22 years ago, Wladimir Klitschko was on the verge of winning the WBO title against Lamon Brewster. But a sudden collapse in the fifth round leads to defeat and still raises questions to this day.
During his illustrious professional career, Wladimir Klitschko only lost five of his 69 fights. The Ukrainian probably suffered his most explosive defeat 22 years ago, on April 10, 2004, against the American Lamon Brewster.
The starting position before the duel for the vacant WBO title in Las Vegas was clear: the then 28-year-old Klitschko was in top form and started his next attempt at the boxing throne. His opponent, the 30-year-old Brewster, had a track record of success, but was considered technically limited. Everything pointed to a short fight.
The expectations were confirmed in the first rounds, Klitschko fully lived up to his role as favorite and dictated the action with his jab. After the second round, “Dr. Steelhammer” had already landed 45 jabs, while Brewster was only able to score five in total.
Klitschko collapses in round five
Despite his opponent’s superiority, the American was somehow able to save himself in the fifth round – even though he had already been down for eight seconds in the fourth round.
The tide turned in the fifth round: Klitschko suddenly collapsed completely in terms of condition, was breathing more heavily and was an easy target for Brewster from then on. The US-American landed one hit after another. The spectators at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino could no longer remain in their seats in amazement.
Klitschko held out until the bell, but at the end of the round the clearly battered favorite fell. There was no reaction from the Ukrainian to the words of referee Robert Byrd. The fight was stopped.
Urine and blood sample missing: FBI investigating
However, the fight was by no means over. Around a month later, Klitschko announced through his lawyer that he wanted the authorities to investigate the defeat. The reason for this was the fact that both Klitschko’s urine and blood samples had mysteriously disappeared after the fight. Despite investigations by the FBI, the circumstances could never be clarified.
After the fight, Klitschko had already stated that he “felt like he was on drugs” and had “legs like rubber”. Speculation as to whether he was drugged or poisoned that day persists to this day.
In addition, developments on the betting market provided a strange aftertaste: the odds on a victory for Brewster had fallen from 11:1 to 3.5:1 a few hours before the fight – an indication that one or more bettors had placed a lot of money on a victory for the underdog. Coincidence?
Klitschko conundrum marks turning point
“I’m convinced that Wladimir pushed too hard in the first few rounds and was then simply tired. My will and the many body shots robbed him of his energy. I was simply the better man that evening and had the bigger heart,” said the victorious Brewster, looking back on the fight some time later.
Klitschko regrets the shadow cast by the speculation surrounding Brewster’s success in retrospect. “He deserved to win. Even though I still don’t know the reason for my collapse and I’ve never experienced anything like it before or since,” said the Ukrainian.
After all, the defeat in April 2004 marked a positive turning point in Klitschko’s career: He subsequently went more than 11 years without losing a single fight.
Klitschko’s defeat remains a mystery
Klitschko is certain that he would not have achieved this had it not been for the duel with Brewster. “If I had the chance today to rewind my life and erase that defeat, I wouldn’t do it,” he once declared.
In the summer of 2007, Klitschko and the American faced each other a second time in the ring. This time Brewster had no chance at all and had to retire after the sixth round. This brought Klitschko full circle.
Why he let what seemed to be a certain victory in the first fight in 2004 slip from his grasp, however, will probably remain an unsolved mystery forever.