Having spent around half his life in Spain, the 17-year-old son of former Muratti manager Kevin Graham might not be a familiar face in Sarnian sport, but he has excelled in winning two consecutive national age group titles in his country.
Fighting from the bottom of the U19 age group and in a higher weight category, 70kg, at this year’s Spanish National Club Championships did not stop him bringing home the gold, beating Kostiantyn Zayka by 4-1 split decision in the final.
Following discussions with Guernsey Amalgamated Boxing Club head coach Ben Duff, he would very much like to represent the island when the centenary Games take place in Amdavad in India in 2030 – and not just to make up numbers.
‘It would be amazing, and it would be even more pleasing if I win a medal,’ he said.
He had won his opening bout in La Nucia by referee stops contest in the second round, having dominated and given his opponent three counts.
Both his quarter and semi came down to especially fine margins, being 3-2 split decisions, though he was deducted points for supposed fouls, which he denied.
In the quarters, he won a war against a Barcelona opponent, enduring several big hits and even a burst eardrum along the way.
His semi put the towering Graham in the unusual situation of facing an even taller opponent, who was also older and a southpaw, yet he got the job done there too.
During the final, former Ukraine resident Zayka managed to knock him onto the ropes and cause an injury scare, but he was still outpointed by a Sarnian who had ‘moved around a lot and boxed his head off a bit’.
‘It’s amazing to see that all the hard work pays off,’ Graham added.
Graham plans to continue living and boxing in Spain for the foreseeable future, except for the build-up to the 2030 Commonwealths, for which his sport’s presence is already confirmed.
His goal in the meantime? ‘Just to improve, really, and I would like to win a few more national titles if I can as well.’
You need to be logged in to comment. If you had an account on our previous site, you can migrate your old account and comment profile to this site by visiting this page and entering the email address for your old account. We'll then send you an email with a link to follow to complete the process.