39-year-old American heavyweight Michael Grant (48-4, 36KO’s) turned back the clock last night, withstanding heavy punches that would have finished many a fighter, coming from behind on the scorecards to defeat South African opponent Frans Botha (48-6-3, 29KO’s) with a dramatic twelfth-round knockout in a battle of veterans.

Botha, fighting in front of his countrymen at the Monte Casino in Johannesburg, South Africa, must have wondered what he had to do after throwing everything but the kitchen sink at Grant for round after round only to find the giant 6’9″ heavyweight still standing right in front of him.

Quite how Grant withstood quite so many punches is a mystery. Never known for being a particularly durable fighter, Grant simply ate one roundhouse right after another with no apparent effect on him. Botha is a decent puncher, and must have wondered how Grant kept going, and throwing his own punches in return.

Although Botha, who resembled Tony ‘Two Ton’ Galento more than his ‘White Buffalo’ moniker, must have known he was ahead on the scorecards to his credit never stopped looking for the finish and had Grant in all kinds of trouble in the eleventh round. By now Grant’s hands were down and Botha had free rein to tee off, landing a succession of right hands that made Grant’s body sag. Trouble is he just didn’t go down.

The referee even had to tell Grant to fight back at one point, the beating was so one-sided, but Grant eventually sucked it up and came back yet again. Every time he got caught it seemed to motivate the Pennsylvanian heavyweight even more, rather than affect him adversely.

The fact that Grant won was as much down to his ability to absorb punishment as it was to give it. Botha had literally punched himself out on Grant’s head. At 43, he didn’t have the stamina, and was getting tired and frustrated.

Grant took it to Botha when he could and in the twelfth round finally found the shot that mattered. Botha, already groggy from taking a few punches, was walking backwards as Grant let a right hand go that flattened Botha and sent him falling backwards to the canvas.

There was no chance Botha was going to beat the referee’s ten count, and Grant was declared the KO winner, with only thirty seconds of the fight remaining. Had the fight gone to the scorecards Grant would have lost, there’s no doubt.

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