“What can be done about it?” asks Grady
Brewer after Adama defeat
By Alex Pierpaoli
Photo by Steve Miller
Grady Brewer isn’t happy.
“This is bull. This is horrible. It's why people wanna go to MMA now.”
This past Saturday night Brewer was on the losing end of a 10 round split
decision against Osumanu Adama at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium in Lowell, Massachusetts.
This writer was not in attendance but descriptions of the card, promoted by Chicago Fight Club Promotions, mention it
being replete with delays and disorder. KO Digest’s Jeffrey Freeman
described the show as “ragtag” and reported the main event didn’t even begin until after midnight.
Grady Brewer, 30-15 (16), was tabbed
the winner by one of the three judges, 96-94, overruled
by scores of 97-93, 96-94 the other way. Brewer felt he won more rounds in the
bout and even had Adama on the verge of a kayo at one point.
“I think the referee was thinking about maybe stopping it, I think it was
the fifth round, Brewer recalls. “I wouldn’t want the ref to stop it in that
situation on me so I’m not saying they shoulda stopped
it. But they coulda probably called
it a 10-8 round. He was pretty much showing that he was out on his feet,
he was staggered, he was wobbly. The
bell saved him in that round.”
At stake in the match-up were two different straps, of the IBO
Inter-Continental and WBC Continental Americas variety, but Adama couldn’t make
the middleweight limit and could not claim the titles after the win.
“He was only a half a pound heavy,” Brewer stated.
“It wasn’t like he was really heavy. He couldn’t lose that half a pound though.
So he couldn't even qualify to fight for the belts. So that was good because he
didn’t get the belts neither cause he didn’t deserve them. So I think God made
the way for him not to get the belts because of the simple fact He knew how it
was gonna turn out. He knew they was gonna try to rob me. I didn't get the
belts, he didn't get the belts…he didn’t qualify for them. And I don’t think he
won the fight.”
Now forty-two years old, Grady Brewer knows he may not get many more chances
like that. He’d made the middleweight limit for the contest but lost his shot
in the split-decision defeat. The titles Brewer had gotten even closer to on
the scales were once again out of reach after the official decision was read.
“That's what hurts me the most,” said Brewer. “Because it was a title shot,
a title opportunity to gather those belts. They were interim belts. But it’s
still an opportunity to move on up. And I felt that was my chance to really redeem myself and get back on track.”