"From Pillar to Post" - Lamon Brewster Marches Uphill Once More
By Ryan Songalia
Hell. That's the only word that summarizes what Lamon Brewster experienced in the fourth defense of his WBO title belt. Sergei Lyakhovich entered the contest as a prohibitive underdog, coming to bring the fight of his life.
With only five weeks to prepare for the fight, Fate didn't afford Lamon any favors when he suffered a detached left retina moments into the affair.
"I couldn't see him to finish him off," says Brewster, 33-3 (29 KO). "Several times I thought I had him but I couldn't do what I needed to do. I'm not making any excuses because [Lyakhovich] was the better man that night."
Twelve rounds of purgatory ended in Lyakhovich earning the WBO strap by decision. Even more than losing a title, Brewster faced losing his livelihood.
"The Lyakhovich fight could've ended it," Brewster admits. Numerous tests and medical care in Los Angeles renewed hope for Lamon to return to the squared circle. Second and third opinions concurred with the initial prognosis, clearing Brewster for combat. Lamon claims the eye is a non-issue, and with a doctor-ordered yearlong respite it will not factor into his attempt to regain the heavyweight title.
The crown he seeks rests upon the head of Wladimir Klitschko, the very man who Brewster had to overcome to earn the belt the first time around. When they face each other again on July 7, both men will be confronting tough demons left to exorcise.
In fact, the entire situation is familiar to "Relentless," right down to being a heavy underdog fighting for a belt that was earmarked for the Ukrainian. It was 2004, the last time they met in the ring, two weeks before older brother Vitali was to win his portion of the heavyweight picture.
Time fades many things, but the memory of a drastic night-and-day encounter doesn't blur. Brewster lost the first four rounds, and he lost them big. He suffered the only knockdown of his career in the fourth, which left the HBO crew wondering out loud if a referee intervention wasn't entirely inappropriate.
"I wasn't out there trying to win the rounds," Brewster recalls, "I came to destroy. Look at Miguel Cotto's fight with Zab Judah, do you think he was worried about winning rounds? His concern was with wearing his opponent down. Anybody can box, but can you fight?"
It isn't about what happens in the first third of a fight that counts if you can't survive on your feet. It was the left hook, the partner that brought him to the dance, that changed Lamon Brewster's career. A swivel of the shoulders into a depleted Klitschko sunk The Steelhammer's battleship, completing Brewster's transition from heavyweight underachiever to WBO Heavyweight title claimant.
A listless performance against former sparring partner Kali Meehan followed the Wladimir fight, which lent credence to the notion that Brewster was simply a flash in the pan in the musical chairs heavyweight division. That idea was quickly dismissed when he annhilated a reincarnated Andrew Golota in 52 seconds. A come-from-behind knockout of Luan Krasniqi in Germany helped Brewster bolster a reputation as an American action hero, a commodity in scarce supply in this global era.
While time may not resolve the Brewster-Klitschko issue, it does tend to fade other matters. By the time Lamon steps in against Wladimir in Köln, Germany, he will have been out of the ring a total of 14 months. Brewster claims, however, that it was rest well-needed.
"The year off had me thinking about how much I love what I do. I feel rejuvenated. I don't have a title now so there's no pressure on me. I got to spend quality time with my wife and kids. I got to see another side of life outside of boxing when I dealt with the idea that I may never fight again. You would think the layoff would've been negative, but since God gave me the chance to fight again, I'm going to take full advantage of it."
Even while being the last man to beat Wladimir, Brewster is still viewed as a heavy underdog. Since the fifth-round implosion against Lamon, Wladimir has run off a 6-0 (4 KO) record, annexing the IBF title in the process. Consensus thought is that Wladimir, who has been with trainer Emmanuel Steward now for three years, has become a more confident and capable fighter since adjusting to the KRONK guru. Phooey, says Brewster.
"Who has he fought to say that he's improved?" Brewster asked.
Brewster's trainer, Buddy McGirt, working with Lamon for the second fight, also doubts whether Wladimir has made any real improvements in his game. "He hasn't gotten better, his opponents have gotten worse. If you're fighting lesser-quality opponents, of course you're going to look good. If he fought Sam Peter now, Peter would beat him. To me, he's still the same fighter."
While working with Brewster in Vero Beach, Fla., preparing for the rematch, McGirt cites defense as being a focal point of tuning.
The WBO belt now belongs to Sultan Ibragimov, who recently defeated Shannon Briggs for the title. With all four belts belonging to fighters of Eastern-European descent, many look to Brewster as an "American Hope." Lamon differs, offering the titlists' residence towards the contrary.
"All the guys who got titles, they live right here in the US. I don't understand why people say they're European because they're from somewhere else. They wanted to come here.
"I'm a world champion, I represent the world. The air ain't no different anywhere in the world."
Whenever a foreign fighter travels to Germany, the primary concern usually gravitates around neutrality. Not for Brewster, apparently. "It don't matter where I'm at because a person can cheat you in any country. My chances are just as good in Germany as they are here. Like [former trainer] Bill Slayton used to say, we don't leave the fights to the judges, you be your own judge. If this fight goes the distance, then I didn't do my job."
Brewster does express a concern with Wladimir's holding tactics, among other things. "I know that some of Emanuel Steward's fighters like to hold behind the head and hit. I just hope he can be a clean fighter."
Whatever version of Lamon shows up, you can invest in Brewster's heart being what brings him wherever he goes. It's good to be ambitious, but the ambition needed to be great is both prosperous and dangerous.
"I'm hungry. It don't matter if I have to fight Wladimir Klitschko, Superman or Frankenstein; I want that title. He's going to have to kill me."
Any questions or comments? Send them to me at mc_rson@yahoo.com
