When O'Shea caught McGroom fighting in the hallways, he was given a choice: follow him to the principal's office or to the boxing gym.
[1] He later graduated from Wells as an honor student, earning a boxing scholarship to Northern Michigan University.
He then faced Darrol Wilson, a heavy hitting heavyweight who would make a name for himself later on, in 1995, and battled his way to a 10-round draw.
After the loss to Johnson, McGroom's impressive victory over Esteban Pizzarro in 1999 earned him the biggest fight of his career against James Toney in 2000.
He lost to future contenders Dominick Guinn, Malik Scott, and Timor Ibragimov before retiring in 2004.