Boxing has been sharply criticized lately with some extremely controversial calls that many affiliated with the sport are furious over. The latest mêlée at Mandalay Bay was the title bout between defending World Boxing Organization champion Lamon Brewster and Pan Pacific Heavyweight titleholder Kali “Checkmate” Meehan. The split decision left a sour taste, once again, in the mouths of boxing fans and aficionados who felt the champion, although going the whole twelve rounds, didn’t take enough rounds to retain the title.
The fact that fight was another illustrious Don King Production, didn’t help the public opinion of fair play either. Regardless, Lamon “Relentless” Brewster is still the WBO Champ and he’s got his own pointed view of why things when down the way they did. Furthermore, the champ invites anyone who has a problem with it to step up to the ring and try to change things. Brewster chops it up with AHH Alternatives about the fight, his future plans and his purpose for boxing.
AllHipHop.com: Let me start by asking are you happy with your win against Kali Meehan?
LB: No, not really because I did the big no-no and that was bringing my personal feelings into the ring. Feelings get in the way and almost cost me the fight. It was a hard fight because this is someone who used to be my sparring partner and it’s hard to think about trying to kill someone in the ring I’m cool with so I didn’t have that fire that I should’ve had and it really almost cost me the fight because he’s a great fighter.
AllHipHop.com: How do you feel about people saying that because it was a Don King fight that it was a set up for you to win?
LB: It wasn’t set up because I really almost lost the fight. I won the first few rounds then he took some of the middle rounds and I came back and gave it my all the last four rounds and that’s why I feel I won. You know you hear all the rumors about Don and the things that he’s done to some fighters and all I can say is that he’s never done me wrong and the difference between me and those other fighters is I have lawyers but there’s no amount of money that would make me throw a fight, I don’t have to.
AllHipHop.com: With Evander Holyfield as your next fight, how will you prepare differently?
LB: I’m going to watch tapes like I normally do, but I’m going to study how to effectively dismantle him with my brain not my muscles. Evander’s a much older fighter and he’s not the fighter he used to be, but he’s a smart fighter and I have to be a smarter fighter. I have to break down his body to take him out and I’m just going to make sure I’m in the right frame of mind to dismantle him the way I know I can.
AllHipHop.com: Who would you fight if you had your choice?
LB: Vitali Klitchko . He’s the best fighter out there right now. I beat his brother before and now I wouldn’t mind taking him on. He’s here in Los Angeles and so am I so that’s a fight I want because as a fighter you should want to take on the best and he’s a contender right now.
AllHipHop.com: How long do you see yourself boxing?
LB: Hopefully not too much longer. I want to be there for my kids because my family is all I have.
AllHipHop.com: What is it that makes someone want to get in a ring and get hit and sometimes almost beat to death?
LB: You know I’m glad you asked that because there are two roads in life, yours and God’s. When God cast the devil to the earth and gave all his gifts to man God gave us free will and the gift may not be what you want per say, but it’s what God gives you and you have the choice to follow your own path or God’s path for you. Boxing is my gift, I’m good at it and I just had to take that leap of blind faith and let God guide my steps and this is where they lead me.
I believe that through my boxing I’m supposed to be a role model for young people because kids need to see what perseverance and determination can get you. This country is in such bad shape because we’re so busy looking out the window at everybody else and not realizing we have our own problems that we need to fix here. There’s a problem when you have companies investing more money into prisons than into education and I feel it’s my obligation to live my life to give hope and inspire young people to want to do and be more, so I try to use my boxing career as a way to be a role model and however long God blesses me to be here, that’s what I’m going to do.
