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00:00And one which is not likely to elevate him toward a title shot any time too soon just because of what you heard from the crowd and what you saw of his style and how difficult it makes him for other opponents.
00:13So let's turn our attention now to the second of our two main events this evening, the heavyweight battle between 255-pound Michael Grant and Obed Sullivan.
00:21And, Roy, George Foreman always tells us that because heavyweight boxing is different from any other form of fighting, what he looks for first in a heavyweight contender is courage.
00:31Are they brave enough to take what the division has to offer?
00:34You're getting ready to look at a guy, Grant, who many see as a potential champion of the future.
00:38What are the things you look for when you try to define how far a guy's going to go?
00:42Well, I look at his talent level and his skill level.
00:44Number one talent is, is he equipped with the chin to take the heavyweight punch?
00:48Can he deliver a punch to keep the other heavyweights off of him?
00:51Because if he doesn't have a chin, he's not going to be around to find out how much courage he has.
00:55He's not going to last with the heavyweights.
00:57If he does, then how is his skill level?
00:59If he has a good skill level where he can hit guys and not be hit, then you find out, well, can he have the courage enough to endure that?
01:06Can he go 12 rounds with a tough guy banging on him?
01:08Can he keep his head under the pressure that the heavyweights put on you?
01:12There's a huge difference between somebody like you who's grown up in the ring and for whom boxing technique is second nature,
01:18and somebody like Grant, who was a superstar high school football, basketball, and baseball player,
01:25now trying to learn this sport in a hurry.
01:27Is he learning fast enough?
01:29Yes, I think he's learning fast enough.
01:30And any time a guy is talented enough to play two or three sports,
01:34that tells you that he can pick up things awfully quick.
01:37Well, he's a magnificent athlete, that's for sure, and cuts quite a figure in the ring, as we're about to see.
01:43But the guy who's facing him, Obed Sullivan, was regarded himself as a rising young prospect just a couple of years ago,
01:49terrific guy, ex-Marine.
01:52Obed describes himself, Larry, as an enigma, which means he's hard to figure out.
01:57Is he going to be able to figure out a way to pose a problem for a giant prospect like Grant?
02:03Well, first, we have to give him points for calling himself an enigma.
02:06He's the first.
02:07I haven't had a fighter pull out one on us yet.
02:10I think what he's really trying to say was that his passive defeat to Nassim Rahman last fall,
02:17if you remember, at the Apollo Theater, was out of character for him.
02:21Well, we'll see about that tonight.
02:24And incidentally, Obed was named after the grandfather of David,
02:31David of the most famous fight of them all, between David and Goliath.
02:36And I note that, Jim, because at 6'3 and 2'30, he is David tonight.
02:41Yeah, that's right.
02:42Not a likely role for him.
02:45The David versus Goliath win, that would be the only upset bigger than Tyson Douglas, right?
02:51Right.
02:52All right.
02:52Well, let's take a look at the tail of the tape now.
02:54And once the tail of the tape now, and once again, get the graphic numbers on the degree
02:59to which Sullivan poses as the smaller heavyweight in this fight.
03:02As you can see, he's 6'3, 234, big man, and gives up a lot.
03:0721 pounds in weight, 6 inches in reach, 4 inches in height, 5 years in age, all those numbers in favor of Michael Grant.
03:16Rules of the bout with our unofficial ringside scorer, Harold Letterman.
03:19The Michael Grant-Obed Sullivan fight is scheduled for 12 rounds, using the standardized rules of boxing.
03:25There is no standing eight count, no three knockdown rule.
03:28Only the referee can stop the fight, and he cannot be saved by the belt in any round, including the 12th and final round.
03:34Jim.
03:35Thank you, Harold.
03:36From the halls of Montezuma to the shores of Triple-A, Obed Sullivan pledges his devotion to the Marines, Semper Fi.
03:49From the on-off-off-off-off-off-off-off-of-off-off-off-off-off-off.
03:53The stand-of-off-off-off-off-off-off-off-off-off-off-off-off-off.
03:55.
04:04That's it.
04:04You gotta go, boy.
04:05And a closer look at Obed Sullivan, learned to box in the Marines, three and one versus taller opponents, and in his last fight, he beat Keith McKnight in the seventh round TKO.
04:28So that was coming off of his decision lost to Hasim Rahman at the Apollo Theater last fall in the dullest fight ever to have appeared on this telecast, Boxing After Dark.
04:58Michael Grant was a junior college football player at Mount San Antonio College in California
05:28with the Evander Holyfield Riddick Bowe fight, November 13, 1992, as a spectator.
05:34He decided that night he wanted to become a boxer.
05:38Trained by Don Turner, he's getting married in August, and among his groomsmen at the wedding will be both Evander Holyfield and Henry Akinwande.
05:48So when we asked him what will happen next weekend, he said, uh, I don't know.
05:52And now let's go up to ring announcer Michael Buffer for the official introduction.
05:57And now, ladies and gentlemen, from Bally's Park Place, Atlantic City, main events along with your undisputed, undefeated King of Beers, Budweiser.
06:07This Bud's for you in association with Cedric Kushner Promotions presents 12 rounds of boxing for the IBC World Heavyweight Championship.
06:19Sanctioned by the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board, boxing commissioner Larry Hazard Sr., chairman Jerry Gormley, board members Gary Shaw and Stephen Katz, deputy commissioner John Greco, physicians in attendance at ringside,
06:34Dr. Kenneth Remsen, Dr. Charles Wilson, Dr. Louis Sabatini, and Dr. Mark Brennan.
