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Herol “Bomber” Graham: The Nearly Man
By Geoff “The Professor” Poundes – September 8, 2009
Increasingly, the older I get, people ask me for my view of the best pound for pound fighter, or the best ever middleweight, heavyweight or featherweight, and generally my answers echo well-known and widely accepted views – Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Robinson, Joe Louis, Marvelous Marvin, Hands of Stone.
But my answer to one question – who was the best fighter to come out of the UK - often raises a few eyebrows. Herol “Bomber” Graham was a light-middleweight and middleweight from the eighties and nineties who fell short of winning a world title, but I maintain that had he been given a break or two, he would have ruled the world. Graham was the most talented defensive fighter I’ve ever see (I include Wilfred Benitez and Pernell Whittaker in that assessment) and married startling footwork and reflexes to an array of punches which he threw from such unorthodox angles that opponents were sometimes simply bamboozled to defeat. Unfortunately for Herol, he was so good that when he moved onto the world stage champions ran for cover.
Graham was the first breakthrough fighter from the Brendan Ingle stable. Ingle, a genial Irishman steeped in boxing folklore, brought his own peculiar style of coaching to a British ring. Ingle taught his fighters the art of hitting, without being hit. He advocated that a boxer’s entire repertoire revolved around the fulcrum of his hips – that with fast footwork the boxer could sway backward out of the range of opponent’s punches, and forward to deliver their own. The strategy was a high risk one, and relied upon superior reflexes and quick-fire hands, and until Graham came along Ingle had little success with it. But Herol Graham was a unique animal; he attracted attention as a 16 year old, when he would travel around the clubs and pubs of his native Sheffield, inviting patrons to tie his hands behind his back and then throw punches at him for three minutes. Few managed to lay a glove on him.
In his 17th paid contest in 1981, and at 20 years of age, he comprehensively outpointed the seasoned British light-middleweight champion Pat Thomas over 15 rounds. Two years later he destroyed the European champion Clement Tshinza in 2 rounds, and began staking his claim for a world title fight. It would be six years before he would be able to persuade a world champion to share a ring with him.
During those six years Graham easily dispatched every quality fighter they put in front of him, bar one. He took apart the highly regarded Ugandan and former champion Ayub Kalule in ten rounds in stepping up to win the European title and in a momentous all-British affair in 1986 he stopped Mark Kaylor in eight rounds in a fight that most commentators felt would propel the winner into a match with undisputed champion Marvin Hagler.
It goes too far to say that Hagler ducked Graham, but it’s true to say that the great man was reaching the conclusion of a wonderful career, and a contest against the elusive and hard-hitting Britisher would have troubled his advisors – in the event Hagler’s controversial loss to Sugar Ray Leonard in 1987 put paid to Graham’s chances, and sent Hagler seething into retirement.
Graham’s first loss came in a European title fight in May 1987 to the excellent Sumbu Kalambay, who took a close decision from Herol and went on to win the WBA world title. When Kalambay lost that title to Mike McCallum, Graham finally got his shot at close to 30 years of age.
McCallum and Graham boxed in London in May 1989 in one of the most high-class contests of the era. Mike “The Bodysnatcher” McCallum was one of the all-time greats, but he struggled with the Bomber’s unique style. At the end of the 12 rounds the judges couldn’t agree on a winner, and McCallum was handed a split decision. Graham’s style of boxing relied upon an eclectic mix of split-second reflexes and quick feet, and even at 29 those skills were beginning to dissipate.
Eighteen months later Herol was given another chance – this time against the monster-punching Julian Jackson for the then vacant WBC title. They fought in Andalucia, Spain, and for three and a half rounds the Bomber gave his Jamaican opponent as comprehensive a boxing lesson as I’ve ever seen. Jackson was made to look like a novice as Graham danced rings round him, landing at will from long range, and making Julian miss repeatedly. But all it takes is a split second, and at the end of the fourth, his right eye closed and his cause appearing increasingly desperate, Jackson loaded up a huge right hand that caught Graham flush. It was as shocking a punch as had been seen in a professional ring, and Herol was out cold before he hit the canvas.
Herol boxed on for a couple of years, and then retired, seemingly content with what he’d achieved. However in 1996 he was tempted back to the ring and won some low profile contests before being matched with Charles Brewer for the latter’s IBF super-middleweight title in 1998. Graham was 39 years old, but he rolled back the years, and had Brewer on the canvas twice and had him bamboozled and frustrated before eventually succumbing to exhaustion and an accumulation of punches in the tenth round.
An engaging character much in the mould of his mentor, Brendan Ingle, Graham was out of the public eye for some time after the Brewer fight. Unfortunately he and Brendan fell out over money some years before his retirement, and he missed his old trainer in his corner in the later stages of his career.
Of course Brendan had moved on to a new charge – the charismatic and loquacious featherweight Prince Naseem Hamed, who he forged in Graham’s image. Hamed took the best of Herol Graham and added to it a larger-than-life personality and a Julian Jackson-esque punching power, and went on to win title fight after title fight. Those of us lucky enough to have witnessed Graham box in his prime know that Hamed was simply a copy of a prodigiously talented original in the Bomber.
Could Graham have beaten Hagler when Marvin was nearing the end of his career, and Herol was at the peak of his? I genuinely believe that he could have – the Herol Graham who beat up on Mark Kaylor back in 1986 was an exquisite athlete with an extra-ordinary fighting style and talent to burn. That Herol Graham was a match for any middleweight in history.
