03.03.06 – A heavyweight world championship will be decided for the first time in the greater Cleveland area since 1983, when World Boxing Organization heavyweight champion “Relentless” Lamon Brewster makes the fourth defense of his crown opposing once-beaten Sergei “White Wolf” Liakhovich at Wolstein Center at Cleveland State University on April 1.. The fight is being promoted by Don King Productions and will be broadcast on Showtime Championship Boxing at 11 p.m. ET/PT
“I’m excited about bringing a heavyweight world championship fight home to Cleveland,” said Don King. “Lamon Brewster is a great heavyweight champion and it is an opportunity for the fans around the country to see the best of the heavyweights on Showtime.”
“I want to be universally known as thee world champion, not a United States or regional champion or somebody who just fights in his backyard,” Brewster, who is nicknamed “Relentless” but might as well be known as “Fearless,” said. “That means fighting anybody, anywhere. Boxing is not a beauty contest. It is not the Olympics where you get points for style and grace. It is all about winning, and all I do is win.’’
Brewster (33-2, 29 KOs), from Indianapolis now living in Los Angeles, rallied to score a dramatic fifth-round TKO over Wladimir Klitschko to capture the WBO crown in 2004 and has been victorious in his last nine starts (including eight by knockout) and in three defenses of the belt.
To illustrate his willingness to compete anywhere, the 2005 WBO Fighter of the Year traveled to Hamburg, Germany, for his last outing to defend against local favorite Luan Krasniqi. The bout drew more than 10,000 fans on the 100th anniversary of German heavyweight Max Schmeling’s birthday on Sept. 28. In a thrilling, give-and-take battle, Brewster exited with a hard-fought ninth-round technical knockout.
“I should get credit for two knockouts because I knocked him out twice,” said Brewster, who turned a fight around when he landed a hellacious left hook with 30 seconds remaining in the eighth round that left Krasniqi stiff-legged and crumpled against the ropes. The match nearly ended there but the referee provided an incredibly long count that allowed Krasniqi to get to his feet just before the bell sounded. Television replays estimated the count to be between 13 and 17 seconds.
Willingly being out-boxed for much of the fight while waiting to land a knockout punch, a nearly exhausted Brewster ended matters when he floored the determined challenger again with 12 seconds left in the ninth round. This time, the referee quickly waved the fight off, not even bothering to count.
“It was just my willpower and my determination,” said Brewster, who has won 83 percent of his starts by knockout. “Luan was a good fighter. He landed many good shots. But I proved by going to Germany and defeating a game challenger that I am a world champion.
“I always fight from will, not always from skill.”
Just prior to the Krasniqi knockout win, Brewster successfully defended his title with a devastating 53-second, first-round knockout over Andrew Golota on May 21, 2005. The fight was in Chicago, but it might as well have been in Poland. There were more than 20,000 in attendance, almost all rooting for the Polish-born Golota.
Aside from the ovation they afforded Golota during introductions, Brewster gave them nothing else to cheer about. Ten seconds after the opening bell, Brewster dropped Golota with a sensational left hook. The challenger made it to his feet, but was knocked down again from another crunching left hook. A third left hook finished Golota and ended one of the quickest – and most stunning — heavyweight title fights in history.
“They cannot see me,” said Brewster after registering the 13th opening-round knockout of his career. “When God is with you, they cannot take it away. If we cannot work and make it, we can still take it. Golota was the only thing keeping me from the land of milk and honey. I was an F-16 and he was a B-52 bomber and I shot him down.
“I am not saying I am great, but there was Lennox Lewis and before that Evander Holyfied and before that Mike Tyson. Now there is me. I need to stand up and be a great champion. I am here to stay.”
Liakhovich (22-1, 14 KOs), of Scottsdale, Ariz. by way of Minsk, Byelosrussia, has won six in a row, including a unanimous 10-round decision over Dominick Guinn in his last start on Dec. 3, 2004. A boxer-puncher with excellent overall talent and skills, Liakhovich outpointed the then-highly regarded Guinn by the scores of 97-93 and 96-94 twice.
