Boxing: Brandon Grach wins national boxing title after 12 years out of the ring

There is no hint of arrogance in his words, just the quiet confidence of a man who has undergone a journey, metaphorically and literally, to find himself.

It was a journey that began, Grach said, when he was 17 and chose to walk away from a promising boxing career.

"I had a bit of a troubled, tumultuous childhood," he said.

"In and out of trouble with the law, and I just decided to give it away when it was time to go pro."

In the 12 years since, the Newcastle native has "done all sorts of different things", which includes a stint in the army, worked cattle, completed an architecture degree, and most recently has found employment as an operator at the Werris Creek mine.

But in his opinion, the most important addition to his life in the last decade has been a family - his wife, Rhiannon, and their two daughters, Allira and Jordana - with whom he lives in Kootingal.

And all three were cheering Grach on when he recently made his return to competitive boxing at the Amateur Australian Titles.

"They were watching the fights on the live stream at their friend's place on the TV," he said.

"They were stoked. They were shouting and screaming, they loved it."

Having joined with One2Boxing a little over a month ago, Grach had to be talked into signing up for the national titles - where he had already won three times prior as a teenage cruiserweight.

After his scheduled opponent pulled out of the first bout of the competition in Melbourne, Grach was straight through to the final.

It was the first time he had stepped in the ring for over a dozen years, but he never thought for a moment about losing.

"I knew I wasn't going home without that belt," Grach said.

"That was my motivator, I wanted to make my kids proud."

Up against the previously-unbeaten Elvino Maroulis, a bright prospect from Newcastle, Grach's work was not easy.

He "gave him a taste" of his power in the first round, but in the remaining three his lack of conditioning caught up with him. It was only by thinking of his daughters and sticking rigorously to his game plan that he managed to earn the decision victory.

"I was stoked," Grach said of his win.

"I spoke to a few people, some who were there watching knew me from a long time ago, and they were really proud of me.

"The heart and courage I showed in that fight, that's what I'm most proud of myself."

It only took the 29-year-old one fight to win the amateur title, but it was enough to show him that his "special love" for boxing is still alive.

From here, the hulking heavyweight hopes to continue training, shed some pounds, and eventually turn professional next year.

"For me, this a stepping stone into the next part of my career and going pro," Grach said.

"I want to get up there in the pro ranks, get to the top, and put food on the table for my family, which is my main priority. The motivations are completely different [from when I was young], I think they're a lot more meaningful now."

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