Make no mistake about it, Michael Grant is a good fighter whose steady climb
through the heavyweight ranks makes him the single most respectable contender in
the division right now. He gets his well-deserved shot at Lennox Lewis' title at
a good time ... for Lennox Lewis.
The 27-year-old Grant is a terrific all-around athlete. At 6'7", 250 pounds,
he's in excellent physical shape. In camp, Grant prepared to outwork Lewis,
training to the point where he was averaging in excess of 80 punches per round
during sparring sessions. But Grant has typically had problems jump-starting his
motor against top competition. Veteran champ Lewis, 34, will find his rhythm more
quickly than Grant, a notoriously slow-starting challenger who will be fighting
the biggest bout of his life.
Lewis will also control the pace of the fight. Despite Grant's slight reach
advantage, Lewis' jab is more commanding. And defensively, Lewis is underrated.
He's slow afoot but still manages to frustrate opponents by rarely giving them
good angles to attack. At this early point in his career, Grant's not enough of a
boxer to solve this problem.
This fight will come down to power. No one in boxing can match the singular
force of a Lewis right hand. Grant -- a fine work- in-progress -- will learn that
lesson up close and personal on Saturday night.
-- CNN/Sports Illustrated's Evan Kanew
