Almost champ: Herol Graham.

ALMOST CHAMP: REMEMBER HEROL GRAHAM? Herol Graham was one of the trickiest and most avoided British fighters from 1981 to 1992. Flaunting superb reflexes and a fine repertoire of punches, the versatile but light-punching ‘Bomber’ was a nightmare to hit, and used his tricky southpaw stance to reduce competent professionals to the level of fumbling amateurs. Despite dominating Britain and dazzling Europe, the flamboyant Yorkshireman could never extend his glory to the world stage. He failed to take both the WBA and WBC middleweight belts under unlucky circumstances in 1989 and 1990 respectively, and - following a belated but impressive comeback - was stopped 8 years later as a 168-pound title challenger. Born in Nottingham in 1959, Graham relocated to Sheffield and by the late ‘70s was training out of the St Thomas Gym For Boys and Girls, run by Brendan Ingle, in the tough Wincobank area. Ingle, sick of the traditional upright style associated with British boxing - and dismayed at the low level of coaching he had witnessed from trainers throughout the country - decided to break from the mould, starting from scratch to devise a new style of fighting. He told ‘Boxing Monthly’ in March 1997: “I’ve identified five different ways to box: orthodox, southpaw, square-on, sideways on, and switch-hitting.” He added “If you can only box orthodox or southpaw you’re going to be very limited”. Although a natural southpaw, Graham was encouraged to switch stances and present angles, to create openings and accommodate a branch of defensive escape routes. Blessed with snappy reflexes and excellent timing, Herol developed a bottom-heavy physique, using his strong legs to add leverage to his leaping punches, also allowing him to dance out of trouble. Graham applied his new style and soon became Ingle’s star pupil, winning the 1978 ABA’s and becoming the template for future professionals based in Wincobank, Sheffield. Turning pro the same year, he won his first 16 bouts before challenging Pat Thomas for the vacant British 154 pound title in 1981. In a display of defensive genius, Graham dazzled his man. He barely took a punch and controlled every round with a darting right jab, in what is still considered the finest achievement of his career. Following the success, Graham’s reputation as a defensive master skyrocketed. To flaunt his skills, he travelled with Ingle around pubs and social clubs, allowing men to take pot shots at his chin with his hands tied behind his back, in fruitless attempts to knock him out. After winning the Commonwealth and European belts, Herol repeated his success in the middleweight division. Defeating Jimmy Price in 1985 for the vacant British title, he then proved he was a world class operator by stopping former world champion Ayab Kalule for the EBU belt in 1986. Following a vintage performance against Mark Kaylor - who famously remarked “How can you beat a man you can’t hit?” - Graham eventually faltered. Suffering personal problems, he was edged by the Italian based African Sumbu Kalambay, who hurt him in the final round of a close fight. Nevertheless, against journeymen and domestic opposition he was peerless, and after racking up three good stoppage wins against the likes of Ricky Stackhouse, James Cook, and Johnny Melfah, Graham was awarded a shot at the vacant WBA title against the outstanding Mike McCallum, himself fresh from a defeat to Kalambay. Despite having totally different fighting styles - McCallum being a seamless yet highly efficient technician, and Graham with his free form style of limbo dancing - the two men held some striking similarities that would reflect the closeness of their 1989 contest. Like Graham, McCallum proved his class by stopping Kalule - way back in 1982 - and each contestant was similarly avoided by his contemporaries. Headliners like Leonard and Duran always stayed away from ‘The Body Snatcher’, whereas British stars Chris Eubank and Nigel Benn were content to snub Graham and fight one another in lucrative bouts. Although their opposing styles gelled awkwardly, London fight fans witnessed a marvellous bout, as each man took turns to lead, counter, and then counter one another’s counters. Graham frustrated McCallum constantly, jumping in with unorthodox punches from seemingly impossible angles, but it was the Jamaican who landed the classier blows throughout. The two tacticians matched each other punch for punch, and finally went toe-to-toe in a gruelling ninth round that saw Graham rocked and on the ropes, only to rally back with a sickening barrage of crisp hooks and scything uppercuts. After the tightest of contests, the MC kept everybody in suspense, taking almost ten minutes to present the decision. When it finally did arrive, few could argue with the split decision in favour of McCallum, but in a sport that usually favours the \'home fighter\' many felt that Graham might have been given the benefit of the doubt. After dismissing Rod Douglas and Ismael Negron, Graham earned another crack at a vacant world title - this time for the WBC, against Julian ‘The Hawk’ Jackson. The murderous-punching Virgin Islander reigned for almost two years as the 154 pound WBA king, and - like Graham - was looking to establish himself in the new division. From the opening bell, Graham made the crude yet dangerous puncher look foolish. Using his unorthodox stance and timing to keep Jackson off-balance, Graham was easily able to back his man up and chip away with both hands, against one of the most feared fighters of his generation. Aware of Jackson’s well-publicised vision problems - he had suffered a detached retina previously - Graham speared a stinging left that shut ‘The Hawk’s’ left eye. Easily eluding the semi-blind attacks that followed, Herol pecked away at Jackson’s eye in a marvel of controlled aggression. At the end of round three, Jackson was given one more round to continue. Graham - on the verge of a stoppage win - applied an ill-advised change in strategy. Eager to close the show, Herol backed Jackson to the ropes but his low guard left him hopelessly exposed to the lethal right hook that laid him out for five minutes. In lieu of the latest disappointment, Graham lowered his sights to the European level. As ever, luck was not on his side - old foe Kalambay was the EBU champion. Despite being on a downward slide, following defeats to McCallum and Michael Nunn, Sumbu edged his man in a highly controversial 1992 decision in his adopted home of Italy. The dejected Graham shortly diminished, losing for the first time against a British fighter - Frank Grant - and retiring due to a detached retina. Graham found the lure of the ring hard to resist, however, and after his injuries were cleared up he eventually was cleared to box by the reluctant BBBC. Eager to provide his family with financial security, and to disprove the theory that he couldn’t beat the very best, ‘Bomber’ came back in 1996 and kept busy, beating lower-level opposition before a one-sided decision over Vinny Pazienza secured him a fight with IBF super middleweight champion Charles Brewer in 1998. Fighting in America for only the second time, the determined 38-year-old demonstrated all of his old skills, as he befuddled and dropped the younger man three times to put himself ahead. The reflexes and stamina didn’t match, however, and Graham was bombed out for his final shot at the championship, losing by tenth round TKO. Prior to his 1996 comeback Graham told ‘Boxing News’ “You have to accept the losses in life. I’ve lived with them and I’ve accepted them…You win some, you lose some. That’s how life is.” Six years after his last comeback, it seems Graham has delivered on his promise and accepted the hand that was dealt to him. No one can doubt the quality of opposition he faced - McCallum is now a Hall of Famer, Julian Jackson is widely considered the greatest pure puncher of his generation - and even if he couldn’t beat them, he came damn close