Thursday, April 08, 2004
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

WBO HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE FIGHT: Brewster ignores odds

Boxer confident despite being 11-1 underdog Saturday

By KEVIN IOLE
REVIEW-JOURNAL

Lamon Brewster will be without his longtime trainer Bill Slayton, who died in October, when he faces Wladimir Klitschko for the WBO heavyweight title Saturday at Mandalay Bay. Photo by John Gurzinski.

Lamon Brewster doesn't dispute the facts:

Clifford Etienne withered at the mere sight of an angry Mike Tyson. A terrified-looking Charles Shufford was stopped by a sixth-round technical knockout against Wladimir Klitschko.

Brewster's record shows decision losses to Etienne and Shufford.

An 11-1 underdog, Brewster understands why most people give him little chance to defeat Klitschko for the WBO heavyweight title Saturday at Mandalay Bay.

Although Brewster understands the popular perception, he doesn't agree with it.

"It don't matter if only one person in the world believes I can win," he said. "As long as I believe in myself -- and I do -- then I'm fine."

Brewster, 30, left the comforts of home in Indianapolis as an 18-year-old to move alone to Los Angeles. And Saturday's bout is the reason. He dreamed of becoming heavyweight champion and was willing to risk everything to pursue his goal.

Brewster hooked up with trainer Bill Slayton -- who once guided Ken Norton to a win over Muhammad Ali as well as the heavyweight title -- and began to learn what it took to be not only a fighter but a man.

But Slayton died in October, leaving Brewster without the man he regarded as a surrogate father and a mentor.

"I learned so much from him and I owe so much of what is good in my life to him," Brewster said. "He's gone, but he's still a big part of my life. I remember the things he would say to me, how he would push me, how he would tell me he knew we could do this. We were a team going after this goal. And even though he's no longer here, we're still a team. It's a forever thing."

Slayton won't be there Saturday to calm Brewster as he walks to the ring or to offer advice between rounds. He hasn't been around to devise a strategy for Saturday's bout.

But Slayton did leave an attitude with Brewster.

"He taught me to believe in myself," Brewster said. "Boxing is one of the toughest occupations in the world. There are a lot of ups and downs, peaks and valleys. You have to be mentally strong to withstand those and to be able to wait it out until the sun finally shines on you.

"And now the sun is shining on me. If you think Klitschko is going to knock me out, that's fine. If everybody in this room thinks that, God bless them. But when he hits me, I'm going to hit him back. He's going to know he's in a fight. I'm not going to get this close and let it get away. We've come too far together."