Simon Says: Brewster king of heavies!

September 6, 2005

By Ralph Gonzalez
Photo: Ralph Gonzalez

When Sam Simon succeeds he does it in a big way. Not only is he the producer of the longest running television show in history, "The Simpsons", the L.A. bred Beverly Hills High graduate was a T.V. wonder kid who was running the TV show, "Taxi", at the age of 23. Simon also produced two other successful series in "The Drew Carey Show" and "Cheers". Currently he manages WBO Heavyweight Champion Lamon Brewster. Not bad for the son of a clothes manufacturer who was most likely headed into lawyer Dom as many of his friends eventually did. After all the accolades from tinsel town, it was Brewster's dramatic victory over then WBO Champion Wladimir Klitschko that produced one his most memorable moments. "That night was one of the high lights of my life. The fight was as dramatic and as exciting as any Rocky movie could ever wish to be," remembers Simon. Simon puffs away on a Cohiba in his ocean view office adorned with important chunks of his life. There are numerous Emmys, relics from past shows and posters of his man Brewster who recently helped clear up the heavyweight division with an impressive first round demolition of Andrew Golota.

While Simon was briefed on Lamon's excellent camp before the Golota fight, he was just as surprised as everyone that he flattened "The Foul Pole" as Golota is referred to due to his rough house tactics, in such brutal fashion. According to Simon, everyone in the locker room was predicting a first round knockout. "Everyone except me. There's no way I would've imagined it was going to happen like that. After the knockout, Lamon went to shake Golota's hand but he was so dazed that he didn't know the fight was over. It was the toughest fifty two seconds of his life." The good natured Brewster managed to make friends after the Golota blowout in what was earlier considered enemy territory due to Golota's Polish heritage and the large Polish enclave that resides in the "windy city". "After the fight, the Polish community in Chicago really embraced him. He's that kind of person. He makes friends wherever he goes. I'm sure the Germans will embrace him too."

Brewster is scheduled to fight on September 28th against German Luan Krasniqui in Germany. September 28th also happens to be the beloved Max Schmeling's 100th birthday. D'oh! A Homer Simpson move? Not so, Simon says, "We have all neutral judges. I think the pressure will be on Krasniqui. We'll get to Germany early and we're not worried about Lamon getting a bad decision or anything of that sort. Krasniqui hasn't fought anybody like Lamon. Fighting Golota in his hometown was basically the same type of situation."

Simon met Brewster at the Wild Card gym where he worked out with trainer Freddie Roach. Brewster told Roach of his managerial problems and both Simon and Roach managed Lamon in the beginning before Simon took over. Simon didn't realize what kind of potential Brewster had. It was Brewster's humble and kind attitude that captivated him. Brewster was the antithesis of "Dreadrick Tatum", a character from The Simpsons created by Simon and inspired by Mike Tyson. "At the point I came into the picture, Lamon was already seen as a solid prospect. He was ready to take the step up in competition. What I did see in him was what kind of person he was. I love Lamon and respect him. He's really a great guy who has a big heart in and out of the ring."

Brewster's defense against Kali Meehan pushed the new champ to the limit and he barely escaped with the crown. Simon is convinced that the real Lamon Brewster did not show up that night. "I was very concerned with what was going on in the ring. He was taking a lot of punches. For the record, he had a lot of problems in camp and he was fighting his friend. There were issues. It was a confusing time for Lamon. He had just become world champ and all sorts of problems were popping up. Everybody's had a bad night and that was his."

Simon made sure that the proper changes were made. "Things are different now. He's healthy. His trainer Jesse Reid has brought out the best in Lamon. Lamon hasn't gotten better, he's gotten right. I can't take credit for all of it but I can take credit for some of it. His personal situation is better and there should be no reason that Lamon shouldn't keep fighting the way he did against Golota."

Simon feels that his champion is at the top of the current heavyweight crop. "At a certain point people are going to realize that Lamon is the best heavyweight in the world. For some reason people see Vitali Klitschko as the true heavyweight champion and he's not. That's total B.S. I think it's because HBO is basically their promoter which has a lot to do with it. Lamon and Vitali will eventually meet up. It's a fight that makes sense. We're hoping it'll happen next year." The Klistchko name brings up a sore point for Simon who feels that the allegations by Team Klitschko of their fighter being drugged before the fight were self-serving, selfish and damaging to Brewster. "The only thing that drugged him were Lamon's fists. Wladimir went into the hospital for testing and nothing came of it. It was really bad sportsmanship on behalf of his camp."

Conquering the small screen and having a heavyweight champ is a hard act to follow but Simon is now setting his sights on the silver screen. "I want to direct films. I have to sit down and write one first," chuckles Simon as if thinking of the long process ahead. For now, Simon is busy with the Sam Simon Foundation which he started in order to train dogs for the deaf. The dogs are usually adopted from animal shelters and humane societies. The foundation also does its part to help keep the pet population in check by offering free spay and neuter programs for the city of Los Angeles. "We save the animals by rescuing them before they get put to sleep and train them for the handicapped. We can save the dog and enrich a human's life too at the same time."

So what's the secret to Simon's un-Homer like success? "Fun. Having fun at what you do and if you're working with talented people like I was with the Simpson's that helps a lot. Luck helps too. I thought we were going to do only thirteen episodes of the Simpsons and look what ended up happening." Taking a leap of faith also contributed to his success with Brewster, "What I did right with Lamon was that I stuck with him through thick and thin. It took Lamon a long time for things to come together so he could be where he is right now. Of all the four champions he's the most talented. Lamon's a real world champion. He'll fight anyone anywhere. Soon enough people are finally going to realize that he's the true heavyweight champion of the world. He'll probably have to beat Vitali to achieve that status. I know he'll beat Vitali and only then will Lamon get the recognition he deserves."

For more information on the Sam Simon foundation go to: www.samsimonfoundation.com

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