Herol Graham (born 13 September 1959) is a British former

professional boxer Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional bouts are supervised by a regulatory autho ...

who competed from 1978 to 1998. A three-time world title challenger, he is generally acknowledged as one of the best British boxers of the post-war era to have never won a world championship.

Amateur career

Highlights

1976 Junior World Welterweight Champion (beat

John Mugabi John Mugabi (born March 4, 1960) is a Ugandan former professional boxer who competed from 1980 to 1991, and 1996 to 1999. He held the WBC super-welterweight title from 1989 to 1990, and challenged twice for world titles at middleweight, includ ...

in final) 1977 Senior ABA Light-Middleweight finalist (lost to Steve Hopkin) 1978 Senior ABA Middleweight Champion

Professional career

In 1978, after winning the ABA middleweight title, Graham turned professional, fighting out of Brendan Ingle's gym in the

Wincobank Shiregreen and Brightside ward—which includes the districts of Brightside, Shiregreen, and Wincobank—is one of the 28 electoral wards in City of Sheffield, England. It is located in the northern part of the city and covers an area ...

area of

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire a ...

. Graham went undefeated in his first 38 fights, winning the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

, Commonwealth and European

light-middleweight Light middleweight, also known as junior middleweight or super welterweight,PeBoxRec/ref> is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing The light middleweight division (also known as junior middleweight in the IBF or super welterweight in the WBA a ...

titles, as well as the British and European middleweight titles. He eventually lost his unbeaten record defending his European middleweight title against future world champion Sumbu Kalambay in 1987. Graham would go on to fight for world titles twice at middleweight and once at super middleweight. In his first attempt, challenging for the vacant WBA middleweight title, he took

Mike McCallum Mike McCallum (born 7 December 1956) is a Jamaican former professional boxer who competed from 1981 to 1997. He held world championships in three weight classes, including the WBA super welterweight title from 1984 to 1988, the WBA middlewe ...

to a close split decision; points deducted for a punch to the back of McCallum's head ended up costing Graham the verdict. A year later, in another world title challenge, he lost to Julian Jackson for the vacant WBC middleweight title. After outclassing Jackson for nearly 4 rounds, Graham was knocked out cold before he hit the canvas by the now-famous devastating right cross known as the 'Punch of the Century'. Four years of inactivity were followed by an unexpected comeback in which Graham put together a series of victories to gain a last shot at a world title in March 1998. Challenging Charles Brewer for his

IBF The International Boxing Federation (IBF) is one of four major organizations recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) which sanctions professional boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Counci ...

super middleweight title, Graham was stopped in the tenth round. Following this he retired from the ring and now lives in London, working as a personal trainer and specialising in boxing-based exercises. In February 2009, Graham's son was injured in what police described as a "targeted shooting" at Westfield, Sheffield. Graham released his autobiography entitled ''Bomber: Behind the Laughter'' in 2011. Graham has ongoing mental health issues from boxing injuries.

Personal life

Graham's parents are Jamaican.

Professional boxing record

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Graham, Herol 1959 births Living people Boxers from Nottingham British Boxing Board of Control champions Commonwealth Boxing Council champions England Boxing champions English male boxers English people of Jamaican descent European Boxing Union champions Light-middleweight boxers Middleweight boxers Super-middleweight boxers