06:40Counting for the knockdown seconds, alternate referee Errol Brown, and the timekeeper at the bell is Roosevelt Gilbert.
06:48This belt is also sanctioned by the International Boxing Commission, president Joseph Blackie Gennaro, supervisor for the IBC at ringside, Debbie Jones.
06:58The three judges assigned scoring the belt on a 10-point bus system will be Tim Figley, Eugene Grant, and Joseph Pasquale.
07:08And when the bell rings, your referee in charge of the action, Tony Orlando.
07:14And now, ladies and gentlemen, from Bally's Park Place, Atlantic City, to millions watching around the world, let's get ready to rumble!
07:27Introducing first, fighting out of the blue corner, wearing gold, trimmed with red, weighing in at 234 pounds, his professional record, 29 victories, including 20 knockouts.
07:46He has only two defeats with one draw from Gulf Park, Mississippi.
07:51Here is the challenger, the fighting Marine, Obed Sullivan!
07:59And his opponent across the ring, fighting out of the red corner, wearing white with red, weighing in at 255 pounds.
08:13His professional record stands at a perfect 27-0, with 19 knockouts.
08:20From Norristown, Pennsylvania, ladies and gentlemen, presenting the undefeated IBC World Heavyweight Champion, Michael Crabb!
08:35Okay, Mike, over here.
08:49Okay, over here, gentlemen.
08:51Okay, I'm going to allow us from here.
08:53It's okay.
08:54I understand?
08:55Mike, from here.
08:56Okay, I gave you the rules.
08:58I expected you to obey them.
08:59I'm in a clean, professional fight.
09:02Okay, touch the wall.
09:02Go back to the corner.
09:03If you were wondering what a 21st century heavyweight might look like, it might look like Michael Grant.
09:12He looks like he was put together in a laboratory by some mad scientist.
09:19How rapidly the division has changed.
09:23Ten years ago, when Michael Spinks was knocked out in 93 seconds by Mike Tyson,
09:29we thought of Tyson as a pretty good-sized heavyweight.
09:32He weighed 218.
09:37Grant at 255, Sullivan 234.
09:40Obed knows that he was atrocious in his non-performance against Tassim Rahman last fall.
09:48He's getting a rare second chance on HBO's Boxing After Dark here,
09:51and is determined to make the most of it, or so he says.
09:55He has, but he has a heck of a job in front of him.
10:12Grant's already landed seven, eight, nine, clean jab.
10:16It's a long jab.
10:19That should be his best weapon.
10:20That's 67 inches tall.
10:22Guys already have to reach for him, so he should keep him out there on the end, but they can't hit him.
10:29Sullivan says his first priority is to try to find punting range against a guy with the reach of Grant.
10:35That logic tells you you're not going to do it by standing in front of Michael Grant.
10:39You're going to have to go side to side and find some angles to get around that jab, right?
10:43And get close to him.
10:44You're not going to walk straight down the pipe, and you're definitely not going to stand outside like this and do that.
10:48Touched him with a little left, trying to find the range, Sullivan.
10:58Sullivan has a good beard.
11:00He can take punches.
11:03He'll probably have to take some if he's going to have a prayer of getting inside against Grant tonight.
11:12Sullivan has yet to throw that big right hand,
11:15being very patient and resourceful at this point.
11:20Let's go, let's go.
11:24Let's keep him up.
11:25Let's keep him up, both of you.
11:25Keep him up, okay?
11:26Let's go.
11:28There had been concern from Sullivan's camp
11:31about the large cup slash protector that Michael Grant wears.
11:37There was a letter to New Jersey Commission Chairman Larry Hazard before the fight
11:41asking that the cup be examined,
11:44and Hazard even suggested in a letter to Grant's people
11:47that he thought it was too big.
11:48But he's wearing the same one he's always worn.
11:50Hazard looked at it tonight, said it was okay.
11:53Grant has a cut over his left eye already.
11:55Yeah, there was a cut in a close quarter as it may have been ahead,
11:59but it's alongside the left eye.
12:01It doesn't look dangerous at this point.
12:03He says he's never been cut before.
12:05He has an outstanding cut man, Joe Souza, waiting in his corner.
12:09All right, hold it, hold it, hold it, hold it, hold it, hold it, hold it, let me go.
12:10He's got a bad cut, a bad cut.
12:12Hold it, hold it, hold it, hold it, hold it, hold it, hold it, hold it, hold it, hold it.
12:16Obed seems to be getting a little closer to Grant now.
12:18Well, maybe that cut's giving him some courage.
12:20Well, maybe that cut is worse than we think it is, too.
12:27I can't really tell at this point.
12:33Well, here comes Souza, charging into the corner to get at Grant's cut.
12:46Okay.
12:48All right.
12:49No, we're okay.
12:51Keep our eyes closed.
12:53Am I going to look at that?
12:54Yeah, I'm going to work, work.
12:56Mike, you got to do that fastball, baby.
13:00Headbutt, Tony, headbutt!
13:02Headbutt!
13:04You're letting him get too close, Mike.
13:06You know what I'm saying?
13:07Fastball!
13:08What'd you say?
13:09It was a headbutt.
13:11You're letting him get too close, Mike.
13:13Put some in my eye, baby.
13:14Put some in my eye.
13:15I got it.
13:15I got it just close.
13:16Close.
13:16Hey, yo, Mike, you got to do that fastball, son.
13:19Wake up, wake up.
13:21I'm going to do that fastball.
13:22Second's up!
13:22What you're hearing from the corner is some urgency.
13:25When they say throw the fastball, they mean the big right hand.
