02.04.06 – By Chris Acosta: Photo by:Tom Casino/SHOWTIME – Every once in a while, heavyweight boxing gives you something special. It’s a rare occurrence though and so you can forgive yourself for allowing your low expectations to take a while to recognize the obvious.
In the heavyweight division nowadays, the negative criticism makes an appearance in any and every article commenting on the big men. You hear it so much that even the most optimistic of us begin to wonder if we ourselves could make a run at the title after a few weeks of sit-ups and early-morning roadwork. And many cynical reporters forget that some people out there really do believe their every tired metaphor and thus tune in elsewhere. All in all, a dismal situation for a sport which is at its healthiest when the heavies are in full bloom.
Showtime Boxing gave us their installment on heavyweight supremacy tonight in the form of WBO champ Lamon Brewster versus Sergei Liakhovich. It was a chance for the network to take its surprising run of terrific fights to the grandest scale and to simultaneously top HBO’s dreadful Hasim Rahman-James Toney two weeks ago for the WBC version of the title.
So again, I can excuse you if you were waiting for a Lamon Brewster wipe-out or a twelve-round clinch-fest. I can also excuse you for looking at the reactions of the other people watching in your living room before allowing yourself the right to let in a little hope. Belarus –born Sergei Liakhovich was seen as the darkest horse in a sea of dark horses. The boyish looking contender has all the credentials a top-flight professional fighter needs: massive amateur experience, a solid corner and the tools to improve. But he also came in after a 16-month layoff and looking a bit soft around the middle. Throw in that KO loss to Marice Harris (why does every guy in the top-ten have one skeleton or another?) and what appeared to be an undeserving shot at the title and you had every reason to believe that if there was a fistic knight in shining armor out there somewhere, he was still learning to ride a horse.
But this fight had an air of pressure to it.
There was pressure on Brewster to perform. Like he said, he was the only heavyweight champ knocking people out and with Buddy McGirt navigating him, could at last begin the separation process from the rest of the pack. We all knew that James Toney sabotaged his chances by coming into the Rahman bout heavier than he has ever been before (and by the way, one of us should call Corrie Sanders and apologize to him for all the criticism over his weight in the Vitali Klitschko fight. He was even lighter than “Light’s Out” but is about a foot taller) and Rahman is flakier than a dry scalp.
But Lamon, despite all his defensive flaws, fights with an unhealthy measure of heart (for himself) and power (for his opponents) and he has gotten awfully good at finding that way to win. What we didn’t expect, however, was that Liakhovich could match the defending champion’s will, chin and toughness. We didn’t expect that two guys who are unknown to everyone outside of the boxing public, could put on the kind of show that not just makes headlines, but grabs them by the throat. It also served as a reminder that on the right night, a heavyweight fight could reach the bar set by the featherweights.
This wasn’t just a good fight; it was a great one. The fact that it went to a decision does not do the excitement involved, justice. Both men created reputations for themselves and in doing so, gave the heavyweight division its identity back. There’s still a long way to go in terms of mainstream acceptance but that achievement is within reach of the willing.
Liakhovich, now fighting out of Scottsdale, Arizona, can box when the mood strikes him but you could see in his body language that the heat of battle is more to his liking. And Brewster is such an insane warrior that we should tip his pay-per-view jar.
So the question now is: do we want to see these two do it again? From a fan perspective, it’s a can’t miss match-up. From a “survival of the sport” standpoint, it might be better to get all the titlists together as soon as possible. Hey, you get these two guys in against anybody and things are going to happen. Gil Clancy once said that when a guy wins a title, he automatically becomes a 25% better fighter. If that holds true and Sergei makes even the slightest improvements to each facet of his game, he will go an awful long way. As for Lamon, he is what he is. He’s going to revert back to instinct no matter who is in his corner. What we should hope is that he retires should he fail in his next crack at the title. There’s just too much risk in absorbing punches the way he does without paying a price.
Tonight, the heavyweights made a huge stride towards redemption and for once, we can’t criticize them. We can only appreciate the performances by two men who understand the value of taking pride in your work.