09.09.04 – By Nat Kerr – Eastsideboxing’s Nat Kerr was able to get a hold of a sombre Lamon Brewster Tuesday afternoon. His voice left no doubt that Saturday was a painful evening for the WBO champion.
Kerr: How are your spirits?
Brewster: Little sad. I didn’t give my best performance Saturday night. I wasn’t at my best. I had a tough camp.
Kerr: There are several reports claiming that you broke your jaw in the fight with Meehan. If so, what round did you break it? Explain your injuries and the role they played in the fight.
Brewster: I actually, they say I fractured my cheek. It was in the 8-th round. The pain and my nerves caused my pace to drop and it made it seem like he (Meehan) was getting to me. They don’t know how serious the fracture of my cheekbone is. I will find out soon. Also, I blew out my eardrum; if I had to count the times that has happened (chuckles). I can fight injured. I have some pain, but I am ok. I will be fine.
Kerr: Let’s talk about the fight itself. How do you respond to critics that feel you got a gift decision?
Brewster: I wouldn’t say it was a gift decision. I won the early rounds. I began to relax in the middle rounds and he came on. My approach was all wrong. I thought I snuck out the victory with my performance in the last couple rounds. Yeah, I barely won…. Again, I had a tough camp. I don’t want to harp on that.
Kerr: Did you underestimate Meehan?
Brewster: I wouldn’t say so. My approach was wrong. Things weren’t right in camp…I wish I could elaborate. Sorry. In time I will be clearer about that. It will all come out. I wish I could fight my next fight for free. I want to vindicate myself. Saturday the fans didn’t see the best of Lamon Brewster. I hope I get a chance to prove that I am good fighter.
Kerr: Did you over train?
Brewster: No. I don’t think so. I was just too relaxed. My approach was all wrong. It wasn’t about overtraining.
Kerr: Any interest in granting Meehan a rematch?
Brewster: Sure, if the money is there. If we can get something arranged and the bucks are there… He deserves some kind of recognition.
Kerr: You have an uncanny ability to take punches. How do you explain your tremendous pain threshold?
Brewster: I relate it to my martial arts training. Certain techniques. I don’t know what it is called. You just absorb punches and pain. You don’t feel the punches. Ali was the same way. He would just put it out of his mind. You shut it out.
Kerr: So it’s more mental than physical? Or is it a little of both?
Brewster: A little of both. I am in great shape. I can take a punch; my mind is there. It’s both. I have always been tough in that sense.
Kerr: Is Evander Holyfield next in line for Lamon Brewster?
Brewster: Yeah, that’s what it looks like. I mean, there are talks going on. That looks like the road we are heading down. It’s up to my management team and Don King. If that’s what they want, then Holyfield it is.
Kerr: If Holyfield is next, and you win, who will you fight after that?
Brewster: I said I needed two fights to get to where I needed to be. Then I will take on all comers. I want to unify.
Kerr: If I am reading you correct, you are saying the Meehan fight and then Holyfield, and then you’ll take on anyone?
Brewster: I need to get my game straight and then I will take on everyone. It’s going to take one more fight. Things in camp weren’t right and I will be more clear about this soon.
Kerr: How big of a role does Don King play in the career of Lamon Brewster?
Brewster: Don King is everything to me. He stuck his neck out for me when nobody else did. The federations made me wait a year to fight, but King stood up for me. I wasn’t proving anything at that point. I wasn’t an established fighter, but King believed in me, in my abilities. I owe him everything. He got me in the ring and fighting for the WBO title. I wouldn’t be where I am at without Don King.
Kerr: What does the name Don King mean to the heavyweight division?
Brewster: He plays a huge role in the division. He’s got like a ¾ monopoly or something (chuckles) He owns almost all the land. Don is the man. He has set the bar so high, I don’t think anyone will ever be able to come in and run things the way he has. He revolutionized the sport. No one can compete with Don.
Kerr: 5 months later, many still believe the strange things that happened before, during and after the fight tainted your victory over Klitschko. What do you believe happened to Wladimir that night?
Brewster: I’ll tell you what happened. He got tired. Watch the tapes. I was landing good body shots. It’s just a physics thing. He is a big guy, tall and muscular. You can’t keep that pace at that size. I was patient. I got past his offensive barrage. I took his shots. He threw everything at me. I stood up to it. He wasn’t prepared to respond when I put pressure on him.
Kerr: How do you respond to accusations of possible foul play?
