While World Boxing Organisation (WBO) heavyweight champion Corrie Sanders’s management team is still keenly in pursuit of a unification bout against International Boxing Federation (IBF) champ Chris Byrd, the WBO bosses themselves have thrown a spanner in the works.
They have ordered that Sanders must defend his title against the highest-rated available contender within 120 days of his beating Wladimir Klitschko for the crown. According to the WBO, best available is their number two contender, Lamon Brewster. The number one contender, David Tua — who meets Hasim Rahman on Saturday for the right to fight Byrd — has appealed against the fact that he was overlooked.
The WBO has turned down his appeal, however, saying that if he beat Rahman he would need time for recovery and training before he could face Sanders and that would exceed the July 4 deadline for Sanders’s mandatory defence. Tua is threatening legal action if he is not given the right to fight Sanders.
Once the purse bid that takes place in Germany on Friday is completed, Brewster and Sanders promoters have 30 days to finalise the formalities of their proposed bout. Brewster, like Sanders, is a quick starter, with 18 of his 26 knockouts coming within the first two rounds.
Given these statistics it’s fair to expect this bout to be a short one. Brewster has not fought any heavyweights of note, with the biggest names on his record those of Clifford Ettienne (who lasted all of 49 seconds against Mike Tyson) and Charles Shufford, who unsuccessfully challenged for the WBO crown in August 2001.
Both Ettienne and Shufford beat Brewster on points three years ago. Although the experience factor could be an issue, Brewster has long been earmarked as a potential world champion and it would be dangerous for any fighter to underestimate him.
Brewster, nicknamed ”Relentless”, is 6cm shorter than Sanders, he fights from an orthodox stance and is seven years younger than the champion. Given his tendency also to preferring to finish his opponents off quickly, Sanders needs to tread wisely in this one if he hopes to secure the big payday bouts.
Following numerous taunts from the man he demolished a few weeks ago to win the crown, Sanders has said that he will gladly give Klitschko a rematch.
The usually sedate Sanders said that both the Klitschko brothers have loud mouths and while Lennox Lewis will take care of Vitali Klitschko, he will knock Wladimir into oblivion next time round.