06.05.05 – By Shane Cullum: On May 21, Andrew Golota will have his fourth shot at a heavyweight championship when he takes on Lamon Brewster for the WBO belt at the United Center in Chicago. Could this be the night where Golota finally becomes a “heavyweight champion”, a title that has eluded him for his professional career? On paper, it seems like an easy win for Golota. Lamon Brewster was considered a relative “nobody”, a journeyman, before his surprising upset over Wladimir Klitschko for the WBO belt last year.. But in a fight where Brewster was clearly being dominated for the first four rounds, even being knocked down, it wasn’t so much that Brewster beat Klitschko, it was that Klitschko beat himself.
Wladimir Klitschko’s conditioning was obviously not up to par that night, and his lack of stamina led him to punch himself out by the fifth round.
Brewster proved he had the upper hand in stamina that night, but he didn’t prove much else. How would Brewster fare against a challenger whose stamina and conditioning equalled that of his own? Enter Kali Meehan. Brewster’s first defense of his title came against Kali Meehan, who unlike Klitschko, was able to last all 12 rounds.
The fight was less-than-impressive for Brewster, who won a controversial split decision; a split decision that many feel Meehan should have won. Kali Meehan had Brewster in trouble during the 8th round, with a volley of punches against the ropes; a volley that even Brewster’s manager, Sam Simon, admits should have resulted in a stoppage and TKO victory for Meehan. But, Brewster lasted until the end of the 12th round, and two of the three judges saw fit to score in Brewster’s favor, giving Brewster a successful defense of the championship, but little respect in the boxing public’s eye.
Brewster’s defense of his title against Golota will not be easy. Klitschko’s stamina and Meehan’s punching power pale in comparison to Golota’s, who has promised to win by KO. Golota’s boxing past is sprinkled with controversial and disappointing outcomes that didn’t go his way, though, so the outcome of any Golota fight nowadays is hard to predict. The Golota of old seems to have been missing from Golota’ last two fights against Byrd and Ruiz however. Gone were the low blows, the short temper, the quitting on the stool.
It seems as if there’s hope for Golota. The new “comeback” Golota has shown patience and a professional calm in his last two fights. Two fights which many people believe Golota should have won. But one thing Golota has failed to show, at least to this writer’s satisfaction, is the warrior mentality that great champs such as Tyson and Lewis had: the predatorial quality that makes you go in for the kill when your opponent is hurt.
Too many times it seems like Golota has the chance to seal the deal, to knockout his opponent and clinch the victory, and he eases up, almost as if he’s giving his opponent a chance to recuperate. This was particularly obvious in his bout against Ruiz. With a little more of that killer instinct, Golota could easily have won the Ruiz fight by KO in the 2nd round. He has the power and the skills to win by KO; if he increased his determination, there’d be no reason for most of his fights to go the distance. Thus preventing the judges, who too often seem to score against Golota, from handing him another loss.
Golota has vowed to retire after the Brewster fight if he loses, but maybe fighting in his hometown, with the heavy Polish population of Chicago rooting for him, he’ll have that extra drive it takes to KO Brewster. If Brewster can withstand Golota’s attacks and go the distance, it’s anybody’s fight, especially since Lady Luck has a way of helping Brewster win. And helping Golota lose.