When The Bubble Bursts…. A Look at Three Boxers that Were Hype Jobs!
By Faisal “Fayz” Masood
As George Groves sent Chris Eubank, JR. back to the drawing board, we are reminded that not every fighter who has you believe he is the next superstar of boxing will make his dreams come true. Boxing can be a cruel sport, in the game of pain, it only takes one punch to make the difference between the sweet taste of victory, or the bad odor of defeat. Chris Eubank, JR. was house hunting for homes he could not afford, banking on winning the World Boxing Super Series before he would buy his dream home, his father Chris Eubank, SR. had said JR. would be better than Floyd Mayweather, JR. Although it is entirely possible that Chris Eubank, JR. will come back from this defeat and go on to achieve success, his bubble has been burst and it will take some time for the 28yr old to inflate it. With that in mind, I am going to have a look at a few other fighters from the past who came back down to earth with a bump.
1. Jeff Lacy
No list is complete without the mention of Jeff Lacy. “Left Hook” Lacy got off to fast start in his boxing career, winning his first 21 fights and building a reputation for himself as a ruthless fighter with devastating power. With his athletic physique he looked like the perfectly built fighter. 
When the 21-0 Lacy traveled to the UK to face the WBO Super Middleweight champion Joe Calzaghe, he was the overwhelming favorite, not just in the USA, but in the UK too, this despite Calzaghe being undefeated in 40 fights. It wasn’t just the bookies who had Lacy as favorite, even the majority of boxing sites had Lacy penciled in as the winner – by knockout.
The result though would be in the opposite direction, Calzaghe gave Lacy such a beat down that Lacy’s career never recovered. Outclassed, overwhelmed and over matched, Lacy looked lost in the ring as Joe Calzaghe showed his greatness.
Lacy would fight a further 11 times in his career, losing 5 of them, after Calzaghe poured water over his fire, Lacy never was again able to ignite the flames of his career to the pre Calzaghe heights.
2. Michael Grant
Michael Grant was an American Heavyweight who stood 6’7 tall and was a multi sport talent, excelling at baseball and American football, he wasn’t too bad at basketball either. But Grant chose the way of the sweet science, and after just 12 amateur bouts turned professional in 1994.
By the end of the decade it looked like he had made the right choice, Grant was being hailed as the prototypical heavyweight of the 21st century, reeling off 31 successive victories earning him a shot at the title against Lennox Lewis.
Many had billed Grant as the heir apparent to Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield and his 10th round TKO, having picked himself off the canvas to win against the highly rated Andrew Golota only added to his appeal.
The night of April 29, 2000 would be Grant’s chance to confirm what many believed about him but Lennox Lewis certainly wasn’t buying into the hype. Madison Square Garden was the host as the stage was set, Lewis though would cruelly gatecrash the party in the opening round. Downed 3 times in the first before Lewis finished Grant off with an uppercut in the 2nd, Grant’s career never regained momentum and he went onto fight mostly limited opposition. Amazingly 17yrs after the Lewis fight, Grant was still fighting, his last appearance being a loss in April 2017. His record stands at a respectable 48-7, 36 KO’s but Grant was to disappear into the back rows of Heavyweight boxing to be all but forgotten.
3. Donald Curry
Perhaps this is a controversial choice, Curry competed in around 400 amateur bouts and lost just 4 times. Turning pro at 19 he would win the WBA Welterweight title in just his 16th fight whilst barely out of his 20’s. Curry seemed to have it all and possessed all 
the tools of the trade to make him become a great of the game with some comparing him to the next Sugar Ray Leonard. He became the undisputed Welterweight champion when he knocked out Milton McCrory in just two rounds in 1985. But he was to take his eyes off the prize on that fateful night of 27th September 1986, coming in as the huge favorite the 25-0 Curry faced off against the 27-0 Lloyd Honeyghan. Drained from struggling to make weight he put in a lethargic performance and quit at the end of the sixth round, a cut caused by a headbutt was the final nail in the coffin.
Moving up in weight and conquering the light middleweight division was Curry’s next goal. Less than a year later Curry was challenging for the WBA title against “The Bodysnatcher”, otherwise known as Mike McCallum. Curry came out strong but was knocked out by a picture perfect left hook, finishing the fight sprawled on the canvas in round five.
Although Curry went onto win the WBC title the following year against Gianfranco Rosi, he was never able to live up to those lofty expectations set for him before his 1st loss against Lloyd Honeyghan. Further losses to Terry Norris and Michael Nunn only confirmed his status as a fighter who was unable to make the jump from good to great. After starting 25-0, Curry lost 6 of his last 15 fights to finish with a career record of 34-6 25 KO’s.
Check out Fayz’s available books for download on Amazon. He also runs his own Personal Training site and blog over at Fayz Fitness.
Strength and Conditioning for Boxing – Workout Hits to get you Fighting Fit
The Boxing Cheat Sheet – Your Ultimate Guide to Ring Survival
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