Unbeaten Grant sees upset of champion Lewis in 10th round<\/p>\n
NEW YORK (AFP): Unbeaten Michael Grant predicted a 10th-round
\nstoppage of undisputed world heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis in
\ntheir title showdown here Saturday, vowing to pressure the
\nBritish boxer until he cracks.<\/p>\n
\"He doesn't like pressure,\" Grant said after a workout here
\nTuesday. \"He tends to slow down in later rounds. I come on
\nstrong. My job is to go out there and impose my will on him.<\/p>\n
\"Pressure and speed are factors. In the past, Lewis was
\naccustomed to fighting at his own speed. You have to jump on top
\nearly and make him fight and I'm the right size to do that.\"<\/p>\n
\"You have got to believe. I'm prepared to go the distance. I
\ntrained myself to go the full 12 rounds and I'm ready to go the
\nfull 12 rounds.\"<\/p>\n
But asked how long he expected the fight to last, the American
\nreplied, \"The 10th round looks pretty good to me.\"<\/p>\n
Both men are tall and muscular, which could lead to a high-
\npowered punchout at Madison Square Garden.<\/p>\n
But both have been reluctant to resort to brawling, preferring
\na tactical approach. That's why Lewis expects a fast flurry from
\nthe former sparring partner of ex-champion Evander Holyfield.<\/p>\n
\"I expect him to come out to show how good he is early,\" Lewis
\nsaid. \"He hasn't made any of his fights a brawl. Why try that
\nagainst the champion?\"<\/p>\n
At 27, Grant is seven years younger than Lewis. His 31-0
\nrecord includes 22 knockouts since 1994. But he is inexperienced
\ncompared to Lewis, 35-1 with one drawn and 27 knockouts over 12
\nyears.<\/p>\n
\"My advantage is I am faster,\" Grant said. \"I throw more
\ncombinations at angles. I throw my punches not just at the
\nmidsection. I throw my punches upstairs, then take it back down
\nto the kitchen.\"<\/p>\n
Grant also has in his corner Don Turner, a veteran of 41 years
\nas a trainer. The man who guided Holyfield through two fights
\nwith Lewis now has a bigger fighter to share his knowledge with
\nabout Lewis' weak spots.<\/p>\n
\"Anything he learns, he will forget when he gets hit,\" Lewis
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Grant counters by going back to his favorite theme --
\npressure.<\/p>\n
\"It all depends on how you handle pressure,\" Grant said. \"I
\ndon't get excited. I don't rush. I'm patient. It's how you react
\nwhen you get hit. I like to hit right back.<\/p>\n
Grant proved himself in a 10th-round stoppage of Poland's
\nAndrew Golota last November in Atlantic City, recovering from a
\nknockdown to win. Grant had to handle the pressure of trailing to
\ntriumph and wants Lewis to feel the same.<\/p>\n
\"When you put that much pressure on a person, they try to
\ngamble, go for it in some way,\" Grant said. \"You have to keep
\ngoing, develop a pace he is not accustomed to seeing.\"<\/p>\n
The best way to do that, Grant said, is to stay inside and
\ntrade punches with Lewis, a risky proposition given the
\nchampion's powerful right hand.<\/p>\n
\"I want to close the gap, not give him a chance to think, get
\nmy punch in first,\" Grant said. \"It's going to take everything
\nthat makes a champion (to beat Lewis). You have to out-live the
\nindividual.\"<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/unbeaten-grant-sees-upset-of-champion-lewis-in-10th-round-1447893297",
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