) of Guilderland, New York, (vs. Youngstown, Ohio’s Shane Gierke) and 6’ 6” heavyweight Johnny Davis of Niagara Falls, New York, who will also make his debut against Akron, Ohio’s George Jacobs.

Rounding out the action will be a featherweight four-rounder between deceptively skilful Harvey “Chi Chi” Murray (2-2-2, 1 KO) of Rochester, New York, and tough Pennsylvainian Omar Carrol.

“We’ve got a terrific night of boxing for the Buffalo fans that have been waiting more than five years for live, local fights,” said an optimistic Garone. “With a light heavyweight championship fight, Paul Marinaccio coming back after his unbelievably strong performance against Grant, our newest X-Cel fighter Meacher Major out to prove himself in a tough test and an undercard filled with local talent, we’re confident that fans in Western New York will come out to support the return of pro boxing.”

Garone, who says he’s received tremendous help in putting together this blockbuster event from local boxing staples like Jimmy Ralston of Olympia Boxing Club, is “overjoyed” by the response to his shows from local boxing fans. “We did our first event at the Seneca Niagara Casino and it was fantastic. I’m honored to be helping to revive a sport with such a rich history in this area."

Grant Defeats Marinaccio!

Former world title challenger “Big” Michael Grant continued his comeback Saturday night with a lop-sided unanimous decision win over hometown favorite Paul Marinaccio in Niagara Falls.

Former two-time super middleweight champion Byron Mitchell made quick work of veteran Etienne Whitaker, stopping him at 1:10 of round one. A Mitchell left hook dropped Whitaker thirty seconds into the fight. Mitchell swarmed in and knocked Whitaker down a second time but was up quickly but referee Sharif waved the fight off. This was Mitchell’s first win in his latest come back and improved to 26-4-1 while Whitaker drops to 33-31-2.

In an 8-round semi-final, jr. welterweight Adrian Mora of Thorton, Colorado, improved to 20-1-1 with a fourth round TKO over Shad Howard of St. Louis.

Michael Grant Returns!

Garr Devastated by Decision! 

By Andre Courtemanche