Life is Good for Michael Grant

Posted on | March 3, 2011 | No Comments

“Everything is going really good,” admits heavyweight “Big” Michael Grant.

Coming off a career-resurrecting performance against top heavyweight contender Tomasz Adamek, Grant (46-4, 34 KOs) will take on fellow giant Tye “Big Sky” Fields (45-2, 41 KOs) at the Theatre for the Performing Arts in the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, on Friday, March 11.

“I’m training at home,” he continues, “for the first time in my career, I didn’t go away to training camp. I love being here with my family and my kids. I’m here training and my wife is here working. Life is good.”

Things are definitely looking up for the 6′ 7″ heavyweight who was widely regarded as all washed up when in 2003, he was stopped by then-promising Dominick Guinn in a listless performance on national television.

Grant left the ring for two full years before embarking on a comeback that, until the fight against Adamek, had garnered little attention.

Wobbling and staying highly competitive with a top heavyweight contender throughout an entertaining 12-rounder tends to re-energize a career.

And so here is Michael Grant, the 2011 version. A victory over Fields would probably propel him back into the top 10 rankings and put him in line for another big-money showdown… right where he has wanted to be for so long.

Early in his career, then-undefeated Grant became the #1 contender and was brutally knocked out by champion Lennox Lewis in two rounds. His career since then has been about getting back to that level in the sport and this time making good on the promise he showed while rising through the ranks.

“It’s a difficult time right now for American heavyweights. The landscape is really harsh. A lot of things are not the way they should be right now. The world is suffering. The economy is suffering. Everything is suffering. But I continue to pursue my ultimate goal of fighting for the heavyweight title again.”

Grant says he learned what he needs to know about Fields when the two sparred for four rounds years ago. “He’s a puncher and not much of a technician. Punchers are always a risk. They can take you out at any time, but we’re going to keep Tye turning. He’s not a technical guy. He’s just looking to land that looping left hand. He’s not really an inside fighter either. There are going to be some good opportunities to exploit on the inside… and good opportunities on the outside as well. I won’t be looking for the KO, but if it comes: good!”

The 38-year-old Grant also reveals that Fields’ massive size will not be an issue… only his stance. “I like fighting guys bigger than me. All the shadow boxing you do, you always jab above your shoulder, so fighting someone even a little bigger than me blends in with my training better. The only difference is that he’s a southpaw. You can’t find too many 6′ 9″ southpaws to spar with unless you go to a basketball team. I have sparring partners and we’ve been working together real good. I have a guy I can punch on and he gives punches back and I have a guy showing me angles from the southpaw stance. He’s making me more comfortable with that.”

“Big” Michael Grant has fought his way back to edge of contendership after faltering on the brink of oblivion for many years. One of the true gentlemen in the sport, he admits he has one sincere wish for the outcome of this fight: “Hopefully we both end up healthy and we both live to fight another day.”

Boxing at Planet Hollywood featuring Grant vs. Fields and Casamayor vs. Anchondo is proudly presented by Sterling Promotions in association with American Dream Presents and Heads Up Entertainment. It will be broadcast on pay-per-view by MultiVision Media, Inc., throughout the United States and Canada, tape delay into other countries.

Tickets for the March 11 night of boxing at Planet Hollywood, Las Vegas are priced at $25, $40, $60, $90 and $150 (All seats reserved) and are available at the Planet Hollywood Theater for the Performing Arts box office from 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. daily, except Wednesday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. They are also available by calling the Planet Hollywood box office at 702-785-5555, extension 55620 during those hours and through Ticketmaster at 800-745-3000 and www.ticketmaster.com.