Bad Boy, big heart
The Contender: Grady Brewer
Lawton native competes for title

By Mel Bracht

Published: September 22, 2006

In his seven-year pro-boxing career, $10,000 is the most money Grady "The Bad Boy" Brewer of Lawton has made on a fight.

Tuesday, in front of a national TV audience (9 p.m., ESPN) at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Brewer will fight for $500,000. Second place is $75,000.

If Brewer, 35, wins the second-season finale of "The Contender" reality show, he might even quit his job as a technician at the Goodyear Tire Plant in Lawton.

Entering "The Contender" with the worst record of the 16 contestants, Brewer credits his determination for putting him in position for the huge payday for his family, which includes four kids, with another on the way. His 21-11 record is deceptive, stockpiled with losses from taking fights against talented fighters on short notice.

"I have a big heart," Brewer said Wednesday in a telephone interview. "I feel I have the biggest heart in the competition when it comes to fighting. But my background, I feel like no one has been through the things that I have."

That background, Brewer said, included being raised in a rough Lawton neighborhood with a mother and a brother who abused drugs and an alcoholic father. Following in a long line of boxers in his family, Brewer started boxing at age 11, taking advantage of free van rides to the gym. He also excelled in basketball, and said he turn downed a college scholarship after his wife, Brandi, got pregnant.

Getting selected for "The Contender" allowed Brewer the opportunity to devote his full attention to training.

"To train with these guys, to have the time off from work to focus and train, I feel it gave me more of a positive attitude to go in there and dominate," he said.

Said boxing analyst Sean O'Grady: "He's not had the opportunities and the breaks in the boxing business. That's one of the fantastic things about ‘The Contender.'"

Brewer's determination was evident in his semifinal bout against Norberto Bravo, which aired Tuesday night after being taped in February. Knocked down in the first round, he rallied to win.

"It woke me up and made me totally focused," he said.

"The Contender," hosted by Sugar Ray Leonard, has taught Brewer some valuable lessons about boxing.

"It definitely takes time, dedication, training, focus and healthy eating," he said. "A lot of my downfall, I realize, (is) I have never been able to eat right and be strong in all my fights, like I was in the ‘Contender' show."

Sean O’Grady’s analysis: Grady Brewer vs. Steve Forbes

Boxing commentator Sean O’Grady of Oklahoma City analyzes “The Contender” season finale as Grady Brewer of Lawton, 21-11 (12 KOs), will face Steve Forbes of Las Vegas, 32-3 (9 KOs):

“Steve Forbes is a tactician in the ring, a real technical fighter. He is a former world champion. He went a different route than Grady went. Steve has been more caressed and polished. He’s more of a technical fighter, while Grady is guts and determination, a hard-nosed fighter.”