Just a month shy of his 27th birthday, Avious Griffin was a convicted murderer, his hands shackled to a thick leather belt at a court hearing in Jonesborough, Tennessee.
Griffin was one of four men indicted for the shooting death of a pregnant woman who was shot at point-blank range as she sat in the driver’s seat of a white Honda. Her unborn child was also killed in the shooting. The other three were each sentenced to 15 years behind bars and will be eligible for parole after serving 30%. After 11 months in prison, Griffin was cleared of all charges by Assistant District Attorney General Justin Irick due to a lack of evidence and was declared innocent.
The rising 147-pounder is now destined to become one of boxing’s greatest comeback stories. “I was falsely incarcerated five years ago at 4-0, and now I’m 13-0,” he told FightsATW. “The main thing [I learned] from that is being able to bounce back from a [traumatic event] and just not giving up. That shows my grit. That shows my mind frame. That shows my will. It shows my heart. It shows my determination, not letting that break me, getting out of jail, and becoming a [welterweight contender] within four years.”
Griffin, now 30, and having rightfully donned the moniker of “Tha Underdog,” proclaims he’s ready to turn the page on the past. “Let’s not focus on the incarceration part [anymore]. Let’s focus on how “Tha Underdog” prevailed from that, even though he was doubted.
“There’s people I was incarcerated with that are just getting out of jail, and they write me and say, ‘Damn, bro. I’m proud of you. You’re doing everything you said you were gonna do in there.’ There’s a lot of people in there they just talk. They got nothing but time to talk and tell lies. But the fact they see me out here really doing what I said I was gonna do, it kinda motivates them.”
And that wasn’t the only bad card Griffin was dealt as a young man. A week after he signed his first professional contract with his father, Alvin Griffin, standing steadfast by his side, a blood vessel burst in his father’s brain and took his life. Despite the adversity, Griffin has learned to embrace the turmoil to motivate others who are also going through tough times. “The main thing I love about [my story] is the fact that it motivates others to strive and not to give up. It crushed me when I was falsely incarcerated.”
After his release from prison, injuries set back Griffin two more years. “I went to jail for a year, then I had a hand injury, that was another year. Then, it took another year to get the hand right; Boom. So that was three years of my life I couldn’t box. Just think. I would have had 25 fights by now baby! I’d be up there where [Jaron] Boots [Ennis] standing right now!”
However, Griffin acknowledged he didn’t surround himself with the best people leading up to his wrongful imprisonment.
“Everything happens for a reason. I learned from that situation. I didn’t have the best people around me around that time. It wasn’t meant for me to flourish,” he admitted. “God sent me down to show me that those who you think are really with you ain’t really with you. Ever since, [I’ve removed] those type of people from my circle, I’ve been prevailing.”
While Griffin has been thriving, his six-year-old son is back home in his native Chattanooga, Tennessee, under the care of his mother and grandmother. Griffin admitted that being away from his child bothered him to an extent because he was very close with his late father. “That’s a different story because I grew up with my dad hands-on,” Griffin said. “It just made me feel like I can’t be sacrificing [our time together] for nothing. It got to pay off.
“My relationship with my family is real good. The mother of my child holds it down, and my mom helps. That’s a big part. I couldn’t be out here across the world stressed out about my son and still be prevailing in my career. It wouldn’t work. I have to make a choice. They really play a big part in me being focused and being able to grow as much as I am.”
Griffin is aware that complete focus is required to train under the tutelage of top trainer Brian “Bomac” McIntyre and pound-for-pound king Terence “Bud” Crawford. He has worked with the dynamic duo for the past six months. Griffin explained how he has been soaking up the experience. “I just try to take advantage of it and just embrace it and just observe as much as I can. I’m training alongside Crawford every day just to see how he works and to see his mind frame when he comes in the gym and the new concepts Bomac been trying to teach me and add to my style. I’m just taking it all in. We growing.”
Currently 13-0 with 12 knockouts, the 6-foot Griffin returns to the ring on May 11 on a Boxing Insider card as he aims to continue on his fast track to a world title.
“It’s time to flourish. This is my time.”
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