13:30They feel that the cut isn't terrible yet, but it could be a problem.
13:35And it's something to which he's unaccustomed, and he didn't throw his right hand in the
13:40first round.
13:40And they felt in the last minute of the round in particular that he was letting Sullivan
13:44get too close.
13:46Tony Orlando said it was a headbutt.
13:48Orlando the referee.
13:49So a question is being asked of Grant that hasn't been asked before, and let's see how
13:54he answers it.
14:02Roy, your take on the cut?
14:04Well, I don't think it's a bad cut, but it may change Grant's mindset in this fight.
14:08It may make him feel a little more urgent, and it may make him do some things that he
14:12didn't expect to do earlier.
14:14Step back.
14:15Step back.
14:16There are some early signs that this is a more aggressive Obed Sullivan than we've seen
14:22before.
14:23Yeah, because he's getting inside like me and you said early in the fight, Jim.
14:26We said he needed to get close to deal with the reach that Michael Grant has.
14:32He can't stay outside and let Michael Grant just have his weight.
14:36Well, the Marine knows that if he doesn't land first, he will be landed on first.
14:40Yeah, but Grant's cup is running, runneth over once again.
14:53He's runneth over his belt line, and there might be some protest before long.
15:13That's impressive when you see a guy who's still learning the sport go into the body the
15:26way Grant did.
15:29And Sullivan backs off a little bit as a result.
15:32Yeah, that cut has given Sullivan a great deal of confidence here, Jim.
15:36Sullivan able to make Grant miss over the top with the big right hand.
15:55They work at close quarters, and Grant again finds a way to release those big arms for
16:01punches to the body.
16:02Now Sullivan with a couple of right hands to the jaw in close.
16:05Right hand landed for Grant there.
16:18Tries to follow up, and Sullivan laughs at him.
16:21Come on.
16:22You don't think one right hand's going to do it to me.
16:26That's right.
16:27Step back, please.
16:28Step back, please.
16:30Come on.
16:35It's going to be all right.
16:40It's going to be all right.
16:41Listen to me, okay?
16:42It's going to be under control.
16:44There's no crime.
16:45Mike, you got to go work on this side.
16:47Hey, buck it, babe.
16:48Buck it.
16:50Go, D.
16:50Okay.
16:51We're going to be all right.
16:52You understand?
16:53It's going to be under control.
16:54This is not serious.
16:56Mike.
16:57All right.
16:57You got to go to work, son.
16:59Mike, what's wrong with you, man?
17:00You going to start fighting this one?
17:03All right.
17:03Let's see if we can catch that butt that cut his eye right there.
17:11I don't know, Larry.
17:12That didn't seem hard enough to do no cutting.
17:19Yeah, I think the eye is bloody right at this moment.
17:22Yep.
17:22There you go.
17:23You saw Grant looking at it.
17:24That might have been, that could have been something.
17:29That could have extended the cut a little bit, huh?
17:31But that was from round two, so we know that the cut was already there.
17:37I took a walk on the boardwalk with Cut Man Joe Souza today.
17:42He told me a secret.
17:43He says he loves, the bigger the cut, the better.
17:47Why's that?
17:48Gives him more work to do.
17:50Get Souza on camera.
17:52He is a star.
17:53If you remember Arturo Gatti's miraculous comeback victory over Wilson Rodriguez from behind two
18:00totally shut eyes, it was Joe Souza who somehow got Gatti through that fight.
18:06And Souza did a good job of giving Grant confidence that he had the cut under control throughout the
18:10whole round.
18:11I mean, while he was resting.
18:12Right.
18:13He was telling him in no uncertain terms, this is nothing.
18:16I can handle this.
18:17And then you heard the rest of the star-studded corner talking to him.
18:20Tommy Brooks throw the fastball.
18:22Don Turner, hey, where are you, Michael?
18:24Are you going to fight?
18:26I mean, this guy has a brain trust that's the equal of any in the score.
18:30I don't think Turner's much going to want to see Grant backing up against the ropes and allowing
18:51Sullivan to come at him.
18:52I'm sure he wants to see Grant coming forward with that big jab and right hand.
18:57Yeah, but I think he wants Grant to jab because he doesn't want him to get caught up in trying
19:01to knock Obey out with one punch.
19:02Harold Lederman, what are the implications of the fact that Tony Orlando expressed that the
19:11cut was the product of a first-round headbutt?
19:14Well, Jim, the importance it is, is if the fight gets stopped because of that cut, if it's
19:19within the first four rounds, the fight becomes a technical draw.
19:22If it goes beyond the fourth round and the fight is stopped because that cut becomes worse,
19:27they go to the scorecards and whoever's ahead on the scorecards at the point that the fight
19:31is stopped wins.
19:32And now Grant is bothered by a low blow.
19:41So Sullivan's got some things going his way here.
19:44And he's trying to make a brawl out of it.
19:47Let's see.
19:48This is a test for Grant to see how he can maintain his poise and how he responds.
19:55Very good, Larry.
19:56And it's best for Sullivan to make a brawl out of it because he can't win in an outside
20:00fight.
20:01His jabs, he's got long enough.
20:03Whoa.
20:04Oh, that was a big right hand that Sullivan took.
20:08And now Grant delivers a low blow.
20:15And Orlando tells him to keep it up.
20:20Grant found out something else doing this fight.
20:23He can land his best punch on somebody and he isn't necessarily going to fall to pieces.
20:28Well, we told you, Sullivan has whiskers.
20:31Takes another right hand as the round comes to a close.
20:38Hey, baby, we got, hey, yo, you're knocking with your jabs, man.
