A heavyweight bout this past weekend between Sergei Liakhovich and Lamon Brewster was good enough to keep me watching. There were quite a few bruising exchanges and a knockdown. Definitely one of the better heavyweight fights of the decade which really isn't saying much.
Brewster is a throwback. To the 80's heavyweight. The guys with tons of potential but for whatever reason do not have the mental toughness to not only win, but be dominant. Brewster had a dead man in front of him by the sixth round and couldn't put him away, simply content to fire haymakers and go passive whenever return fire came. There was much talk about how Brewster changed temperamentally after hiring on Jesse Reid as his trainer. Reid, one of boxing's best motivators was able to channel Brewster into throwing a lot of power punches per round that enabled him to demolish Andrew Golota in one and come from behind to knockout German Luan Krasniqi. Problem is, why does he need to inspired in the first place. Brewster replaced Reid with Buddy McGirt and in this fight at least, showed how a fighter cannot truly change who he is.
All great fighters are self-motivated.
And that is why Brewster will never reach his potential.
Liakhovich, on the other hand, has raw technical skills but is mentally focused. He was severely hurt in the sixth round and rallied through it. The true hard knock life of his Eastern European upbringing upstaged Brewster's own indecisive history. Liakhovich won the fight simply because he was willing to work harder.
These days in the heavyweight division, apparently, that is enough.
