“In 2005, there will be no place to run and nowhere to hide”

With the heart of a lion and the determination to prove that he is a true warrior, WBO heavyweight titleholder Lamon “Relentless” Brewster is excited about what 2005 has in store for him.  Boxingtalk spoke with Brewster recently to get his thoughts on fighting Andrew Golota on March 12th, the challenges involved with unifying the heavyweight division, especially with Don King as his promoter, and who he is looking to fight next after his next scheduled opponent, Andrew Golota.

BoxingTalk: Lamon the word is out that you will be fighting Andrew Golota in March.  Is that a signed deal, and what are your thoughts on fighting him?
 
Lamon Brewster: Yeah, it’s a done deal.  We have a date, but I don’t know if we have a site yet.  I thought he looked good in his fight with John Ruiz last November, and it could have gone either way.  I think Ruiz pulled it out in the end, but it was a real close fight.  One thing about Golota is that he is a tremendous fighter, and as much as this is an opportunity for him, it is also an opportunity for me.  By fighting Golota I will be able to show what I’m made of and to shut the doubters up because he is no pushover, he’s no slouch.
 
BT: How do you think your fight with Golota will compare to your recent battles with Wladimir Klitschko and Kali Meehan?
 
LB: Everybody is unique, so I prepare different for every fight.  With a guy like Golota, just being in the best shape possible and being smart in the ring is the best thing I can do.  I won’t necessarily make a game plan because if I go in there with a plan and it doesn’t work, then I’ll be lost.  I’m just going to go in there and do “me”.
 
BT: Are you going to be concerned that you will be fighting a guy who is known to use dirty tactics, or do you feel that you will get a clean Golota?
 
LB: I think Golota is a dirty fighter.  If the referee had done his job in Golota’s last fight, I don’t think it would have gone the distance, I think Golota would have been disqualified.  I hope for Golota’s own sake that he is not dirty, because then we’ll have a fight in the ring and out of the ring.  I think it’s a very serious matter when you’re hitting somebody in the back of the head.  I have my family to worry about.
 
BT: Will you be relying more on your heart or your power when you face Golota?
 
LB: To tell you the truth Darren, I think it would be best for me not to say.  I have to study more of Golota’s tapes, I need to speak with my trainer, and when the time comes where my conditioning is where I want it to be, then I’ll start turning more of my attention on Golota.
 
BT: The boxing world is really pushing to have one recognized undisputed heavyweight champion again.  It seems like the biggest blockade to make this happen is Don King and his desire to have options on Vitali Klitschko.   How will you be able to fight Klitschko with King as your promoter?
 
LB: I think all things are possible, and I believe that money talks, especially with Don King.  I think he realizes that if I can manage to compile my record with names like Andrew Golota, and unify the other belts, then my drawing power will outweigh Vitali Klitschko’s condition that he signs with Don King.  There would be so much profit in it for Don that having options on Klitschko would be the least of his worries.
 
BT: Between Chris Byrd and John Ruiz, who would you like to start unifying the belts with first?
 
LB: Darren, I already have an answer for you, but I’m not going to say because I’m going to announce that immediately after the Golota fight when I’m still in the ring.
 
BT: But you do have an answer to that question.  So does that mean something is being set up now to fight either Byrd or Ruiz after Golota?
 
LB: No, but I will let the people know after my next fight.  See, the way I look at it is if the people are with me then not even Don King can stand against me.  I believe if the people fight for me the way I’m going to get in there and fight for them come March 12th, then I will give them what they want in my next fight.
 
BT: What does 2005 look like for Lamon Brewster?
 
LB: I got off to a good start in 2004.  I finally got 12 rounds in.  My former trainer Bill Slayton always wanted me to fight Wladimir Klitschko, and I did that.  Now, in 2005 there will be no place to run and nowhere to hide.  Starting with Golota I’m going to be running sprints in 2005.  If God is with me, no man will be against me, and I’m going to fight every three to four months.  You know what, the people deserve it.  What people don’t realize for me is if it weren’t for boxing, I don’t know where I would be.  I’m not going to say that I couldn’t go to college or get a good job, but boxing opened the doors for me and helped me open doors for others.  I have to give back to boxing what it has given to me.  I am so blessed every single day.  I have people who believe in and I have people who doubt me.  The people who doubt me make me work harder, and the people who believe in me they encourage me to work harder, so all things work together for good.
 
BT: Who do you run across more, the doubters or the believers?
 
LB: I don’t know and you know what man, it don’t matter.  The people who doubt me because I’m a big heavyweight probably wouldn’t say it to my face, but I don’t care.  I take the good with the bad. I’m very open to criticism, if there is something that someone feels about me I would hope that they would say it, because they may see something that I don’t see.  I try to tell people, I just got my foot in the door.  I’m not Chris Byrd, I’m not John Ruiz, I just got my title, so give me a chance and let me show you what I can do.  I know my last fight wasn’t my absolute best fight, but you go down the line back to Ray Robinson – the greatest fighter of all time, and show me a champion where every fight was a great fight.  Show me one and I’ll quit boxing right now.
 
BT: Before he died, why did your former trainer Bill Slayton want you to fight Wladimir Klitschko?
 
LB: Because he made a big splash on the scene when he came into the game.  He came from Europe and destroyed hand-picked fighters.  I was the first fighter Klitschko fought that he could not pick.  His promoter Peter Kohl hand picked all his guys, but I was the first WBO champion the WBO organization ever forced to fight the mandatory.  When Klitschko held his WBO title, they never forced him to fight his mandatory.  This just gives me the opportunity to show that I’m the truth.
 
BT:  What would you like those reading this on Boxingtalk to know most about Lamon Brewster that they may not know already?
 
LB: What I would like them to know is that as much as I do this to make money and take care of my family, I also fight because I feel that I am one of the people selected in this spirit to carry on this sport.  I don’t wake up every day and say, “Yeah, I feel like getting hit in the face today.”  When I look at the old fighters, when I see them fight and hear them talk, and I hear their spirit, it moves me.  So I do what I do for better or for worse whether people like it or not to represent the sport of boxing, and try to make it what they had it be – which was a gentleman sport when the spoke well and they carried themselves in a good way.  I would hope that people could appreciate the fact that I don’t try to intimidate people, I don’t talk negatively – I try to inspire their kids to be something in life.  Not necessarily a boxer, but just to be anything you want to be in life.  I know I would want my kids to look at someone like myself who has positive things to say, who takes the time to speak to the kids, who always has time for everybody, and I think that’s the role model to have.

Boxingtalk thanks Mr. Brewster for taking the time to speak with us.  We wish him continued success both in and out of the ring.

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