20:47We got to throw that jabs two or three or four times, okay?
20:50And then start firing that fastball now.
20:52We've been working on this in the gym, son.
20:54We got to go to work.
20:58Hey, Mike, can you throw a combination, man, to go work in the angle?
21:02You got another control.
21:03Huh?
21:04You got another control.
21:05Can you do that?
21:05Well, let's do it now.
21:06Start now, man.
21:07Very end of the, near the end of the round, you saw that big right hand from Grant following
21:16the left from Sullivan.
21:20Sullivan took it.
21:25Seconds out.
21:26Let's go.
21:26Round four begins.
21:36Harold, how do you have it so far?
21:38Jim, I got a shot of three and up and 30 to 27, Michael Grant.
21:43In the first round, he had that real confident look of a winner.
21:45But, you know, the minute he got cut, the confident look came off his face.
21:49But the truth of the matter is, Michael Grant, when he landed those two right hands, one at the end of round two, one towards the end of round three, he won those rounds because I tell you, he virtually spun Obed Sullivan's head he hit him so hard.
22:00I mean, those were really the telling blows in rats two and three, so Michael wins the first round on a jab, the next two on a big right hand.
22:07I don't like to give a guy a round on one punch, Harold, unless that punch deposits the other guy on the canvas, or unless the rest of the round is totally even.
22:17I call the last round a draw.
22:21I thought that Sullivan did some good work in the early part of the round.
22:33Sullivan showing the eagerness and urgency tonight that was so desperately lacking in his non-performance against Rockman last fall at the Apollo Theater.
22:45So, high marks to Obed for that, for the willingness he's showing.
22:50But, as you've so accurately pointed out, Larry, and as Roy thunderously agrees, perfect scenario for a test of Michael Grant's will, courage, poise, and control of the situation.
23:02And you've heard both Tommy Brooks and Don Turner asking Grant to apply the techniques that he's been learning in the gym.
23:11One of the hardest things for a young fighter to do, transfer all those lessons from the gym into the ring when fight night arrives.
23:18Right, Roy?
23:18That's right.
23:19It takes practice and practice and practice and more practice.
23:22Not so much as in the gym, but even doing it in front of a crowd.
23:26Well, especially when the other guy doesn't cooperate with you.
23:34Step back. Step back. Step back.
23:36Step back.
23:37Watch out of the way in.
23:38Watch out of the way in.
23:43No punches. Step back.
23:44Step back.
23:46No punches. Step back.
23:48No punches. No punches. There we go.
23:52No punches. No punches. There we go.
24:04Ah, keep your hand out of it.
24:17Great. Let him go. Let him go. Let him go. Let him go.
24:18O'Ban said he's going to give it his all tonight,
24:21and I think he's doing exactly that.
24:24He's not afraid. He's trying. He's taking chances.
24:26He's doing everything necessary here
24:28to try to disrupt Michael Grant's style.
24:30That's what he... That's what he's doing.
24:39Deep breaths. Deep breaths.
24:41You're fine. This guy got nothing for you.
24:43He's breaking down. Deep breaths.
24:45You're one puncher. Relax.
24:51Don't be tight and try to load up.
24:54I want you to leave the right hand alone.
24:57Listen to what I'm saying.
24:58I want you to leave the right hand alone
25:00other than to the body. Straight to the body.
25:02Straight to the heart.
25:04And come with that hook. And double it.
25:06Just stay relaxed. You can hit this guy.
25:08But what you're doing is, once you're getting in,
25:10you're throwing in one punch and falling in.
25:12It's all right, man.
25:14Every time you throw that fastball,
25:16it's right on the button.
25:17You got to throw it, though.
25:18Okay. Okay?
25:19You can't let him grab any.
25:20Don't grab him.
25:21Come on. Let's go.
25:23Did he throw a right hand in the fourth round?
25:26I don't remember one.
25:27Yeah, he landed a real good punch mid-range.
25:31That's what they mean by fastball.
25:38And Grant threw a 90-mile-an-hour fastball in high school.
25:42He was scouted by the Kansas City Royals organization
25:45and offered a bonus contract
25:47and elected to play junior college football instead.
25:49Break!
25:50Step back, double-trick, low punch.
25:53No punch.
25:55All right, break!
25:57No punches.
25:58Step back.
25:59No!
26:00Come on!
26:01Come on!
26:02Come on!
26:03Come on!
26:04so we are beyond technical draw territory if the fight were to be stopped as the result
26:17of the cut and we're now into the area where we go to the scorecards
26:19shouldn't be a big problem for grant he seems to be in control of that situation
26:34sullivan hunting the bigger man now and trying to tap away at him with right hand
26:45watch your head well he said he heard that when he when he heard he was going to fight
26:49grant the first thing that came to his mind was timber and so he's trying to chop on him
26:58but the timber may fall on him all right step back no function
27:01i like the way that michael grant is continuously going to obey his body too
27:07most of the time the big guys stay away from the body because they want to knock out with head punches
27:19low blow by sullivan but grant's big body shielded orlando from being able to see it
27:26so he's going to see it sullivan lands a left upstairs
27:32grant having trouble finding punching room here in the fifth round
27:36incidentally let me correct one thing i said
27:39grant was offered a tryout with the kansas city royals not as i said a bonus contract
27:44that was that right hand you asked about jim yep and is it in fact open for him every time the way
27:54tommy and don told him it was yes it's right open right over the top of obeid's jab if he throws it
28:01he's taller he's looking down at obeid over obeid's jab so once obeid jabs
28:05he always can hit him with the short right hand
28:19ball is the first round slide
28:35round five comes to a close schedule 12. well many would count him as the greatest american athlete of
28:42the 20th century because maybe no other figure transcended his sport to the degree to which
28:46Babe Ruth did. What was it about
28:48this man which so captured America's
28:51imagination? Why to this day
28:53is his spirit and his memory
28:54still so alive? On August 16th,
28:57the 50th anniversary of his death,
28:59HBO Sports premieres the next edition
29:01of Sports of the 20th Century
29:03as we proudly present
29:04Babe Ruth,
29:07the Bambino.
