Otis Grant
Otis Grant ( born December 23, 1967 in Saint Ann Parish ) is a retired Canadian professional boxer of Jamaican origin and former world champion of the WBO middleweight.
Amateur career
Grant came to Canada in 1977 and began at the age of eleven years with the sport of boxing. It was 1985 Canadian champion in the light middleweight and 1988 Canadian champion at middleweight. At the Pan American Games 1987 in Indianapolis, he won the silver medal in the middleweight division. He was defeated in the finals while only the reigning World Champion Ángel Espinosa from Cuba.
Professional career
In the year 1988 he moved with his brother turned professional and won 14 fights in a row against build up opponents, including 11 by knockout. Among the defeated opponents included type McCloud ( 11-3 ) and Olle Jaime Berger ( 19-5 ). On September 27, 1991, he was giving up his opponent Dan Sherry (18-1 ) after the seventh round, Canadian middleweight champion. In March 1992, he defended the title against prematurely Todd Nadon (13-2 ).
On September 28, 1992, he beat Canadian Verdun the U.S. world title challenger Gilbert Baptist unanimous decision and thus became the new North American Champion ( NABF ) middleweight. After title defenses against Ron Collins ( 21-3 ), Brett Lally ( 32-8 ) and Willie Monroe (19-1 ), he lost the title on 15 March 1994 after a knockout loss in the twelfth round of the WBC later world Champion Quincy Taylor.
After three following structure victories, including against the unbeaten Undra White ( 11-0 ), winning on 10 October 1995 again the NABF middleweight title by a premature victory against Derrick James (13-1 ). After successful title defenses against James Green ( 22-9 ) and Rodney Toney (22-1 ), he received on 4 March 1997 in Las Vegas a world title fight the WBO middleweight title against the unbeaten carrier Lonnie Bradley ( 25-0 ). The fight was considered by the full 12 rounds of the judges undecided ( 113:115-115:113-114:114 ), which Bradley champion remained.
Since Bradley but the title has been withdrawn due to medical reasons in the same year, Grant was christened on 13 December 1997 Sheffield a new world title chance for the now vacant title. Against his undefeated opponent British Ryan Rhodes ( 16-0 ), he finally sat down by unanimous decision and became the first black world boxing champion from Quebec. On May 12, 1998, he defended the title against the Argentines still early Ernesto Rafael Sena and then put the title down to ascend to the light heavyweight division. He had in fact given the opportunity to fight the championship belt of the WBC and WBA of Roy Jones Jr. ( 37-1 ).
This great event on 14 November 1998, Grant Ledyard but lost by TKO in the tenth round after his coach after the second precipitation of his protégé threw in the towel.
In June 1999, Grant was critically injured in a traffic accident when he was rammed his car from an oncoming vehicle. He suffered five rib fractures, a fracture of the scapula and a lung injury, which was a week in a coma.
Comeback
Although doctors prohezeiten put an end to his boxing career, he started on 22 November 2003, a successful comeback against former WBO / WBA / IBO / WBC champion Dingaan Thobela. After following points victory against Prince Badi Ajamu (19-1 ), it was on September 11, 2004 points victory against Mark Woolnough Canadian champion in the super middleweight division.
On December 11, 2004, he defeated the Latin American champion Henry Porras ( 28-3 ), and thus became an International Master of the WBC Super Middleweight. This track he could then defend on 12 March 2005 against the Australians Nader Hamdan ( 38-2 ) and on 18 June 2005 compared Charles Adamu (13-2 ). In October 2005, he was also able to beat the Americans Donnell Wiggins ( 24-5 ). This success brought him to the top of the WBC world rankings, but a title shot against Markus Beyer did not materialize.
On April 8, 2006 Grant finally played his last professional fight against the undefeated Mexican Librado Andrade ( 22-0 ). He went in the fifth round to the ground twice and finally gave up the fight after the seventh round on.
Others
Otis Grant is married and has two children. His older brother Howard Grant was also successful boxer; He was among other Canadian champion twice, won the bronze medal at the Junior World Championships in 1983 and 1986 Vice World Champion. In addition, he represented Canada at the Olympic Games in 1988. As a professional, he was Canadian champion and fought for the Commonwealth Championship.
Together with his brother he is the owner of the fitness center " Grant Brothers Boxing" in Quebec and support with its Otis Grant & Friends Foundation since 1999 needy families.
In 1991 he received the Montreal Association of Black Business Professionals Achievement of Excellence Award, and the 1998 Martin Luther King Jr Achievement of Excellence Award and the Jackie Robinson Professional of the Year Award. In 2005 he was also the Outstanding Social & Humanitarian Services Award and was inducted into the Quebec Sports Hall of Fame in 2008.