CARL Grant, one of Jamaica’s leading boxing coaches, has secured three-star certification, the highest ranking for amateur boxing coaches, offered by the International Boxing Association (AIBA). Grant, who formerly had a two-star rating, was promoted following his participation in an Extraordinary Coaches Certification course held by AIBA, in Havana, Cuba, in August.

Jamaica has one other AIBA qualified coach. He is Barrington Graham, who has a one-star rating.

Grant, who is 44 years old, boxed for Jamaica as both an amateur and a professional. He represented Jamaica at the Caribbean Amateur Boxing Championships here in Jamaica and at the Pan American Games, in Mar Del Plata, Argentina, in 1995.

He became a professional boxer in 1997, but after scoring five wins and suffering two losses, he decided to change course and become a coach instead. He worked as an assistant coach, locally and overseas for several years, and then decided to go on his own.

Known as ‘Bruising’ during his short professional boxing career, he perpetuated the name when he founded the Bruising gym in Stony Hill in 2008. It has become one of the most successful gyms in Jamaica, and was champion gym at the National Championships in 2009, 2010 and 2011. He was also named the outstanding coach those three years.

Among the boxers he has coached are Sakima Mullings, the Wray and Nephew Contender welterweight champion 2014, as both an amateur and a professional; Richard Holmes, as both an amateur and a professional, current amateur champions and Jamaica Commonwealth Games representatives Michael Gardener and Kestna Davis, as well as female standout Felice Groves.