By Keith Idec
Lamon Brewster befriended many German people the last time he traveled there to fight one of their adopted heavyweights.
Brewster battered Luan Krasniqi during that September 2005 title fight, dropping the Kosovo native twice before being declared a ninth-round technical knockout winner. That isn’t the championship match that’ll preoccupy the minds of German fight fans as they fill Cologne Arena Saturday night, though. Much like American boxing enthusiasts, they’re wondering how much of Brewster was left in a Cleveland ring 15 months ago, the night he lost the World Boxing Organization title and vision in his left eye during an award-worthy brawl with Sergei Liakhovich.
Wladimir Klitschko (48-3, 43 KOs) is the Germany resident most eager to learn about a rebuilt Brewster (33-3, 29 KOs), who hasn’t fought since Liahkovich halted his nine-fight, 5½-year winning streak. His older brother, Vitali, avenged Klitschko’s first two professional defeats, but the huge Ukrainian power puncher decided it was his responsibility to even the score against the only opponent other than Ross Puritty and Corrie Sanders to beat him since he turned pro 10½ years ago.
“He is without a doubt an extremely dangerous opponent,” Klitschko said, “but I always hoped for chance to redeem myself. … I am very happy to get back into the ring with Brewster.”
Numerous Klitschko critics contend the college-educated heavyweight’s happiness actually amounts to one of his manipulative moves on the chessboard. They think “Dr. Steel Hammer” has his sights set on exploiting a lesser Brewster’s doubts about his career-threatening eye injury and the ring rust that has accumulated during the longest layoff of a pro career the affable fighter from Indianapolis began in November 1996. Klitschko scoffed at such suggestions, noting that he just won a mandatory mismatch against Ray Austin four months ago and couldn’t secure a partial unification fight against any of the three other recognized heavyweight champions.
“I think this fight is one that the audience wants to see,” said Klitschko, whom Brewster stopped in the fifth round of their first fight. “None of the champions are really exciting to see. Lamon is more exciting to watch than any other champion right now. I’m not looking for an easy fight, as I’m taking on one of the best fighters out there.”
Brewster believes his detached retina has healed fully following surgery last April and is intent to prove that his TKO victory over Klitschko wasn’t a fluke.
The former champion admitted, too, that Klitschko’s conspiracy theories offered during the immediate aftermath of their first fight makes their 12-round fight for Klitschko’s International Boxing Federation crown more meaningful than most rematches. Klitschko, whose sugar level was reportedly dangerously high following Brewster’s unfathomable comeback win, claimed someone tampered with his water in the dressing room before he boxed Brewster. His handlers, including trainer Emanuel Steward, also faulted respected cut man Joe Souza for applying too much Vaseline to the 6-foot-6, 245-pound Klitschko’s legs between rounds, which they said clogged Klitschko’s pores and led to the defenseless, exhausted fighter’s collapse on April 10, 2004, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.
“The accusations that followed,” Brewster said, “I feel that it definitely put a cloud over my victory and my heart.”
Nevertheless, Brewster doesn’t dislike the charismatic Klitschko, a 31-year-old fighter that The Ring magazine rates first among heavyweights in its respected rankings. In fact, both boxers showered one another with praise throughout a recent conference call.
“I’m glad there are people like Klitschko — clean-cut, well spoken,” Brewster said. “That’s what we need in boxing.”
What boxing doesn’t need is controversy involving a fighter forced onto foreign soil.
But Brewster is certain he’ll be treated fairly in Cologne Saturday, when HBO will broadcast the fight live at 5 p.m. EDT and again at 10:30 p.m. One German judge, Michael Fischer, has been assigned to score the bout, but the other judges are from the United States (Denny Nelson) and South Africa (Alfred Buqwane). The referee, Sam Williams, is also an American citizen.
“I’m a fair person and I give my best every time out, so fans will appreciate that,” Brewster, 34, said. “All I ask is a fair fight in return.”
Brewster, about a 4-1 underdog according to one Internet sports book, might not have received just treatment before eventually crushing Krasniqi in Hamburg. He was behind on all three scorecards entering the ninth round of a bout he appeared to be winning. And referee Jose H. Rivera afforded Krasniqi 21 seconds to recover from a knockdown at the end of the eighth round, as he suspiciously stopped counting at nine when Krasniqi remained on his knees.
Brewster, however, has tried to remain focused on Klitschko, a winner of six straight fights since Brewster beat him.
“Wladimir has matured and is not the same fighter he was in our first fight,” Brewster said. “And I am not the same fighter that I was.”
We won’t know until Saturday, though, whether Brewster was complimenting himself or subconsciously confirming the fears of many fight fans.