29:09Might be a good year
29:10to do it with Mark Maguire
29:12on pace to eclipse Maris
29:15and Ruth both.
29:16I'm glad they had this, son.
29:19Huh? You saying okay?
29:20Let's go to work now. Come on.
29:23Here we go, Mike.
29:24Sixth round.
29:27And typical of
29:28Joe Souza's cut work, that cut
29:30has been a non-factor since the second round.
29:33You said he was good.
29:34I know he's good.
29:38Here on HBO, we get to watch
29:40the great cut men close up.
29:46You have a cut man, Roy?
29:48Yeah, my coach has somewhat been
29:50my cut man for the longest here
29:51because he makes it to where
29:52we train so hard that we don't get cut.
29:54I started to say, I don't know
29:55that I've ever seen you cut.
29:56But in case I do get cut,
29:57Dr. Richard Lucey is also a pretty good cut man himself.
30:00He is.
30:01Hard right hand lands for Michael Grant.
30:03Obed Sullivan, well-conditioned
30:05and ready to fight tonight.
30:06Shows no ill effects.
30:07Sullivan told us before his fight
30:08with Brockman last fall,
30:09he was distracted by the details
30:11of a messy divorce and spent too much time
30:14hanging out in the bars around Phoenix
30:17with his good buddy Charles Barkley.
30:19Barkley is a heavyweight partier.
30:21Sullivan has determined that he's not.
30:24Right hand over the top by Sullivan
30:26and a crunching right hand to the body.
30:28Step back, step back, low, low, crunching.
30:31Right hand over the top by Sullivan
30:33and a crunching right hand to the body.
30:36Step back, step back, low, low, crunching.
30:39He's got a little bit of a little bit of a little bit
30:41and he said you play baseball, you play basketball,
30:55you play football, you don't play boxing.
31:01Well not only that, you can party and stuff
31:03when you're on a team because you have other guys
31:05that you can depend on to help you.
31:07When in boxing, you can't go to these other guys
31:09or just ask the coach to take you out for a minute.
31:18Good point, no breather at the end of the third quarter.
31:21That's right.
31:25Can't blame it on your offensive line either.
31:27You gotta do it yourself.
31:28You're supporting cast.
31:30It looks like Obed may have a cut over his left eye now.
31:39Two hands out.
31:40Oh this is blue from Brett's cut.
31:41Come on, cut.
31:42Two hands.
31:43Come on, no hold on.
31:44Come on, come on.
31:45Get inside work by Sullivan.
31:48And so far what he said about his fight with Rockwell
31:52is proving true.
31:55That was out of character.
31:56He is fighting much, much harder,
31:58a more spirited fight.
32:00More energetic.
32:02Just more alive in every way.
32:13Sullivan was cut above the left eye,
32:15just under the brow in the Rockwell fight.
32:18So if this cut is in the same place,
32:21it could be a repeat of that particular physical experience.
32:24Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on.
32:26Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on.
32:28Now Sullivan here tonight is fighting like a guy
32:30that really wants to win.
32:35Certainly isn't going to go away easily.
32:38Michael Grant continues to labor against Obed Sullivan.
32:48Mike, every time you throw the right hand,
32:50you hit the guy with him, huh?
32:52What happened?
32:53But you got to get it together now.
32:55Sullivan's cut, man, is Jimmy Glenn.
32:57You're working your way in.
32:58And I don't see a cut there.
32:59No, it may have been blood from the other guy.
33:01Yeah, it must have been blood from the other guy
33:03because, as you can see, Jimmy Glenn is focusing
33:06no attention on Sullivan's left eye.
33:07Double up on right hands, step right,
33:09and double up on hooks.
33:11I'm telling you, just relax, breathe deep.
33:14Come on, just breathe.
33:15Ray Charles could close his eyes
33:17and hit this guy with a left hook to the chin.
33:19And he's open for a straight right hand to the chin
33:22because his left hand's not.
33:23But you're either punching from too out or smothered you.
33:26Relax, get your...
33:27Check it out.
33:29Let's go.
33:31Come on, let's go.
33:33I don't know, Roy.
33:34He didn't look that easy to hit for me.
33:37I don't think Ray Charles could actually hit it
33:38with a right hand.
33:40Maybe Ray Charles Leonard.
33:42Let go.
33:55Move, baby.
33:55Come on, baby.
33:57Head's up.
33:58There you go.
33:59Walk out, walk out.
34:00There you go.
34:02Come on, look out, come on.
34:03Let go, let go.
34:04Do lights, pop in here for the real time.
34:06Do they have the places you have,
34:08just prepping **+.
34:10Michael Grant could be showing a little fatigue now.
34:34He hasn't been in a long, tough, hard fight like this before.
34:44He's gone the distance eight times by many of those earlier in his career when he was learning his craft.
34:52And you're right, he hasn't been through a 12-round marathon against a tough fighter, as would be the case here.
35:02This is the night he becomes a real fighter.
35:07I'll tell you what, he takes a heck of a good punch.
35:11O'Bell is landing a very good left hook.
35:13Oh, you're talking about Grant?
