Michael Grant versus Audley Harrison

Who cares would be a better question

 

Grant Would Have Stopped Him In A Two Round Slaughter

 

We have to recognise Grant as having failed at a much higher level.

Seriously I dont think Grant is nearly as bad as people make out. He had enough to beat Golotta while he was a force in the division and verry dangerous.

 

Grant KO5.

 

Doubtful, Audley is the biggest non-event in boxing yet seen

 

There's a good reason why Audley always avoided the tall opponents. He also hated pressure and aggression, preferring to box cautiously with cautious boxers (which is why his fights were often devastatingly dull).

Faced with another 6"7 boxer, who was aggressive and durable (in a stamina sense), Audley would be totally outmatched. He might uppercut Grant to the canvas (although he never proved his uppercuts against tall opponents), but I'd pick Grant to get up, fight like a maddened drunk, and beat Audley down. Either Grant would land a big shot and KO Audley, or he'd outwork him to a UD.

Grant had an awful chin, but he had a Patterson-like drive to get on the canvas and win. That was what broke Golota down mentally: an opponent he could hurt, but couldn't finish. I don't think Audley is going to handle a such a prospect better than Golota.

Grant KO6.

 

Grant by KO

 

Yeah, Grant went down a lot but he always got up. Well, not from the last uppercut vs Lewis but that was hand-assisted You can criticize his fire but not his heart and courage and I think that would intimidate Audley even if he was doing well.

Audley is a southpaw though. I've often thought that Don Turner was not very good tactically about fighting southpaws, and Grant's fight with Wooden was a good example of this. Grant's footwork and movement was totally wrong. So that could cause problems.

When it comes down to the crunch though, I have more faith in Grant to battle through than Audley. So I'd have to pick Grant to win here.

Of course, if we're looking at mutual opponents, Audley did better against Guinn than Grant did...although I guess that was because he fought a much more cautious and defensive fight than Grant.

 

I think being a southpaw only matters if you throw punches. I can't see Audley doing much of that sort of stuff against when he's faced with a sizable hard-hitting opponent who keeps coming at him; he didn't do much of it against Julius Francis, after all.

 

Another factor - ever noticed just how inactive Audley is at close quarters? He very rarely throws anything in there, just prefers to hold & lean on. It's one of those things I noticed three or four years back and now I always pay attention to it, and he does almost no work up close.
Most guys at least bang to the body with a free hand, he doesn't even bother doing that.

Grant on the other hand is a competent infighter, especially with his uppercuts, and arguably prefers that.

So in comparison, Audley would be better off keeping it at long-to-middle range. Except of course, he'll be in there with a guy with an 86" reach...

 

Grant was nothing that special skill-wise, but was still miles better than Fraudley ever was. Grant is a big, strong HW with good punching power and he would mash Harrison (and his china chin) before the mid-rounds.

Grant TKO3 Harrison

 

I wouldn't say Audley just held and did nothing in close all the time: often he didn't bother to hold! That was what got his body bust up by Sprott on the way to the KO. He did the same thing against Richel Hersisia at times: just covered up and stood there, as if in some stupid rope-a-dope scheme.