Looking back - 'The Bubble Gum Bomber' - Sean O'Grady

He had a schoolboy charm, he went under the moniker of the “The Bubble Gum Bomber” and he looked more like the guy you’d see in the library studying for his high school finals than a rough, rugged, lightweight boxing contender.

And, he was all of those things. But, at the end of the day, Sean O’Grady was a fighter who worked his way from a local and regional attraction to winning the lightweight championship of the world; a talented, fan-friendly fighter who had a career that he should look back on with immense pride.

O’Grady, the son of famed Oklahoma promoter Pat O’Grady, turned pro in the first month of 1975 and would fight an incredible 26 times in his first year as a professional. Fighting under the direction of his manger/trainer/promoter/father Pat, O’Grady was working under Sr. O’Grady’s program of fighting often, building your following while you learned the craft the old school way – time on task. Midwest club shows were common back then so if a fighter was game and wanted to work, there were plenty of fights. Sean, turning pro at age 16, didn’t learn his chops in a long amateur career, he honed his craft on the job as a pro.

1976 would be another busy year for O’Grady who would fight 17 times in his 2nd year in the pro game. In his 4th fight of the year, O’Grady would tangle with future world champion, and future Hall of Fame featherweight, Danny “Little Red” Lopez at The Forum in Inglewood, California. (It should be noted that 3 fights later, in that same year, Lopez would win the WBC world featherweight title). While O’Grady would suffer his first loss as a pro, he had made a huge step up in class.

After the Lopez loss, O’Grady would stay busy on his monthly schedule fighting 44 times over the next 3 ½ years. While O’Grady often fought in his native Oklahoma, where he was a popular local attraction, he also climbed through the ropes in Nevada, California, New York and Colorado. During this run, he also captured the USBA title.

A popular TV attraction, and a fighter with a wealth of talent and experience, O’Grady would sign on for the biggest fight of his life when he secured a shot at Scottish legend Jim Watt who was set to make the 4th defense of his WBC world lightweight title. Travelling to Glasgow for the fight, to say that O’Grady was in enemy territory was an understatement of epic proportions. While O’Grady had more fights than Watt, the champion had been a European, BBB of C and world champion for years and had faced some very strong competition at the world class level.

O’Grady was stopped in the 11th round of a fight in which he was giving as good as he was getting. In the 10th round, Watt rammed O’Grady with a clearly intentional headbutt that opened up a huge gash on the challenger’s forehead that started a rush of blood pouring onto his face. When O’Grady looked at the referee in frustration from the foul, Watt clocked him with a huge left hook on the button. By the midway point of the 11th frame, with O’Grady covered in blood and unable to see, the referee stopped the fight. At the time of the stoppage the judges had it a close fight which tells you that the fight was even closer. O’Grady had everything against him going into that fight but showed he could indeed compete on the world class level.

Sean would take 4 months off before returning in the spring of 1981 to pick up a win before securing his 2nd title shot. O’Grady would face Detroit, Michigan’s vastly talented champion Hilmer Kenty who was the first world champion for Emanuel Steward out of the famed Kronk gym in Detroit. While O’Grady was respected for the guts and heart that he had shown in the Watt fight, he was still a considerable underdog. However, after 15 gruelling rounds, Sean O’Grady had his hand raised as the new WBA world lightweight champion.

After 6 busy years, and 77 fights, “The Bubble Gum Bomber” was a world champion. All the work in the gym, all those years as a teenager giving up so much to train and box, fighting on all those club shows – it all came together on that night in Atlantic City when O’Grady was crowned world champion.

However, at this point of his career, O’Grady would suffer a huge, heartbreaking setback - losing his title without ever stepping in the ring. O’Grady was being ordered to face the #1 contender, Canada-based Claude Noel. While O’Grady probably wouldn’t have had any trouble with Noel, father Pat didn’t want to be dictated to as to whom they would fight as they wanted to explore the most viable options. To make a long story short, the WBA stripped O’Grady of his title as the young champion got a taste of boxing’s often frustrating politics.

After all those hard years and all the hard work, losing the title really took something out of O’Grady. While O’Grady would fight on for a couple of years, the tide had turned. The loss of the title really seemed to strip O’Grady of the passion he needed to compete.

After the Kenty fight, O’Grady would fight 5 months later back in Oklahoma. Unfocused and unmotivated due to personal issues out of the ring, O’Grady got stopped in his next fight in Little Rock, Arkansas by thunderous punching Andy Ganigan. He followed that up by putting together 4 straight wins in 1982 before losing a very questionable decision to rugged welterweight Pete Ranzany to close out the year. In February of 1983 he would pick up one more win before getting stopped a month later in what would be his last fight before he decided it was time to walk away.

Looking back – 86 fights, 81 wins, 70 knockouts, turning professional at age 16, a 10-round, main event fighter by his 10th bout, fighting Scottish legend Jim Watt in his backyard, fighting featherweight legend Danny Lopez in only his 2nd year in the pro game, pulling off a huge win over Kronk Boxing’s 1st world champion to win the world title – indeed a career to be very proud of. Again, 81 wins and a world champion – one could raise the argument that he deserves to be on the wall in Canastota.

A great career from one of the classiest men to ever represent the sport. Thanks for the memories champ!!