By Lucian Parfitt

It is with a degree of sympathy that I wonder what Andrew Golota had expected when he looked across the ring before his WBO title fight with Lamon Brewster. Recent form would suggest this would surely be fourth time lucky, having come tantalizingly close verses Chris Byrd and John Ruiz in his previous two fights. Brewster, the man who got battered by Wladimir Klitschko for five rounds before the Ukrainian seemingly stopped himself and who luckily scraped through with a win verses the inauspicious Kali Meehan.

Golota’s heavy favorite status appeared to be warranted judging on recent form, and most experts predicted a strangely easy night for the ‘foul pole’. The first instance that suggested this might not be such an easy pick was at the pre-fight weigh in. Golota’s frame looked less than trim, disfigured beneath a blue tracksuit, contrasted with a confident looking Brewster, who came looking chiseled and heavily muscled.

Any fighter preparing for Brewster at this stage must have watched the Meehan fight and thought "is that all I have to beat to win a world title?" But the Brewster of Saturday was an entirely different proposition. Brewster, knowing he was in shape held nothing back from the opening bell, launching vicious hooks that left Golota dazed, bewildered and battered. In the end after apparently throwing "more punches in this camp than I threw in all my professional fights put together" it only took 53 seconds.

After this Tysonesque performance one was left wondering two things: was Brewster that good or was Golota simply caught cold, and more importantly when will he be fighting next. In the top echelon of boxing it is rare to see world class fighters like Golota dispatched in under a minute. This sort of destruction is usually only dished out by the Tuas and Tysons of this world. Whilst Saturday may not be the coronation of the next great champion as Brewster suggested, it was certainly a potent introduction of an exciting new heavyweight. An occasion that was given a greater sense of significance by a crowd in excess of 20,000.

Although 53 seconds of drama is not what everyone wants from a prize fight, there was a sense that this was what the division really needed. After James Toney, perhaps the least toned or muscular elite fighter of this era got caught (bafflingly) using steroids and John Ruiz’s subsequent and thoroughly un-welcome comeback, the division really needed someone to make a statement. Brewster did exactly that, and bouts with Vitali Klitscko, Chris Byrd, or even a rematch with Wladimir stir me in a way that I haven’t felt since Lennox Lewis retired.

After such a thrilling performance Brewster appeared to acknowledge that many critics would wonder whether this was the same fighter who limped to wins over Wladimir Klitschko and Kali Meehan. Explaining of the Klitschko fight he said "That was the style I had to pick in order to win the fight. It didn't look good but that's what I had to do." And regarding Meehan "I gave it my best but I learned I do have a weakness, like Superman and Kryptonite, my weakness is that I can't fight a friend....other than that, I plan on knocking everyone else out!". No immediate plans have been announced for Brewster but it will be interesting to see how Brewster will fare against a more reliably accomplished opponent. One things for sure, after Saturday night and a handful of hurtful punches, the superman analogy does not seem so outrageous.