In a busy five-year career the fearless Middlesbrough man mixed it with 'names' such as Daniel Londas, Thierry Jacob, Mehdi Labdouni, Fabrizio Cappai, Colin McMillan (twice), Richie Wenton (three times), Donnie Hood, Joe Jelly, Mike Deveney, Tim Driscoll and John Lowey - and he was never knocked off his feet, which is quite an achievement and mirrors that of legendary Canadian heavyweight George Chuvalo some years earlier. (“Are you nuts or something!” barked Chuvalo, after referee Arthur Mercante had stopped his fight with George Foreman.)
Graham turned pro at bantamweight in 1987 and wasted no time in jumping to eight-rounders, dropping a decision to Derek Amory in his fourth outing but outscoring Nigel Crook (brother of Carl) two fights later, before he flattened the fancied Glen Dainty inside two rounds at Basildon. Built like a tank, and always well tucked up, he then pushed future world champion Jacob all the way in an eight-rounder in Calais which earned him his biggest career fight: an eliminator for the British bantamweight title against Hood in Hartlepool in October 1988.
O'Malley whipped himself into fantastic shape for the 10-rounder, screened on ITV 's Fight Night series, and in front of 400 travelling supporters, he blazed away at the future world class Scot with hooks and uppercuts at close range until a Hood right hand ripped open a cut under Graham's left eye in the ninth round and referee Billy Rafferty, after consulting with George Bowes and George Feeney in the O'Malley corner, waved it over. O'Malley took the heartbreaking defeat like a true sportsman. It was anybody's fight at the finish.
Graham moved up to featherweight and found himself in constant demand in daunting eight-rounders with Europe's best as he graduated from prospect to world class survivor, although his left hooks put paid to former Olympian Deveney in the first round in January 1992. He retired after dropping a decision to Liverpool's Jimmy Owens a few months later but never lost his enthusiasm for boxing nor his sense of decency and generosity. In death, nobody has a bad word to say about him.
Bloody hell! Graham is pulled out against Hood