MEET THE UNDERDOG
On May 20th, 2018 Avious Griffin was accused of murder and locked away in a jail cell amongst many other men long forgotten by the world. A fighter with his future snatched away in the blink of an eye by a false accusation. All that remained was his unbreakable spirit and the willingness to pursue his dreams with unwavering tenacity. At the time of his incarceration, he was a 3-0 professional boxer with an amateur pedigree of over 160 fights.
A rangy, 147-pounder known for his sniper-style and vicious knockouts; it is the fights outside the ring that have come to define a fighter who has known adversity most men could never imagine.Coming from a good family in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Avious would find his calling at the age of 8 in the sanctity of a boxing gym. Always one to be getting in fights in school, Avious was shocked and relieved to find a place where he was encouraged to unleash the lightning that always has seemed to possess his clenched fists.
“It was a Wednesday. I started on a Wednesday. Fought Amateur for the first time on that Saturday. Knocked the kid out.”
Avious’s father, Alvin Griffin, was the biggest skeptic in the audience as he watched his 8-year-old boy fight for the first time. However, Avious showed his father that day what he has shown to countless spectators since. That Avious Griffin was born to fight. Alvin instantly became his son’s biggest supporter and mentor as his boy climbed the ladder of Amateur boxing in the Southern United States.
In 2016, Avious would sign his first professional contract with his father standing steadfast by his side. The two had finally accomplished the mission they had spoken about for so many years over countless drives to amateur shows. One week later, as the two spoke of the endless possibilities that lay ahead, a blood vessel would burst in his father’s brain and take his life as Avious frantically rushed his dad to the hospital.
His promoters pleaded with him to delay his first pro-fight as the grief of such loss was surely something no fighter could carry into the ring. Avious Griffin knew his father would want him to fight. He knew that whether anyone could see him or not, his father would be with him as he made his pro debut. Avious violently knocked out his opponent in the first round with possessed hands and a heavy heart.
In 2018 an old acquaintance of Avious would attempt to use the boxer’s name in an interrogation with police to shield his own involvement in an ongoing murder investigation. With no evidence or motive, Avious would be put on trial for murder and subjected to the faults of a broken justice system for 11 months.
Finally, in October of 2018, the other men on trial for the murder Avious was accused of, admitted that he had absolutely nothing to do with the crime. His name was finally cleared. However, he had lost so much time. Locked in a jail, telling other inmates he would gain his freedom to become a champion in the boxing world. Jailhouse bravado that was drowned out by an ocean of long-lost dreams recited by broken men witnessing their own lives passing them by. He sat in his cell believing that one day he would make it out. He told himself every day that somehow, he would find his way to Floyd Mayweather’s Gym in Las Vegas and train with the best in the world. He would do it with his father’s spirit carrying him every step he would take.
In September of 2021, Avious began his training at Floyds Gym with the coaching of Bullet Cromwell, who is known for his work with countless other boxers such as Rollie Romero. Avious now lives in Las Vegas, in a home owned by Bullet, where he and several other rising pros are training together. Camera crews frequent the home as the entire camp will be the subject of an upcoming Netflix documentary. Training in the gym he told so many fellow prisoners he would when he was once locked in a cell. He is now a 12-0 professional boxer with a 90 percent knockout rate. He surrounds himself with people that understand what makes him so special. His management team, Came to Believe, is a collection of persons truly knowing what it means to be an underdog in their own journeys and the importance of continuing to fight no matter how unfavorable the odds may seem. His mother, Sabrina Bowerman, has never missed a fight since his father’s passing. In April 2023 he achieved his 12th victory by way of knockout in front of his hometown of Chattanooga, Tennessee.