By Geoff “The Professor” Poundes – September 8, 2009
Increasingly, the older I get, people ask me for my view of the best pound for pound fighter, or the best ever middleweight, heavyweight or featherweight, and generally my answers echo well-known and widely accepted views – Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Robinson, Joe Louis, Marvelous Marvin, Hands of Stone.
But my answer to one question – who was the best fighter to come out of the UK - often raises a few eyebrows. Herol “Bomber” Graham was a light-middleweight and middleweight from the eighties and nineties who fell short of winning a world title, but I maintain that had he been given a break or two, he would have ruled the world. Graham was the most talented defensive fighter I’ve ever see (I include Wilfred Benitez and Pernell Whittaker in that assessment) and married startling footwork and reflexes to an array of punches which he threw from such unorthodox angles that opponents were sometimes simply bamboozled to defeat. Unfortunately for Herol, he was so good that when he moved onto the world stage champions ran for cover.
Graham was the first breakthrough fighter from the Brendan Ingle stable. Ingle, a genial Irishman steeped in boxing folklore, brought his own peculiar style of coaching to a British ring. Ingle taught his fighters the art of hitting, without being hit. He advocated that a boxer’s entire repertoire revolved around the fulcrum of his hips – that with fast footwork the boxer could sway backward out of the range of opponent’s punches, and forward to deliver their own. The strategy was a high risk one, and relied upon superior reflexes and quick-fire hands, and until Graham came along Ingle had little success with it. But Herol Graham was a unique animal; he attracted attention as a 16 year old, when he would travel around the clubs and pubs of his native Sheffield, inviting patrons to tie his hands behind his back and then throw punches at him for three minutes. Few managed to lay a glove on him.
In his 17th paid contest in 1981, and at 20 years of age, he comprehensively outpointed the seasoned British light-middleweight champion Pat Thomas over 15 rounds. Two years later he destroyed the European champion Clement Tshinza in 2 rounds, and began staking his claim for a world title fight. It would be six years before he would be able to persuade a world champion to share a ring with him.
During those six years Graham easily dispatched every quality fighter they put in front of him, bar one. He took apart the highly regarded Ugandan and former champion Ayub Kalule in ten rounds in stepping up to win the European title and in a momentous all-British affair in 1986 he stopped Mark Kaylor in eight rounds in a fight that most commentators felt would propel the winner into a match with undisputed champion Marvin Hagler.
It goes too far to say that Hagler ducked Graham, but it’s true to say that the great man was reaching the conclusion of a wonderful career, and a contest against the elusive and hard-hitting Britisher would have troubled his advisors – in the event Hagler’s controversial loss to Sugar Ray Leonard in 1987 put paid to Graham’s chances, and sent Hagler seething into retirement.
Graham’s first loss came in a European title fight in May 1987 to the excellent Sumbu Kalambay, who took a close decision from Herol and went on to win the WBA world title. When Kalambay lost that title to Mike McCallum, Graham finally got his shot at close to 30 years of age.
McCallum and Graham boxed in London in May 1989 in one of the most high-class contests of the era. Mike “The Bodysnatcher” McCallum was one of the all-time greats, but he struggled with the Bomber’s unique style. At the end of the 12 rounds the judges couldn’t agree on a winner, and McCallum was handed a split decision. Graham’s style of boxing relied upon an eclectic mix of split-second reflexes and quick feet, and even at 29 those skills were beginning to dissipate.
Eighteen months later Herol was given another chance – this time against the monster-punching Julian Jackson for the then vacant WBC title. They fought in Andalucia, Spain, and for three and a half rounds the Bomber gave his Jamaican opponent as comprehensive a boxing lesson as I’ve ever seen. Jackson was made to look like a novice as Graham danced rings round him, landing at will from long range, and making Julian miss repeatedly. But all it takes is a split second, and at the end of the fourth, his right eye closed and his cause appearing increasingly desperate, Jackson loaded up a huge right hand that caught Graham flush. It was as shocking a punch as had been seen in a professional ring, and Herol was out cold before he hit the canvas.
Herol boxed on for a couple of years, and then retired, seemingly content with what he’d achieved. However in 1996 he was tempted back to the ring and won some low profile contests before being matched with Charles Brewer for the latter’s IBF super-middleweight title in 1998. Graham was 39 years old, but he rolled back the years, and had Brewer on the canvas twice and had him bamboozled and frustrated before eventually succumbing to exhaustion and an accumulation of punches in the tenth round.
An engaging character much in the mould of his mentor, Brendan Ingle, Graham was out of the public eye for some time after the Brewer fight. Unfortunately he and Brendan fell out over money some years before his retirement, and he missed his old trainer in his corner in the later stages of his career.
Of course Brendan had moved on to a new charge – the charismatic and loquacious featherweight Prince Naseem Hamed, who he forged in Graham’s image. Hamed took the best of Herol Graham and added to it a larger-than-life personality and a Julian Jackson-esque punching power, and went on to win title fight after title fight. Those of us lucky enough to have witnessed Graham box in his prime know that Hamed was simply a copy of a prodigiously talented original in the Bomber.
Could Graham have beaten Hagler when Marvin was nearing the end of his career, and Herol was at the peak of his? I genuinely believe that he could have – the Herol Graham who beat up on Mark Kaylor back in 1986 was an exquisite athlete with an extra-ordinary fighting style and talent to burn. That Herol Graham was a match for any middleweight in history.
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