From cattle stations to viral KOs: Country boy Brandon Grach out to prove he’s no one hit wonder

Brandon Grach scored a viral knockout win last year, but is desperate to prove he’s no flash in the pan.

Brandon Grach was working on a cattle station in Roma when he tuned in to watch George Kambosos fight Teofimo Lopez in November 2021.

A promising amateur many years earlier, Grach had given up his boxing dream and hadn’t watched a single round of any fight in well over a decade.

But what Kambosos managed to do that day convinced Grach he needed to get back into the ring.

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“I was sitting out there at home on the station in Roma, saw that and thought, ‘What the hell am I doing? I can do that’,” Grach told this masthead ahead of his fight with John Maila on Wednesday night. 

“That was the moment that got me back into training.

“I started hitting the bag, I was about 130 kilos – pretty overweight – but now here I am.”

Two years later, the man they call ‘The Bull’ turned pro, and finished 2023 with the knockout of the year in a wild two-round fight against Liam Talivaa. 

After being dropped in the first round, Grach fought back in front of his hometown fans in Newcastle, and landed a perfectly placed left hook to Talivaa’s chin seconds into the second frame.

Grach rose from the canvas in the first round against Talivaa. Picture: No Limit Boxing

Footage of the knockout went viral, but the wild four minutes is merely another twist in an already eventful life.

“I’m the type of person that if I want to do something, I’ll drop everything and do it,” he said. “So I’ve done a bit of everything.

“I’ve studied a few different things. I’ve got an architecture degree, I’ve been in the army, I’ve done plenty of different labouring jobs, I’ve worked in the mines and for the last few years I’ve been working cattle.”

A country boy at heart, Grach says working on cattle stations around Australia will always be a highlight.

“Nothing beats the country for me,” he said. “Depending on the day, if you’re mustering cattle, you might be up there on the bikes or horses getting in behind the mob and moving into yards, sorting them out.

“You might truck a few hundred cattle for the day. Fixing old broken water lines or fences, typical farm maintenance.

“I’ve worked in Tamworth, up near Cairns and in Roma in central Queensland. There’s nothing like being out there, having lunch in the paddock. Nothing beats it.”

John Maila has knocked out five of his six opponents. Pictures: No Limit Boxing/Gregg Porteous

On Wednesday he wants to prove he’s more than just a flash in the pan when he faces the 6-0 knockout artist Maila on the undercard to Sam Goodman’s fight with Chainoi Worawut.

“I’m back to prove I’m not a one hit wonder,” he said. “He’s got more experience and he’s put most of his opponents away, but I’m training as if this is a world title fight.

“I want to clean out my backyard and I’d love an Australian title by the end of this year, or maybe early next year.

“After that I’m looking to go international.”

Originally published as From cattle stations to viral KOs: Country boy Brandon Grach out to prove he’s no one hit wonder