Andrew Golota Continues his Quest for Redemption.

On May 21, 2005, televised on HBO’s world championship boxing series, former 1988 Bronze Medalist, and current heavyweight contender Andrew Golota will challenge for his third heavyweight title in a row (the fourth title challenge of his career) when he takes on the WBO titleholder “Relentless”

Lamon Brewster. It is a fight that will be live from the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, which happens to be where Golota calls home. In his previous two bouts, Golota drew with IBF champion Chris Byrd, and lost a unanimous decision to WBA boss “The Quiet Man” John Ruiz. The “Foul Pole,” as he is referred to by the majority of the boxing media has had one of the most bizarre careers this side of “Iron” Mike Tyson. He began his fistic journey with twenty-eight straight victories and seemed to be well on his way to a championship. In those twenty-eight victories, Golota showed great skill, solid power, and fast hands for a man his size.

Read on as SaddoBoxing.com begins its coverage of this Saturday’s WBO heavyweight championship fight.

Then, on July 11, 1996, a fight against Riddick “Big Daddy” Bowe gave us the first glimpse of Andrew’s mental make-up, which ultimately lead to disaster. In a fight Golota was clearly dominating, he inexplicably started to whack Bowe with low blows, seemingly begging the referee to disqualify him. The warnings from referee Wayne Kelly went ignored, and Golota received disqualification in the seventh round. The two fighters met again on December 14, 1996, with Andrew, again, being disqualified for low blows, this time in the ninth round. No one could really understand why Andrew did what he did, but the “Foul Pole” received his first title shot anyway, against WBC titleholder Lennox Lewis. That fight, which took place on October 4, 1997, ended within the first two minutes; Golota suffered a knockout loss. The look on his face is unforgettable, as his eyes almost came out of their sockets. It seemed that Andrew was through as a professional fighter.

Golota rolled off six wins before the most memorable night of his boxing career, which took place on November 20, 1999. In a fight televised to millions of viewers on HBO, Golota floored a then young and undefeated Michael Grant twice in the first round, and seemingly dominated most of the fight. In the tenth round, Andrew himself hit the canvas. Upon rising from the knockdown, Golota quit a fight in which he led on all the scorecards. His trainer frantically attempted to get his charge to continue with the contest, but the “Foul Pole” refused, as he paced around the ring looking lost and seemingly in a mental hell. No one really knows what was going through his mind, but the Warsaw, Poland born Golota simply did not respond to anyone that night.

For some unknown reason, Andrew continued to fight, and on October 20, 2000, he faced another basket case in “Iron” Mike Tyson. In a fight could have been held in an insane asylum, rather than a boxing venue, Tyson stopped Golota in two rounds. The combat was later ruled a no-contest because “Iron” Mike was “high as a kite” Mike; Tyson tested positive for marijuana in the post-fight urine test. It really seemed that the Chicago based Golota would not be heard of again. This was the case for almost three years.

Then, on August 14, 2003, Andrew made a quiet return to boxing with a seventh round technical knockout of Brian Nix. Three months later, he followed up that win with another victory over Terrance Lewis. Still, practically all of the boxing world saw Golota as a joke and waited for the “Foul Pole” to have another one of his bizarre mental breakdowns. Somehow, the IBF rated Golota in their ranking, opening the door for Andrew to have a chance at IBF champion Chris Byrd. This caused a negative backlash from boxing fans and media alike. Still, regardless of the negative press and dismay from the fans, on April 17, 2004, Byrd and Golota met in Madison Square Garden.

To the shock of the boxing world, the “Foul Pole” not only held his composure for twelve rounds, but gave Byrd all he could handle, fighting him to a draw. Most ringside observers felt that Golota had done enough to earn the IBF trinket. His impressive showing was rewarded seven months later, as Andrew got a shot at WBA boss, “The Quiet Man” John Ruiz. Golota had Ruiz down early in the fight, and, again, held his composure against the mauling Puerto Rican champion. The “Foul Pole” gave a solid performance, but ended up losing a twelve-round unanimous decision.

Now, Andrew gets his third straight shot at redeeming what was once a promising career that seemed certain to lead to a world title. Who knows if the “Foul Pole” can continue to maintain his composure and how he will react to the relentless, hard hitting, iron chinned WBO champion Lamon Brewster. Will he finally win back his honor and erase those unforgettable memories of his boxing past, or will he, again, crack under pressure and forever leave the stains of his troubled career? On May 21, 2005, we will know the answer to those questions. One thing is for certain, Andrew Golota has come a long way in rebuilding his image, and has an even longer road ahead of him to make us forget about his shortcomings.

Sergio Martinez can be reached at srg_mrtnz@yahoo.com