Now, he gets Brewster in his first world-title appearance.
“This is exactly the kind of big fight that I have always wanted,” said Liakhovich, who compiled an excellent record of 145-14 in the amateurs and represented Russia in the 1996 Olympic Games. “The heavyweight division is wide open. All I have ever been looking for is a chance to show my skills and talent.
“I am not worried about being ring rusty. I am sharp. I stay in shape.’’ Liakhovich is fully recovered from an injury that forced him to withdraw from a fight with Owen Beck in September 2005 on SHOWTIME.
“I suffered a bruised cartilage but I am fine now and will definitely be 110 percent for Brewster,” he said. “This is the opportunity of a lifetime. I will be ready. I am supremely confident.’’
A patient boxer-puncher with excellent movement and good overall talent and skills, Liakhovich is not easily discouraged, and seems to wake up when he is hit. He likes to shoot combinations from all angles but may be at his best when he can press forward and work the inside. He surprised some onlookers, however, in his match against Guinn by effectively moving off his combinations and exhibiting nimble footwork, particularly for a big man. At 6-feet-4, he possesses a significant height advantage over the defending champion.
“This is going to be a great fight for me, not for Brewster,” Liakhovich said. “Brewster is making a big mistake if he thinks this is going to be an easy fight. If it is an easy fight for anybody, it will be me.”
The most recent World Heavyweight Championship bout in the Cleveland area took place on September 23, 1983 in Richfield, OH. World Boxing Association Champion Michael “Dynamite” Dokes was upset by South Africa’s Gerrie Coetzee by KO 10 of a scheduled 15-round bout. Prior to that, at the same Richfield Coliseum, Muhammad Ali scored a 15 round TKO over a game Chuck Wepner for the WBA & World Boxing Council heavyweight titles on March 24, 1975. Both fight cards were promoted by Don King.
Don King Productions has promoted more than 500 world championship fights and holds the distinction of having promoted seven of the 10 largest pay-per-view events in history, as gauged by total buys, including: Holyfield vs. Tyson II, 1.95 million buys, June 1997; Tyson vs. Holyfield I, 1.6 million buys, November 1996; Tyson vs. McNeeley, 1.58 million buys, August 1995; and Bruno vs. Tyson, 1.4 million buys, March 1996.
DKP promoted or co-promoted 12 of the top-20 highest-grossing live gates in the history of the state of Nevada including the top five: Holyfield vs. Lewis II, paid attendance: 17,078, gross: $16,860,300 (NOTE: Also highest live-gate gross for any event in the history of the world.), date: Nov. 13, 1999; Holyfield vs. Tyson II, paid attendance: 16,279, gross: $14,277,200, date: June 28, 1997; Holyfield vs. Tyson I, paid attendance: 16,103, gross: $14,150,700, date: Nov. 9, 1996; Tyson vs. McNeeley, paid attendance: 16,113, gross: $13,965,600, date: Aug. 19, 1995; and De La Hoya vs. Trinidad, paid attendance: 11,184, gross: $12,949,500 (Also garnered the most pay-per-view buys for a non-heavyweight fight at 1.4 million.), date: Sept. 18, 1999.
SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING celebrates 20 years of hard-hitting, explosive programming in 2006. On March 10, 1986, SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING was born when “Marvelous” Marvin Hagler defeated John “The Beast” Mugabi in a spectacular and unforgettable 11th-round knockout in Las Vegas. Since that time, the network has aired some of the most historic and significant events in the sport including both Holyfield-Tyson bouts.
Always at the forefront of boxing, SHOWTIME has set itself apart by telecasting “great fights, no rights” on the first Saturday of every month. SHOWTIME is the first network to regularly deliver live boxing in High Definition. In addition, SHOWTIME continues to be a pioneer in sports television with a number of interactive features across multiple platforms making SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecasts the most enjoyable, immersive viewing experience for the boxing audience.
For information on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING and “ShoBox: The New Generation” telecasts, including complete fighter bios and records, related stories and more, please go the SHOWTIME website at http://www.sho.com/boxing.