By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing

Former WBO heavyweight champion “Relentless” Lamon Brewster (35-6, 30 KOs), who captured the world title in 2004 by stopping Wladimir Klitschko, spoke to Peter Maniatis about world title fights with Kali Meehan, Andrew Golota and the rematch with Wladimir Klitschko in 2007.

KALI MEEHAN

“It was hard fighting Kali because he is a tough rugged fighter. It was one of the fights that made me decide I would never fight people that I like. I like Kali and consider him my brother. There was something inside me that wouldn’t allow me to fight with the ferocity that I needed to fight him. I truly tell you I truly underestimated that dude. I knew he was a tough rugged fighter – I just thought going into the fight that if I was in shape I would really be able to dominate but he came to fight and I was fighting an uphill battle and I was counting the points in my mind the whole time. At the end of the fight – I knew the fight was to close. I said if I win I am only going to win by one or two points and sure enough I won by one point. Me and Kali actually got together after the fight and had pizza together. Just the two of us to talk about the fight. We love each other like brothers – I love his whole family and wish the best for him. We still keep in touch to this day.

(Lamon Brewster won twelve round split decision over Kali Meehan to retain WBO heavyweight title at the Mandalay Bay Casino Las Vegas on September 4, 2004. Ringside commentators had Meehan winning the fight)

ANDREW GOLOTA

“He fought the perfect fight for me – he didn’t run from me. He tried to stand toe to toe with me. In my professional career, there has been no one who could stand toe to toe with me and the fact that he did going into this fight – it was a fight that was in his hometown – I wasn’t going to get any decision based upon everything that led up to this fight in favor of him to come out victorious. I knew I had to come out and jump on this dude and give it everything I have from the very beginning and step on the gas. That’s what I did – he made it easy for me. He decided not to box. He decided not to use those skills that he had because he is a skilled boxer – he got a Silver Medal at the Olympics as a matter of fact if I am not mistaken. He didn’t run and being that big with my type of power The tactical plan that I had and actually I made it up on a whim. I actually came out there with the mindset to box. When I got there to train – everything that led up to the fight made me angry. I didn’t really want to box anymore – I only wanted to fight. I went out there like a rugby player.”

(Lamon Brewster stopped Andrew Golota to retain WBO heavyweight title in round one at the United Centre in Chicago on May 21, 2005.)

WLADIMIR KLITSCHKO REMATCH

“What people don’t realize that when I had an injury to my eye when I lost my title to Siarhei Liakhovich – I had been in the hospital for nine months – in and out – I had multiple surgeries to repair my torn retina. It was ironic that I got a phone call leaving the hospital – this was after nine months being in and out of the hospital – I got the call in the hospital carpark and it’s Wladimir Klitschko’s people saying they want to fight me. I was inactive for nine months because of eye surgeries. For the two years I had the world title – Wladimir wouldn’t even mention my name. From 2004 to 2006 he never mentioned my name about fighting me in any interview. Now when I hurt my eye he is talking about fighting me. I said I am rusty and need a tune-up bout. They asked how much do they have to pay me not to have the tune-up. I said what the hell does that mean. They wanted to fight me at my absolute worse. I did the best that I could but I can tell you if you haven’t suffered from an eye injury it throws your depth perception off. You don’t know if they are further away and you have no co-ordination at all. I have to judge how far you are away from me to deliver my left hook with the greatest amount of power.

(Wladimir Klitschko stopped Lamon Brewster in round six for the IBF heavyweight title in Cologne, Germany on July 7, 2007)

WISE WORDS FROM LAMON BREWSTER

“I thank everybody for supporting boxing because boxing has a lot of people like myself. It has allowed me to leave the confounds of my community. I grew up in the “ Ghetto”- I have got to see the world – I have got to meet all types of people. Here is the thing – love does not have a color- do you hear what I’m saying – love does not have a color. Everybody on this earth understands when you die you will be judged by GOD – according to your deeds – not because your good – not because you’re bad – because I have had the worst people in the world do the best things for me and the best people in the world do the worst things for me. The point I am making there is no such thing as good or bad. It just your deeds – he just says love one another. He didn’t say love one another because we look alike – we got to love one another because at the end of the day – that’s all we got. If the sun don’t shine and we are all in darkness – does my complexion really matter? Does your complexion really matter? The only thing that matters is how we treat each other.”