Coatesville resident Calvin Grove, a former world-champion boxer, once traveled the globe, earning fame and a few knockouts, writes Mark Hostutler for Boxing.com.

At 5-foot-7, Grove lacked the size to excel in other sports, like basketball or football. He found his calling, though, when his brothers took him to a local boxing gym. There, he quickly discovered that he possessed the most important trait, other than punching ability, the sport requires: heart.

“I knew the sacrifices that were necessary for me to reach the top, and I didn’t mind making them,” Grove, now 55, said. “I made up my mind the moment I turned pro that I was gonna be a champion.”

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After capturing the Pennsylvania Golden Gloves championship at 125 pounds in 1982, Grove won his first 34 fights as a professional. His career peaked in 1988, when he won the IBF featherweight title with a fourth-round knockout of Antonio Rivera in France.

“I did what I set out to do,” said Grove, who also fought in the Soviet Union, Mexico, and Australia. “It was a lofty goal, maybe more of a dream, but I accomplished it.”

Click here to read more about Calvin Grove at Boxing.com.

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