By Jim Cawkwell
Few professional athletes have survived the personal obstacles such as those inflicted upon Otis Grant the night he was involved in a horrific automobile accident. Even fewer have summoned the intangible qualities needed to not only return to their chosen profession, but also make their way to the very pinnacle of achievement in that field. That Grant did all of the above, battling his way to success as a fighter is that much more remarkable, a testament to the courage of one man and an inspiration to all.
In a perfect world, the headlines would tell of Grant’s night of glory at the Casino de Montreal last Saturday night. Instead, the victory belonged to Mexico’s Librado Andrade, who will move on to challenge for the WBC super middleweight championship in Grant’s stead. However, there is a rare glory for the Jamaican-born Grant to savor, one of overcoming frightening adversity to experience the thrill of the chase once more. Few fighters can claim to have met such a challenge, so for Grant, there can be no shame.
At thirty-eight-years-of age, perhaps sensing his last chance, Grant uncharacteristically withdrew from the style and strategy that had brought him so much success before, and that he hoped would do so against Andrade. Gone was the careful, pure boxing approach honed to a fine art over his many years in the ring. Instead, Grant chose to meet fire with fire, and found that Andrade’s burned with greater intensity.
That Markus Beyer is the current and overall three-time holder of the WBC super middleweight championship is an impressive statistic to behold, but of course, it indicated that he has lost the title on more than one occasion and is not without his vulnerabilities.
From his stronghold in Germany, Beyer has enjoyed his championship reigns without having to venture out deep waters of the American market. By the time of the fight, Beyer’s third title run will have gone uninterrupted for two years. It is Andrade’s unenviable task to venture into the champion’s territory and do what few have managed: return home adorned with gold.
For Grant, a future in the ring is uncertain. It would be no surprise to learn that a man of such irrepressible will might take some time, allow his wounds to heal and decide that another world championship is a task not beyond him. But whatever Grant has to prove is to himself. He lived the dream of becoming a world champion, and though defeated in the end, he tested himself against Roy Jones, Jr.; then the world’s greatest pound-for-pound fighter.
Grant is a ubiquitous presence in the hearts and minds of Canadian boxing fans, and almost as visible on the many fight cards throughout Montreal, a city suddenly alive with boxing action and young contenders. The near-dissolution of Interbox, Canada’s best-known boxing promoter, enabled its former figurehead, Yvon Michel, to begin his own promotional venture: GYM (Group Yvon Michel). Grant’s alignment with GYM may see him continue on in the boxing business beyond the burdens of preparing to further his own career.
Along with his brother and noted trainer, Howard Grant, Grant could be an invaluable source of inspiration and guidance for such prospects as light middleweight Joachim Alcine, who inches ever closer to a world title shot, light middleweight Stephane Desormiers, and light welterweight Herman Ngoudjo, who recently turned back the challenge of Emanuel Augustus and may face former lightweight champion, Stevie Johnston.
We await news of Grant’s decision. But whether he chooses to depart the game now or not, Otis Grant is a fighter who has long since held a place in the pantheon of Canadian boxing.
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