O’Grady named top OK boxer…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@Oklahoman.com
ESPN has been naming the top boxer in each state and finally made its way to Oklahoma late last week. I don’t think there is any debate about who the top boxer from Oklahoma is, and ESPN saw it just about the way everyone else sees it.
Lightweight Sean O’Grady was given the honor. The only other fighter in contention according to ESPN was Tommy Morrison.
O’Grady will always have his spot in the fight game. Taking a gander at his career on boxrec.com, you wouldn’t dream of a fighter taking that path nowadays.
How many American fighters make their debut at 16 years old? A lot of foreign fighters still do make early pro debuts, but it’s not nearly as common for U.S. fighters to do so.
Even more unique by today’s standards, who is retired a month after their 24th birthday? Incredible.
I’ve had numerous opportunities to grab Sean’s ear, and he loves to tell the story that he got into boxing because “I just wanted people to like me.”
The Oklahoma City product has never abandoned the game to this day. Growing up, I always knew him as a commentator first. He became a fixture on USA and Fox Sports. It wasn’t until later that I learned of his fighting acumen.
He won the WBA lightweight title with a 15-round decision over Hilmer Kenty, his second shot at a title. Kenty had three title defenses coming in, so it wasn’t like it wasn’t a legit title win.
Back then, they all meant something. Now there are so many titles and weight divisions, it’s tough to decipher what’s what. Being a two or three-time champ today doesn’t resonate as much as it used to.
He’s been instrumental in the progress of OKC lightweight Noah Zuhdi though when the spotlight is on, O’Grady is trying to take a backseat and let Noah build his own name.
O’Grady’s one of the good guys in boxing. At 49, he’s still going strong, still very articulate when talking about the fight game. The fire still burns. O’Grady’s professional record was 81-5 with 70 KOs.
Oklahoma couldn’t ask for a better representative.
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