by Geoffrey Ciani – On August 22, Grady Brewer will square off in a rematch with Anthony Thompson, a foe who he already defeated via third round stoppage over five years ago. In many ways, their upcoming encounter this time represents a crossroads fight for each pugilist. Will Brewer reign triumphant again or will his opponent have something to say about that?
I had the opportunity to have a brief chat with Grady Brewer and here is what he had to say:
Q: Hi Grady. How are preparations coming along for your August 22 rematch with Anthony Thompson?
It’s coming along pretty good right now. I’m pretty excited about how training went and am looking forward to getting into the ring..
Q: You’re working with Andy Pierce now for this fight, correct?
Right. Andy Pierce, Edward Halligan, and a guy named Chris Davis, but he’s just trying to help us out a little bit.
Q: Thompson is coming off some losses lately, notably a controversial one against Yuri Foreman, and you are now 38 years old fighter, so in many ways this is a pivotal fight for both of you. What are your thoughts on this fight going in?
I think that whoever wants it more Is going to get it, no doubt. With me going in, in my situation, I feel that I am very confident, I am very strong, and I’m very intelligent inside the ring. Going in to this, I already know that I beat him before and I know what to expect from him. I know what he’s capable of doing and my preparations were based around that. So I will be going into this with a lot of confidence.
Q: There were rumors floating around, not too long ago, about the possibility of you being trained by Ann Wolfe. Was there any truth to these rumors, and if so, what happened?
Well, it just didn’t work out. We did talk, but it didn’t work out as far as me getting with her at training camp. Things with time schedules and the coordination of everything working out the way we wanted it to work out—it just didn’t flow right the way we wanted it to. It didn’t happen. She and I had talked over the phone and we just kind of left it off that way.
Q: Now as I understand it, Grady, you come from a family with a big boxing background. How did this impact your decision to start boxing?
Honestly, I think it just had an impact on me. All of my family boxed and did great things in boxing, but nobody had the opportunity to go any further because, I guess, with the situation of the economy at the time. But now, you know, I had the opportunities available to turn professional and go that route, so I took advantage of it. I felt that the people in my family who boxed would have done the same thing if they had the opportunity.
Q: In your last fight, you were supposed to fight Delray Raines in Texas, but that fight was called two days before it happened. What was the story behind the cancelation?
There’s no big story. I think it had something to do with Texas Boxing and Boogie Boxing Promotions. So we couldn’t get it together. There were issues having my paper work turned in on time as far as medical records. For me, I have been boxing in Texas for a pretty long time and I didn’t understand why they couldn’t allow me enough time to get everything turned in and make it work. I didn’t understand that, but I guess for some reason it just didn’t go down.
Q: One of the big criticisms directed at you pertains to your inconsistency. On some nights, you have gone out there and beat some really good operators and then, other times, you have lost to some guys who were viewed as nothing special. How do you explain such inconsistencies?
I would say it’s probably based on the time I was called for the fights. I took a lot of fights on short notice, sometimes just two or three weeks out. When you take a fight in that situation, sometimes you’re not always the best prepared and have not been training. It basically catches you off guard. I was (once) caught in a situation where I didn’t have a manager, but I always wanted to fight. I felt that I was tough enough to get in there and fight, and maybe pull off an upset if I was in good enough shape. I was always ready to fight, but I wasn’t always in good enough shape and I suffered a couple of losses based on that.
Q: Earlier in your career, you actually squared off against a young Kelly Pavlik. What was your impression of him at that time?
Honestly, when I fought Pavlik that time—I think it was back in 2002, I forget exactly when—I felt that if I was in a little better shape, I could have won that fight. When I fought at that time, he was so big and he overwhelmed me with punches. None of his punches were devastating, though, he was just throwing a lot of punches. I was able to move and escape, but then I didn’t have the gas or the energy to do anything. I was never hurt in the fight. He was the one who made me realize that I can never go in the ring with that of attitude. I need to go in the ring fully prepared.
Q: Can you share a little bit about your experience on The Contender and how it affected you as a fighter?
My experience with The Contender definitely changed my life and gave me opportunities to really promote myself as a fighter. It also helped me with financial opportunities as a fighter, and it gave me the opportunity to know the glory of being a fighter. So, it definitely changed the way I approach the fight game right now and I definitely liked winning. I didn’t always know how it was to win because I had lost at times, but then I knew how it was to win. And ever since then, my expectations have been to win and to do what it takes to win.
Q: What would you ultimately like to accomplish in the sport before you ultimately end your career?
For one, on the 22nd (of August) come back with the belt. I would also like to make a lot more money before I have to walk away from the game, and I would like to walk away from the game when I want to walk away and not when I have to. I feel that with another three or four good fights with me winning, I could just walk away from the game right there.
Q: Thank you, Grady. Do you have anything you would like to say to the fans at ESB?
Yes, just keep tuning in to watch Grady Brewer. I’m back on the horizon now. I’ve been out for a couple of years because I had a bad knee. My knee is doing a lot better now, so everybody look out for Grady Brewer, because I’m coming back with a bang!
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I would like to thank Grady Brewer for his time and wish him the best of luck in his upcoming contest against Anthony Thompson.
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