By Ben Jacobs
Many boxers would agree that victory as an underdog makes a win that more satisfying. The ability to prove people wrong and gain new followers underlines all the hard work done in preparation for the bout. That was certainly the case on November 28 when Adrian Granados travelled to Canada to face favourite and touted future champion Amir Imam on Showtime Extreme. Many saw this as a straightforward fight for Imam who carried a high ranking in three of the four major governing bodies, and after the first round you would have been forgiven for thinking that the general consensus was correct. Granados, however, had other plans.
“He caught me with a good shot, it was a good move on his part,” Granados told BoxingScene.com.
“I was moving to an angle and he caught me with a one-two. I wasn’t hurt, he caught me with better shots when I was up against the ropes. But I sat down at the end of the round and my dad told me in Spanish, ‘Hey, you’ve still got the whole fight, another nine rounds,’ and my coach told me exactly the same thing. It was more like a slap in the face, I took his best shot and went to work. I implemented my pressure, fought my fight, and we came out victorious.”
Adrian admitted that things have changed a little since his breakout performance and hints that we could see him in with a big name in the junior welterweight division next year.
“It’s been crazy ever since the big win. Once I got back it really started to hit me. It’s been fun, getting the big offers now and the big names are being mentioned, the networks are looking after us. So it’s like a dream come true.
“They know who my manager is now, some big names have been offered. We’re listening to every option before we make a decision. We’re in the drivers’ seat so we have to make the best possible choice for me and my family.”
Granados recognised that Imam as an opponent was tough, his reputation for having a solid punch being confirmed.
“He is a hard puncher, not the hardest I’ve been in with but you’ve got to pay attention to his pop – it’s there and it’s dangerous. But after I ate it I was able to implement my game on him and it worked like a charm.
“I know I don’t have a lot of knockouts but until you get in there with me, it may not be that one punch knockout power but you come out beaten up with all the body shots. Also I noticed his nose was busted up. The fight before I fought a tough guy and my team mates said I left him looking like the elephant man, so I’m not hitting them with pillows!
“I knew I was winning the fight but I’ve been robbed before so I think negatively. Maybe during the fifth round I was thinking it was close so I need to turn it up and get him out of here. I was catching him with so many shots he stopped responding with combos, so that’s when I decided to step it up. I didn’t want any robberies or questions.
“You could see the emotion when they stopped it. I screamed and fell to my knees. It was jubilation and I was happy that they had to stop the fight.”