35:14Yes, because O'Bell is landing a pretty good left hook on his head.
35:17Come on, keep him up.
35:19Come on, keep him up.
35:21All right, Grant, step back, step back.
35:23Come on, guys.
35:26Grant has never fought past the tenth round.
35:30So if, in fact, this goes the distance, it would be his first trip ever into the 11th and 12th.
35:38Come on, work, work, work.
35:41Come on, work, Mike, work.
35:43And if you're looking for a knockout at this point, you might keep in mind that neither fighter has ever scored a knockout past the eighth round.
35:55Oh, check it, Michael Grant has one tenth round knockout.
35:58Step back to him, step back.
36:00Knocked out Al Cole in the tenth.
36:02So it is still mathematically possible within the framework of what they've done before.
36:06Now Sullivan looks like he has got blood all over his left thigh, Roy.
36:11I don't think that's the other fighter.
36:15I literally just traded a good right hand in the center of the room.
36:19Come on, Mike, let him go.
36:20Let him go.
36:21Both guys took a pause in the action.
36:24Break, break, step back, step back.
36:26Come on, guys, you're holding too much, Mike.
36:27Let's go.
36:28Come on, keep him up, Mike.
36:33Series of punches from Grant.
36:38Obet Sullivan still coming forward as the round comes to a close.
36:44Earlier this evening, David Tua, still on the comeback trail after his loss last year to Aiki Bayabuchi, took on Nate Tubbs, younger brother of Tony Tubbs.
36:56Tubbs came in with a 17-3 record, but was no match for Tua, who landed a chopping right hand with two minutes and 12 seconds gone in round two.
37:07That punch right there.
37:08Deposited Tubbs on the canvas.
37:10Nate was unable to beat the count.
37:12And David Tua extended his record to 31 wins, one loss, the 26th win by knockout for Tua.
37:21It was a measured, patient performance by Tua, who hopes to get back into the same echelon now occupied by fighters like Chris Bird and Michael Grant.
37:32Yeah, and there's talk that Tua may fight fellow New Zealander Jimmy Thunder next.
37:43Harold, how do you have it through seven?
37:45Jim, I get it six to one, 69-64, Michael Grant.
37:48You know, Jim, basically Obed Sullivan's got to get inside and get busy and do some work, just as he did in round six.
37:55The problem is Michael Grant's like an octopus.
37:57He uses those long arms real good on the inside, and he outfights Obed Sullivan on the inside.
38:02And he catches Obed as he comes in.
38:04So Michael Grant under stronger punching and really good work on the inside.
38:09Some big time heaving and battling going on here in the close quarters.
38:37The Michael fight is terrifically inside to be as tall as he is.
38:44Yeah.
38:45You wouldn't suspect that a guy 6'7 would be such a good inside fighter.
38:50Yeah, particularly one who didn't grow up in the sport and has only come to it within the past five years.
38:56It was the well-known referee Richard Steele who turned Grant on to the idea of becoming a boxer.
39:08Keep your elbows in. Keep your elbows in. Keep your elbows in.
39:11Keep your elbows in. Keep your elbows in.
39:15And, of course, anyone who was lucky enough to be at Holyfield's Bow 1, November 13, 1992, might have felt inspired to do something.
39:23Grant came to that fight and decided he wanted to be a heavyweight, too.
39:30Just had about a dozen or 15 amateur fights before turning professional.
39:35He has done a pretty good job of it.
39:38All right, great. Step back. Step back. Step back. Step back. Come on, guys. You're holding too much. Let's go.
39:44Good stiff job by Obed Sullivan.
39:49Beating Grant to the punch.
39:51Step back. Step back. Step back, Steve.
39:52That time it was Grant who beat Sullivan to the punch as Obed started to step in.
40:10Oh, good right hand by Michael Grant.
40:25Basketball down the middle.
40:27Brushing right hand by Grant.
40:30Sullivan still taking everything Grant has to offer.
40:33Tied.
40:43Eight rounds in the books. Four more to go.
40:46Come on, man. You have the guy knocked out and you're grabbing. Where you grabbing it from?
40:51Hey, listen, Mike. Every time you throw that right hand, maybe it's right on the money.
40:56But you're throwing it and then you're grabbing the guy.
41:00Two and three jabs. How many jabs I want? Two and three.
41:03Two and three.
41:04Two and three.
41:05Two and three jabs. If you hit him with two and three and he leans back, walk back in with another one and throw a straight right hand.
41:11Not over the top. Straight. Right at the chin. Throw it low. Throw it at his chin or right in the throat area. Under the chin.
41:18So it hits him on the chin.
41:20Close the other round. Grant comes back with a right hand here.
41:25On the temple.
41:27Check it out. Come on, blue corner. Let's go. Let's go. Get him out. Come on, come on, go.
41:40Michael Grant is finding out what it is to be a fighter tonight. He's never been in anything like this, Roy.
41:47Good right hand by Sullivan. Come on. Let him go. Let him go. Let him go. Let him go.
42:03Later. Let him go. Let him go. Let him go. Let him go. Let him go. Let him go. Let him go. Let him go.
42:15Oh, hard right hand by Ovech Sullivan.
42:19who is increasingly able to land right-hand leads.
42:24Well, his corner gave him some good advice.
42:26He told him to go in with a couple of jabs.
42:28He said, if Grant back straight up,
42:29go back here with one jab and throw it right-hand behind him.
42:32All right.
42:34Down goes Sullivan.
42:39He saw him cracking the right hand,
42:42and Grant beat him to the putt.
