| Montell Griffin | |
|---|---|
| Statistics | |
| Real name | Montell Julian Griffin |
| Nickname(s) | Ice |
| Rated at | Light Heavyweight |
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) |
| Reach | 70 in (178 cm) |
| Nationality | American |
| Born | June 6, 1970 Chicago, Illinois, USA |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 58 |
| Wins | 49 |
| Wins by KO | 30 |
| Losses | 8 |
| Draws | 1 |
| No contests | 0 |
Montell Julian Griffin (born June 6, 1970 in Chicago) is an American boxer. He is best known for his two bouts at Light Heavyweight with Roy Jones Jr.
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Griffin, nicknamed "Ice," began his pro career in 1993. He rose to fame when he defeated James Toney twice by decision in 1995 and 1996. These wins earned Griffin the lightly regarded WBU title, as well as a lucrative bout against WBC champion Roy Jones Jr.
After his 1996 win over Toney, Griffin landed a shot at WBC Light Heavyweight Title holder Roy Jones Jr. Griffin handed Jones his first professional defeat. But the defeat was also filled with controversy. A frustrated Jones dropped Griffin with a series of hard and fast, head and body punches in round nine, and then hit him again twice on the head after Griffin had taken a knee on the canvas, leading to Jones's disqualification. They had an immediate rematch, and on August 21, Jones regained the WBC Light Heavyweight Title by knocking out Griffin in the first round.
After the loss to Jones, Griffin remained a top-ranked light heavyweight for six years. He won 11 of his next 12 bouts, losing only a split decision to undefeated but unknown southpaw Eric Harding, despite knocking him down and out-landing him according to punchstats.
Four consecutive knockout wins later, the now 38-2 Griffin squared off against 40-0 WBO title holder, Poland's Dariusz Michalczewski, in 1999. The 29-year-old Griffin won the first three rounds on the cards, but was cut by the 31-year-old Michalczewski's jab in the second round. In the fourth, Griffin was twice staggered, and took 14 unanswered shots to the head and gloves, which forced referee Joe Cortez to stop the bout.
In 2002, Griffin earned another WBC and IBF titleshot by defeating 22-2 southpaw Derrick Harmon via a wide decision. In 2003, Griffin went the distance with Antonio Tarver losing a wide decision. After he was in his mid-thirties, he would go on to lose to Rico Hoye by split decision, to Julio César González when the bout was stopped in the early goings on a technicality and sent to the scorecards, and Glencoffe Johnson by TKO11, all three were IBF eliminators. He also lost on points to current light heavyweight champion Beibut Shumenov.in a bid to capture his 50th win griffin was held to a draw by former jr. middleweight contender ross thompson on May 29 2010
Griffin compiled a very respectable resume over the course of his career: he has two wins over James Toney, a disqualification win over Roy Jones Jr., and wins over contenders Ka-Dy King, Ray Lathon, Randall Yonker, Derrick Harmon and George Khalid Jones.
Minor World Titles:
Regional/International Titles:
Griffin compiled an amateur record of 36-5. He won the 1992 United States Amateur Light Heavyweight title.
At the 1992 Olympic Trials in Worcester, Massachusetts, Griffin was outpointed in the final by Jeremy Williams. However, at the Olympic Box-offs he outpointed Williams twice, to earn an Olympic bid at Light Heavyweight. His Olympic results were:
| Achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Roy Jones, Jr. |
WBC Light Heavyweight Champion 21 Mar 1997–7 Aug 1997 |
Succeeded by Roy Jones, Jr. |