Jude Grant, 8-0 undefeated southpaw clinical boxing artist, widely touted as the next big thing in middleweight boxing, once screamed for a bucket between rounds 2 and 3.
“I was going for my first state title, I think it was just the nerves, ” he said. “I wasn’t even really that tired. But I was so nervous that I would lose. Or throw it away, because I was up two rounds. I asked for a bucket, and ended up vomiting after the fight.”
Jude has come a long way in a relatively short time since that first amateur state title. Particularly given his first fight was at the start of 2020, closely followed by the pandemic. The subsequent lock downs and social limitations impacted his ability to keep building on his early ring success-not to mention a deep vein thrombosis that put him out of action for a period of time.
He is now primed to make his international debut at the WBC Boxing Grand Prix in Saudi Arabia next month.
So why did he feel so sick during that first state title battle? “The nerves, the pressure, I think the fear of losing, of throwing the fight away-just the thought of it,” he said.
Coming from a boxer who is undefeated across both his amateur and professional boxing career, you might think he couldn’t possibly know what losing would feel like.
Though perhaps not widely known, Jude has 2 amateur and 1 pro Muay Thai bout, in addition to his boxing resume.
This pro Muay Thai fight constitues his one and only ever defeat in the ring. When I asked him to reflect on this he said, “That was a good fight….I think I learnt a lot from that fight-not just about not training.” I laughed at this point and asked what exactly was the learning there, and he said, “that I need to train (!)” Jude has a prodigious natural talent, one which perhaps lulled him into a false sense on security on this occasion, allowing him to go into the ring less than well prepared.
He hasn’t made that mistake again, going on to enjoy a perfect pro boxing record since.
When I asked him to describe exactly how he felt after this one loss, he said, “I was upset. But……..you are not defined by your losses. You’re defined by what you do after. There have been many people that have lost fights then gone on to have amazing careers. And I think it makes the story a lot better.”
I whole heartedly agree, having personally experienced some hard losses that have pushed me down a path of learning and self analysis.
When I asked him if it had affected him deeply in terms of his thinking or approach, he said, “It changed my approach to preparation and to weight cutting, but it didn’t change my confidence in myself. Because I feel like there is always going to be a winner in a fight, but to really lose a fight, you have to know within yourself that you gave up.”
Image L & R: Jude demonstrating his versatility in his previous incarnation as a Muay Thai fighter
We spoke a lot about his growth as a fighter, and his intentional effort to change how he prepares, particularly mentally.
“Everything has changed,” Jude said. “I think you always have to evolve. I think I have improved my boxing in every metric. My technical skills, but also mentally as well. I have always been confident, and I’ve maintained that confidence. But I think the main thing is the maturity. I’m not just boxing to win, I’m boxing to dominate now, which is a big change.”
I pressed him on what he means by dominating. Did he mean putting on a show? “To put on a very one sided show, ” he said. “I used to want to put on an entertaining fight, but now I want to put on a one-sided show. Obviously still entertaining, I like to take risks, but at the end of the day I want to absolutely dominate.”
Jude had early aspirations to create a successful career in the world of professional boxing. In fact, he reached this decision a mere 1 month after commencing training, having never boxed before starting at Champions Gym. It is staggering to think that just being exposed to a “Boxing for fitness” style class would allow an individual to form the desire to fight full time, and truthfully, most people who make this announcement so early fail to follow through. Sparring itself can be incredibly confronting, and can often derail a new starter. Adding in the trials and challenges of fight preparation makes for an incredibly high pressure experience that a lot of people simply can’t bear.
Jude, however, pointed at the framed photos of past fighters wearing belts, and told anyone who would listen that his photo would be up there too-an announcement met with general skepticism and some laughter. He soon made good on that promise, however, and continues to command the ring and gather more titles as he progresses, now fighting out of Big Rigs in Malaga.
When I pressed him about his family’s response to his fight career plans, he said that while they were apprehensive, they were glad he was doing something productive. Ultimately though, as he explained it, “It doesn’t really matter what anyone thinks, in my opinion. Because if you know in your heart that you want to do something, it doesn’t matter.”
So with this international debut in Saudi Arabia coming up, what are the steps to get to that win and potentially go on to grasp his first world title?
“I’m not getting too caught up in how things are progressing,” he told me. “I have that destination at the end, so I’m not just going with the wind or taking things easy, but as long as I keep focusing on my next step, the journey will reveal itself…I know its going to be soon. If I was to win this, it would be very, very soon.”
How does he feel about the Saudi event-is the customary Grant confidence intact going into this one?
“There are always questions. The same questions I had before my first fight, ” he said. When I asked him what those questions were, he said, “Am I good enough for this level?”
…and what’s the answer to that question, according to Jude?
“Yes”.
Images L &R: Jude in his dominant display against Fano Kaori in November of 2024
