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Questions linger after Golota vs. Grant
It was supposed to be a bout that cleared a path for the future. Chopping right hands were meant to navigate through the dense brush of heavyweight contenders straight to the dread-locked tree that is Lennox Lewis.
Instead of answers and clarity, the Andrew Golota - Michael Grant heavyweight battle knocked us into a frenzied state of blurred vision. When the ring cleared and the adrenal glands ceased their heart pounding secretions, a new set of questions settled in.
A great upset almost took place on Saturday night when Andrew Golota tested the chin of Michael Grant in the closing seconds of the first round. Grant miserably failed and toppled awkwardly to the canvas. A first round knockout seemed immanent as Grant stumbled around the ring like a disoriented drunkard.
I had a vision of Golota shaking up the boxing world and realizing the potential that he usually masks with thick skulled behavior. The psychology of the bout became primitively clear as Golota chased his wounded, wobbly legged opponent around the ring. Grant appeared to be a beaten man, prey running desperately, trying to avoid Golota's thudding blows. For the next several rounds, Grant was on shaky ground. Even glancing blows seemed to throw off his equilibrium and any talk of Grant being the future of the division seemed at the very least a silly misperception.
Somehow he survived and as the fight progressed he slowly collected the pieces of the confidence that had been shattered by his first round brush with boxing exile.
Still, Golota appeared to be on his way to a convincing upset victory, one that would have once again plastered his name on top contender lists and with any luck on the dotted line of a contract to fight Lennox Lewis. A chance at redemption after his first disastrous meeting with Lewis.
On that night, Golota was the victim of incompetent medical practice. He claims a pain killer was improperly injected into an artery rather than the muscle it was meant to soothe. The result, according to Golota, was that he entered the ring on cloud nine, buzzed out of his skull and was promptly knocked out by a strong, sober Lewis.
There would be no excuses this time, and going into the tenth round, Grant's corner reminded him of his desperate situation, "Forget about everything and just throw punches," was the advice.
Grant went out and landed a picture perfect right hand. He followed it up with a barrage of leather that sent Golota to the canvas. Golota was up quickly but when asked if he wanted to continue he declined and Grant had come from behind in remarkable fashion to win the fight by KO.
At fights end we were left to wonder how the heavily hyped, heavily favoured Grant found himself in such a desperate situation. This time he prevailed but miracles like the one he performed on Saturday night are few and far between.
The truth is that the fight could have been stopped in the first round and Grant's career would have taken a nose dive into the cold waters of wasted potential. It makes me wonder what seed of greatness lies within Andrew Golota's tarnished soil. It also made me realize that Golota is by far the greatest screw up I've witnessed in the ring. He had to merely survive the final round and he would have won the fight. As usual, he found a way out. He's a strong, physical man, who is mentally fragile, insecure and immature.
The fight, however, was supposed to be about Grant and it was supposed to answer a simple question, "Is Michael Grant the next great heavyweight?"
In a fight that he barely survived the answer should be a simple no. Too many dents in the armour. His chin was suspect, he was sloppy at times, dropping his left hand. His lack of experience and his late start in the cruel sport of boxing surfaced throughout the bout.
What surfaced in the end however was a shining ray of potential. A glimpse of what could be when he matures as a fighter and experience affords him the ring wisdom he now lacks. So, for now he's a work in progress. A giant man with great athletic skill.
The future of the heavyweight division? Unfortunately, that question has yet to be answered.
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