42:44Sullivan has been very, very aggressive,
42:48and he just walked into that.
42:51Well, he back straight up from Grant,
42:52just like Grant was doing from him,
42:54and he ran right into the same right hand
42:56that he hit Grant with earlier.
43:00Only the second time in his career
43:02that Sullivan's been down.
43:04How's he going to deal with Michael Grant's
43:06giant physicality right now?
43:18He's got one, he's got two.
43:20He's got one, he's got two.
43:22He's got one, he's got two.
43:25Let's see if he can handle this situation
43:28with a minute to go in the round.
43:29He's got a hurt fighter in front of him.
43:31He's got a hurt fighter in front of him.
43:33But perhaps a fighter who still is dangerous.
43:36Yeah, Grant just took a deep breath
43:40to make sure he isn't punching himself out.
43:44Trying to land another right hand.
43:45He got one, he got two.
43:49And he just missed one,
43:51and Tony Orlando has seen enough.
43:57Obed Sullivan unable to punch back,
44:00and Michael Grant is ecstatic with the TKO victory.
44:03Well, he has every reason to be.
44:05Obed Sullivan put up a spirited fight against him,
44:10tested him, asked him questions he hadn't been asked before,
44:15and he answered them in the end.
44:19And he has a real reason to say,
44:20okay, I've graduated to another level, Roy.
44:24And that's the way the guys are supposed to respond
44:26when they get put through that test.
44:28He had the skills, we knew he had the power,
44:30he showed that he could take the punch,
44:32but he had the composure to hold the skills together
44:34for eight rounds.
44:35A very professional effort.
44:39But also a very game effort by Obed Sullivan.
44:43No question.
44:44Obed redeems himself here
44:45after his poor performance against Rachman.
44:48Let's keep in mind, this is a man
44:49who's never been stopped,
44:51or even close to being stopped, Sullivan.
44:54This is a fire.
44:56It's not a walkover.
44:58Absolutely.
45:00Rockman had power,
45:02and Sullivan easily took that on his worst night.
45:06But he ultimately could not handle
45:08the right-hand power of Michael Grant.
45:14First, a look at the knockdown earlier in the round.
45:18A series of right hands from Grant there, mixing his punches pretty well.
45:34And now here's the end of the fight, as he landed a right hand,
45:38sized up Sullivan, landed another right, and as he got ready to throw one more,
45:53Sullivan's not punching back.
45:55Sullivan's not punching back.
45:56This fight is over.
45:59And Grant will never be another Nassim Hamed.
46:01I don't know whether he had a flip in mind or what.
46:05I was scared he was gonna break his back with that.
46:07I thought he was gonna break his neck.
46:09Or the ring on it.
46:11Wow.
46:12And now let's go to Michael Buffer for the official particulars.
46:17Ladies and gentlemen, at two minutes, 16 seconds of round number nine,
46:25referee Tony Orlando calls a halt to the bout.
46:29The winner by TKO victory and still the undefeated
46:34IBC World Heavyweight Champion, Michael Grant.
46:48Final punch stat numbers, and you'll see the dominance, statistically,
46:52of Michael Grant, who landed 86 more punches than Sullivan,
46:56threw 122 more punches than Sullivan, and connected at a higher percentage,
47:01which is not to say that it wasn't a good effort on Obed Sullivan's part.
47:05He did what he could against the bigger, stronger man.
47:10Jabs, and you can see Grant's proficiency with the jab, 102 out of 194.
47:15There aren't too many heavyweights who are going to want to get into the ring
47:17against Michael Grant and his long jab.
47:21And all three judges had Grant ahead in the fight at the time of the stoppage,
47:26though not by as wide a margin as our Harold Letterman did.
47:29The three judges' scorecards read 78-74, 78-74, and 77-75,
47:35so Sullivan still had a mathematical chance in the bout.
47:39Let's go to Larry Merton with the winner.
47:41Congratulations, Mr. Grant.
47:45What were your thoughts about being in this kind of a roughhouse fight,
47:49especially after that early cut?
47:51Well, I still feel good. You know, it didn't bother me.
47:54First of all, I want to give honor to my Lord God and my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
47:59But get back to it. It didn't bother me. It didn't bother me.
48:01It went in my eye a few times. It made it blurry, but I knew that it stopped me.
48:03I had one good eye left.
48:06I still had my energy. I wasn't fatigued.
48:08I was waiting on him to get tired, which is a loser's attitude.
48:12You know, I should have jumped on him from the beginning,
48:14because 255 pounds for 12 rounds, too many people can't hang with it.
48:18And, um...
48:20Are you saying you were too patient in there?
48:22I was very patient, Larry, and, um...
48:25But it warmed down in later rounds.
48:26And, you know, it's good to see that I still had it in me in the eighth round, ninth round,
48:30to get him out of there.
48:32All right. Let's take a look at the knockdown and the end of the fight, Michael.
48:36Ooh.
48:37All right. We want to take a look early on when the cut...
48:40When the cut occurred on...
48:42When the cut occurred, did you feel it immediately?
48:46Right there. Right there. The headbutt.
48:47It was a headbutt or elbow, something.
48:50I can't remember.
48:53I can't remember exactly when.
48:55But I think it was either head or elbow, which occurred.
48:59And, um, you know, it didn't bother me.
49:00I felt something dripping from my head.
49:02I said, is that sweat coming down?
49:04Then I touched my head with my glove, and it was blood.
49:07It didn't frustrate me. It didn't do nothing.
49:09I knew Joe Sousa never gave it a problem.
49:11I mean, he handled it well.
49:12All right, Joe, let me turn to Joe Sousa.
