By Jake Donovan
Amir Imam simply needed to win a perceived stay-busy fight in order to move forward with a mandatory title shot versus recently crowned super lightweight titlist Viktor Postol.
While idling on the sidelines is never ideal, the previously unbeaten contender learned the hard way that there are no guarantees in boxing. It's a lesson he was dealt by Cicero, Illinois' Adrian Granados, who recovered from an opening round knockdown to score a stunning 8th round stoppage Saturday evening in Quebec City, Canada.
The bout headined SHO Extreme coverage of a card topped by James DeGale in a super middleweight title defense versus former champ Lucian Bute, which airs later Saturday evening on Showtime's flagship network.
The outcome was as unlikely from a betting perspective as it was less than two minutes into the contest. Imam - a -1200 favorite among oddsmakers handicapping the fight - produced the first knockdown of the night just over 90 seconds into the contest, courtesy of a sharp right hand. Granados went straight back in hitting the canvas hard, but it was as if something jarred loose and prompted him to run toward the scent of gun fire.
It was a turnaround for which Imam was never prepared. Granados outworked the unbeaten challenger in nearly every subsequent round, punching his way back into the fight and eventually ahead as he was well on his way to a major upset.
A decision win was well within reach but Granados sought a grander finish. Imam was urged by his corner - led by Stacy McKinley, best known as the chief second for Mike Tyson's post-prison career - to turn things around as he began to fall behind. The unbeaten contender from Albany, New York danced as hard as he could, but his lack of defense - an issue in past fights - proved to be his downfall.
Granados had Imam hurt and stunned along the ropes in round eight, not letting up until he pummeled his opponent to the canvas. As Imam collapsed limp to the canvas, referee Alain Villenueve had the sense to immediately halt the contest.
The official time was 2:34 of round eight.
With the win, Granados (17-4-2, 12KOs) produces the third shocking result of a loaded Saturday of boxing from around the world. Some 18 hours prior, Pedro Guevara was upended by unheralded Yu Kimura in Japan. The bout was off the radar of most and barely mentioned by the time Tyson Fury claimed the World heavyweight championship with a stunning 12-round win over long-reigning Wladimir Klitschko.
It can be argued that Granados' feat was the most shocking result of the lot. The tough-as-nails gatekeeper from the Chicagoland area has always been known for giving top-shelf super lightweights and welterweights a tough night's work, but has traditionally come up short when fighting at the top level.
That changed in an instant, to the detriment of Imam who suffers his first career loss as he falls to 18-1 (15KOs). The last notable fighter with upside among Hall of Fame promoter Don King's depleted stable was hard at work training through his 25th birthday earlier this month and the Thanksgiving holidays, all for naught as he blew an opportunity to fight for a major title.
Imam had been a mandatory challenger to a super lightweight belt previously held ransom by Danny Garcia who ultimately relinquished the crown earlier this year. Imam agreed to a stay-busy fight while Postol and Lucas Matthysse fought for a vacant title, with the understanding that both he and the winner - ultimately Postol - would be granted one additional fight before being ordered to meet in the first quarter of 2016.
That is long gone, as Imam will now have to rebuild. As he regularly trains out of Herman Caicedo's talent-rich gym in Miami, getting quality work shouldn't be hard to come by. Whether or not he's able to return to previous form and to the title level is another story.
UNDERCARD
Oscar "Kaboom" Rivas lived up to his nickname, making quick work of Joey Abell in scoring a 2nd round knockout in the opening bout of the SHO Extreme telecast.
Action was slow out the gate, which gave Abell - a heavyweight journeyman from Minnesota - confidence that he could compete with the unbeaten prospect from Montreal by way of Valle del Cauca, Colombia. That proved to be his first mistake.
Rivas took advantage of Abell's willingness to engage, scoring big on the inside in forcing his opponent to the ropes. A left hook to the temple followed by a right hand to the chin rocked Abell, with the follow-up sequence forcing him to collapse in a heap.
The official time was 0:46 of round two.
Jake Donovan is the managing editor of BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