Brewster: I am a child of God. I would never be involved in any foul play. I just took what he had. It’s all about physics. A big man like that can’t fight at that pace. I am not aware of any wrong doings.
Kerr: Did his punches have the same zip from the second round on? When did you feel him tiring?
Brewster: He sure did. He threw everything at me. There were some big punches there. I handled them and waited for him to tire. In the 4th, I could see him tiring. It’s about heart rate. I watched tapes of him before, and usually by the 4th and 5th rounds he is breathing heavy in every fight. I knew that this would be the case again. I just waited him out.
Kerr: Is it true that members of your entourage, including Don King, made a bundle off of prefight bets made just hours before the fight?
Brewster: What do you mean bets?
Kerr: Well, let me clarify. Did your crew and or King make money via legal bets placed on you winning the fight?
Brewster: Honestly, my crew is broke. I don’t know anything about anyone making money (Emphatic). If they did, I hope if I ever become broke, they return the favour. (Slight chuckle). I hope they return the gratitude. As far as I know, my crew is broke though. If people made money off of Lamon Brewster — great, I say bet on me again (chuckles).
Kerr: Has there been contact from the Klitschko camp about a rematch, and would you be interested if Wladimir beats Williamson a month from now?
Brewster: You know, after the fight, I wanted to give him a rematch. But after all the excuses… I mean, oil being rubbed on his body, strange people, someone in his camp, drugging and something on one of the passes, a substance, the way they tainted the sport and my victory, I said let him earn a rematch. I don’t have any respect for anyone that taints the sport. It’s because of guys like them ( Author’s note : Klitschko brothers)our sport suffers. People think something foul was going on. The Nevada State Commission is well respected. They do a good job of keeping order. They (the Klitschkos) put the sport’s reputation on the line. I lost respect for them.
Kerr: Vitali told me a few days ago that he wouldn’t make excuses for his brother. They (the Klitschko brothers) just want to know what happened that night. They are seeking answers.
Brewster: Well, so far as I am concerned, it is clear that he got tired. All the excuses I read about, really put me off. If he (Wladimir) wants a chance at my belt, he is going to have to earn it now. If he is the number one contender, I will give him a rematch. That’s the only way. After the fight in April, I wanted to give him a rematch, but all the cheap excuses really took away from the sport and what I accomplished. Now he has to earn a rematch.
Kerr: Vitali Klitschko says that he wants to unify the division. Would you be interested in fighting the elder Klitschko?
Brewster: Sure. I’ll fight him tomorrow on the street with all my injuries. Like I said, after the next fight, and if things go the way I want them to, I will take on all comers.
Kerr: You have good power, but for some reason, you don’t seem to like to use combinations. Why not add that to your repertoire?
Brewster: It’s related to camp. I like combos. I like throwing them to the body especially. Combinations will be there. I will make some adjustments.
Kerr: Lamon, do you feel that boxing as a sport is gaining popularity or losing it?
Brewster: Some ways it’s gaining. It’s a universal sport. All the bad publicity we get from loudmouths, who just go off on tirades, hurts the sport. People see that and say I don’t want anything to do with that sport. We need to lose the bad seeds.
Kerr: Should boxing go mainstream like football, soccer, and baseball, set up one governing body, and reduce the number of belts?
Brewster: Well, yeah, it should go mainstream, but I like having all the different belts. I mean, this is a big sport. We have Ruiz, who is Puerto Rican and brings in the Latin folks, Klitschko with his European fans. There are a lot of ethnicities out there. It’s good to have things spread out. But, yeah, there should be some unifying of the belts. I wouldn’t get rid of the multiple belts. It would be good if the sport became more popular and mainstream. It doesn’t need one governing body. There are enough boxers and paydays to go around.
Kerr: What role does corruption play in Boxing?
Brewster: It’s not as bad as in the 30’s and 70’s, say, but it plays a small role. Anytime you have a lot of money, there is going to be corruption. Boxing is no different. But the sport is not in the position it was in before.
Kerr: What keeps Lamon Brewster busy outside the ring?
Brewster: I have two kids. I love spending time with my kids and my wife. I like being a part of their activities. I am a family man. Nothing is more important to me than my kids. It’s a treat to watch them grow up and be there for them.
Kerr: Thank you for your time, Lamon. I appreciate you being so candid and sincere in your responses. Best of luck in the future.
Brewster: God bless you. I hope the fans will give me a chance to prove that I can fight. In my next fight, you will see a different Lamon Brewster. I won’t let the fans down. They didn’t see Lamon Brewster at his best Saturday night.