There have been many fighters from the south come to Philadelphia such as “Smokin” Joe Frazier and Bobby “Boogaloo” Watts both from South Carolina while “Bad” Bennie Briscoe was from Georgia. In the case of Randy “The Gentleman” Griffin, 25-4-3 (13), it was from Philadelphia to Louisville in order to get a world title fight.

Like many Philadelphia boxers Griffin debuted at the Legendary Blue Horizon and had seven of his first ten fights there and his eleventh fight at the Bellevue Hotel, in Philadelphia. He won all eleven fights with eight by knockout. Typical for Philadelphia Griffin fought other Philadelphia fighters in four of his first six fights. Not only in the gym is the city known for them beating up on each other but in actual ring battles against one another.

In Griffin’s tenth fight Houston’s “Rockin” Rodney Moore, 13-1-1, was brought in with the fight ending in the fifth of a scheduled six due to a clash of heads. Griffin was ahead on two of the three scorecards and since four rounds were completed he was given the technical win. Little did he know it would be his last bout at the Legendary Blue Horizon. In his next fight veteran Derrick Whitley, 15-16-1, came in and it was still only a six rounder. After having close to a dozen fights he was still doing only six rounds.

In Griffin’s next three fights he found himself fighting at Dover Downs, in Dover, DE. In the first one in May of 2002 He would suffer his first loss to upcoming southpaw James “African Express” Lubwama, 12-0, from Uganda, now out of West Palm Beach, FL. In the next ten months Griffin had two fights at the same Dover Downs both with fellow Philadelphia fighter Ronald Boddie, 11-12-4, who he had defeated in his sixth fight stopping him in the second round. After defeating Boddie by decision in both fights Griffin knew he was going nowhere fast in his hometown and he knew he had to get out.

Four months after the third Boddie fight Griffin was fighting for the Kentucky Sate Super Middleweight Title knocking out southpaw Dan Thornton, 15-11, who was 5-1 in Kentucky rings. Three months later Griffin had his first eight rounder defeating Tim Bowe, 13-7. He was finally elevated in rounds. Since his defeat he won six straight with the last win defeating Karl Willis, 24-16-1, in three rounds in a scheduled eight in Louisville.

In May of 2004 Griffin would be on the undercard of Darnell “Ding-A- Ling” Wilson, 16-1-1 and his only conqueror James Lubwama, 16-1, fighting to a draw with Wilson. The show was at the Kewadin Casino, in Michigan.

Griffin’s opponent was from all places Philadelphia, Yusaf “Mack Attack” Mack, 16-0-1. Like the main event they fought to a draw, in a super middleweight bout.

Just twenty-two days later Griffin, still in Michigan in his first scheduled ten rounder defeated Levan Easley, 17-9-2, in a technical win in seven rounds, at the Delta Plex, in Grand Rapids. The following month back in Louisville Griffin would stop Cuba’s Julio Garcia, 25-3-2, in the tenth of a twelve round bout for the vacant WBO NABO and interim WBA-NABA middleweight titles.

Two fights later Griffin again defeated Easley, by a technical decision but this time in the eighth round at the Mohegan Sun Casino, in CT. Next up was Ronald “Cobra” Weaver, 29-14-2, at the MGM Grand, in Las Vegas, winning nine out of ten rounds on all cards on the undercard of three world title fights.

In Griffin’s next fight he fought to a twelve round draw against Ghana’s James Obede Toney, 20-1, for his WBC International Middleweight title over twelve rounds. Two fights later in a WBA Middleweight Title Eliminator Griffin defeated the former WBA champion Samoa’s Maselino Masoe, 26-3, out of New Zealand over twelve rounds to earn a WBA world title fight.

Griffin would have to travel to Germany to meet the WBA champion Felix Sturm, 28-2, with the final result a draw. The previous year Sturm lost a disputed decision losing his WBO world title to the Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya in a fight where he seemed a winner.

It would be nine months without a fight for Griffin waiting for a rematch with Sturm who stopped Jamie Pittman, 16-0, in a title defense between bouts with Griffin. The rematch didn’t go quite as well for Griffin losing to Sturm by decision in July of 2008 in Germany.

Griffin would be off for over two years when he came back moving up to light heavyweight losing to Kenya’s Kariz Kariuki, 22-9-2, out of Australia at the Tianjin Sports Arena in China in the main event over twelve rounds for the vacant WBO Oriental title. Another twenty-three months went by before stopping Gary lavender, 8-16, on a cut in Atlanta, GA.

Six months later Griffin would return to the ring in what would be his career ending bout losing to Russia’s Medzhid Bektemirov, 11-0, fighting out of Houston over twelve rounds for the vacant WBC USNBC light heavyweight title in Dallas, TX. At 36 a month before his 37th birthday Griffin called it a career having lost three of his last four bouts after what should have been a WBA world title in the first fight with Sturm ending in a draw.

Please send all questions and comments to Ken Hissner at: Kenhissner@gmail.com