49:14Joe, uh, you start saying right away, it's not a big deal.
49:18It's not a big deal. Don't worry about it.
49:20Was it a bigger deal than you were telling him?
49:22Not really. We had it under control.
49:24The first couple of rounds, it got in the way.
49:26But after that, we kept it under control, and it was nothing serious.
49:32All right, give us your, uh, Michael, Michael, give us your overall impression of being in,
49:39this appeared to us to be the toughest, roughest fight you were in to date.
49:45You came through it.
49:47How do you feel about that and going on to whatever the next step is?
49:51I just want to say, Obed is a good, I mean, he came in strong.
49:53He was a good fighter.
49:54But it wasn't a tough fight for me.
49:55I made it tough.
49:57It really wasn't a tough fight.
49:58He didn't, he didn't tire me out.
50:00I mean, anything.
50:00He was, he was like lightweight.
50:01I mean, wow.
50:03He was, um, open his day for, for, for a jab.
50:06I mean, and I, and I played around well.
50:08Like I said, I, I made it tough by not jabbing him enough.
50:11And, well, are you satisfied with how you finally finished it in style?
50:15Yes, I'm satisfied with that.
50:17But I'm, I'm disappointed with myself in the early rounds.
50:19Um, I look for the future, like I told you, no rush with me.
50:22And, uh, remember that saying I said?
50:25Let my days speak for me and the most of my years be my wisdom.
50:28It's been a great credibility to my life, you know.
50:30Thank you, Mike.
50:31Just one, one word with Don Turner, your trainer.
50:33Don, give him a grade on this one.
50:36After the kiss or before.
50:41Okay, I, I call it a B.
50:42You know, I, he did a lot of things that we disagreed with in the early rounds.
50:47You know, he say he was trying to wear the guy down.
50:49But I thought he should have got the guy out early.
50:52But I'm very satisfied with when he did turn it up, he got him out of there.
50:55All right, thank you.
50:58Isn't it nice when the winner complains about winning so spectacularly
51:04and yet feels he should have done it even better.
51:07Jim?
51:11Wait till Larry sees the tape.
51:14So victory as expected for Chris Bird by decision.
51:18Victory as expected for Michael Grant by knockout.
51:21We'll have a final word on those two bouts in just a moment.
51:24Right now, let's look ahead to some upcoming programs on HBO.
51:27The pay TV premiere of the highest grossing movie of 1997 is here.
51:34We'll take it from here.
51:35Earth is a party place.
51:37No curfew.
51:39There's only one way off of this planet, baby, and that's through me.
51:43Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith, Linda Fiorentino, Rip Torn, Men in Black.
51:51Premieres Saturday, June 6th, exclusively on HBO.
51:54That did not go at all the way up playing.
51:58De La Hoya.
51:59Oscar De La Hoya.
52:01Striking good looks.
52:05The face of an angel.
52:07But you wouldn't want to face his wrath.
52:11De La Hoya versus Charpentier, live, Saturday, June 13th, on HBO.
52:24De La Hoya's never looked so good.
52:30Beginning July 29, HBO Sports presents special editions of Boxing After Dark,
52:34the Goodwill Games.
52:35For four consecutive nights, the world's elite amateur boxers
52:38will compete in semi and final round action as part of a multi-sport
52:42invitational that unites athletes from over 60 countries.
52:45The Goodwill Games on Boxing After Dark, live from New York on HBO.
52:50And join us Monday 22, or Monday June 22, for the most comprehensive coverage
52:54of the premier tournament in tennis, Wimbledon 98, as HBO Sports kicks off
52:5859 hours of weekday coverage from the opening round through the semifinal.
53:02Live action each day from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Eastern, followed by a nightly
53:06one-hour highlight program at 7 o'clock Eastern and Pacific time.
53:11Earlier tonight in the Atlantic City Convention Center, heavyweight
53:15will-o'-the-wisp Chris Byrd got hit more than is usually the case against
53:20Cuban southpaw Eliezer Castillo, but managed to do most of the damage
53:24himself in winning by unanimous decision.
53:26All three judges scoring it 99-91.
53:30And then after Byrd's 10-round win, Michael Grant got cut in the very first round
53:35against tough ex-Marine Obed Sullivan, but then gradually imposed his physical
53:40superiority on Sullivan, landing enough big punches to eventually put Sullivan
53:46in danger and score a TKO in the night.
53:52Coming up immediately following tonight's coverage of Boxing After Dark,
53:55stay tuned for Phoenix, the movie.
54:00So now for Larry Merchant, Roy Jones and Harold Letterman, I'm Jim Lampley,
54:04saying so long from the Atlantic City Convention Center in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
54:09The executive producer of HBO Sports is Ross Greenberg.
54:11Tonight's telecast of Boxing After Dark was produced by Rick Bernstein
54:15and directed by Mark Payton.
54:17The associate producers, Adam Berger and David Lipson.
54:20Assistant to the producer, Lisa Bennett.
54:22The production manager was Mark Hayden and the technical supervisor was Bob Hunter.
54:27with her, Sandy Clark, Taylor, that is on AV ì—°,
54:31Sand Incomeel-Smith-Chin.
54:33.
54:36The Dolenkamp
54:45is a great 같습니다.
54:48.
54:48.
54:52.
54:52.
54:56This has been a presentation of HBO Sports,
55:24the network of champions.
55:26Next, on HBO.
55:34Cops and gambling are like fire and oil.
55:36They become dangerous when mixed.
55:38Rayleighostat.
55:44Art.
55:44In January 8th,
55:46Rhonda and Mad carry.