Lennox Lewis Part Six: Legacy
Michael Grant, seen as the heir apparent, was considered by many boxing experts to be a serious threat to Lennox Lewis's crown. Standing at six-feet-seven-inches (201cm) and weighing in at 250 pounds (113.40 KG), Grant was one of the biggest men Lewis had ever faced. The American boasted an unblemished record of 31-0 (22 KO's), starting his career in July 1994. In June 1997 he stopped the former IBF cruiserweight king Alfred Cole in the tenth round. Five months later Grant stopped the Cuban Jorge Luis Gonzalez in the opening round and to start 1998 stopped David Izon. In January 1999, Grant faced Ahmed Abdin for the vacant NABF heavyweight title, taking the crown after a tenth round retirement. In June 1999 he won a ten round unanimous decision against Lou Savarese and five months later took on Andrew Golota in the first defence of his title, which also doubled as a WBC eliminator. Grant started well against his Polish opponent, cutting Golota early in the opening round. Befor