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Graffius on Tonight’s Card at Palace Inn

Sugar Ray Leonard’s Comment Inspires Aspiring Young North Versailles Boxer

By KELLY J. WILDING

Daily News Staff Writer

Every time Jeff Graffius watches boxer Michael Moorer send another opponent sprawling on the canvas, he no doubt. feels a sensation of pride. But you can excuse Graffius if he experiences a pang of regret at the same time.

Graffius rightfully can claim to have played a big role to Moorer’s development from a raw, teenaged amateur into one of the professional game’s more prominent rising young stars. Graffius, of North Versailles, was one of Monessen-native Moorer’s first sparring partners when both were 16-year-olds starting out in a dingy South Park basement that served as their gym.

But while Moorer has gone on to become the fifth-ranked contender for Riddick Bowe’s world heavyweight crown, Graffius’ own journey toward boxing’s fast lane has been fraught with frustration and detours. He has 10 professional victories in the junior welterweight division, nine of them by knockouts, but he also will bring five losses with him into the ring when he fights this evening at the Palace Inn in Monroeville. He admits that he has nearly given up the sport on several occasions.

An encounter with his idol Sugar Ray Leonard while Graffius was fighting in Maryland, however, convinced the 25-year-old North Versailles fighter not to abandon his dream of glory in the ring.

“Nice; you hit hard,” was all that Leonard, the 1976 Olympic gold medalist and former world welterweight champion told Graffius after watching him fight. But that was all the inspiration Graffius needed to formulate a three-year plan, which he hopes will carry him to the top of his profession.

Graffius describes himself as “ a bagger and brawler,” a heavy-hitter whose success revolves around his reputation as a devastating puncher. He admits, however, that also has been his downfall on occasion.

“I used to get tired trying to throw big punches every time,” Graffius said. “I’m taking it easier in the beginning of the fight now. I can’t help being aggressive.”

Graffius, who bills himself as “The Blond Bomber,” says his style is similar to that of Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini — “a lot of hard punches” — and former heavy. weight champ Michael Tyson — “come forward and throw a lot of left hooks.”

“If you’re a hard-hitter,” he said, “you’re never out of a fight.” Still, Graffius has incorporated more stamina training in his workout regimen in an effort to become a complete boxer. Six weeks before a bout, he begins an intense schedule that includes four miles of roadwork every morning at 6 a.m., as well as a battery of calisthenics — 200 sit-ups, 50 leg raises and 100 push-ups.

He also jumps rope for the equivalent of three boxing rounds, lifts weights, shadow boxes, hits the heavy bag for six rounds and spars with numerous partners.

Graffius maintains a training weight of around 145 pounds by restricting the fat in his diet and by drinking a lot of water. Then, In order to make the 140-pound welterweight limit, he fasts for two days before weigh-in.

“1 want to be the best I can be,” Graffius said, who had just four amateur fights before entering the pro ranks in 1989. “I turned professional too soon and now ‘I’m catching up.”

Now that he has dedicated himself to pursuing professional success, Graffius Is looking for more fights and increased competition. He believes he is two matches away from being billed the main event.

Graffius has never been knocked out himself, but his nose has been broken twice, one of which led to a TKO.

“They never stopped the fight for Rocky,” he said.

But Graffius said he lasted longer than expected in that bout against Pedro Saiz, who was then 14-0 and ranked 13th by the North American Boxing Federation. Most experts believed Saiz would stop Graffius in the first round, but Graffius lasted into the third round that night.

Several of Grafflus’s professional fights have been telecast by the USA and ESPN cable networks. He has fought only three times in the Pittsburgh area, but he credits manager Bill Green for getting him more exposure and experience lately.

Graffius was drawn to the ring as the result of martial arts training he began taking for reasons of self-defense when he was 12 years old.

“Everyone picked on me when I was little because I was so much smaller,” Graffius said. “I’ve always felt as though I had to prove myself physically.”

Besides being nicknamed “Blond Bomber” Graffius also is called “Golden Boy” and “Pretty Boy” by fellow boxers because of his almost white blond hair. But that just serves as more inspiration for Graffius’ lethal left hook, which he believes will be even more effective because he is in his best shape ever.

“I’m confident about this next fight,” he said. “I’ve been training hard and feel good.”

The late Billy Conn, who is most notorious for his final-round loss to the legendary Joe Louis after leading the championship bout throughout the entire fight, once advised Graffius to, “keep pluggin,’ Kid.”

That’s what the Blond Bomber Intends to do.

Photo by Arthur Zielinski. Staff Photographer

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