"I felt I needed to prove that you can be a nice guy, but at the same time, you can be a fighter," said Brewster, who has been criticized for not being aggressive.

Andrew Golota was knocked down three times in the first round, including this time when he was sent through the ropes. (Jonathan Daniel / Getty Images)

Brewster knocked down Golota three times with thunderous left hooks, the first coming 13 seconds into the bout. After Golota got up, Brewster continued to attack and knocked the challenger between the second and third ropes.

"I think everyone saw a man in a zone," Brewster's trainer Jesse Reid said.

Brewster (32-2, 28 knockouts) landed a series of punches and ended the fight with another left hook that dropped Golota for the third time.

"Andrew Golota was the only thing keeping me from the land of milk and honey," Brewster said. "I've got more than just heart. I've got skills. I was an F-16, and he was a B-52 Bomber. And I shot him down."

It was a quick end to the bout, and, possibly, Golota's career. The 37-year-old Golota (38-6-1, 31 KOs) said he would retire if he didn't win.

"I cannot believe this happens to me every decade," Golota said, referring to the Lewis fight. "Maybe it's time for me to think about leaving boxing."

The Golota-Brewster fight was the first heavyweight championship bout in the Chicago area since Mike Weaver won the WBA title in a 15-round decision over James "Quick" Tillis at the Rosemont Horizon in October 1981.

Golota was fighting in his fourth title bout. The first was in 1997, when Lennox Lewis scored a first-round technical knockout. Golota got that title shot after consecutive disqualifications for low blows while leading Riddick Bowe.

Most recently, Golota was coming off a controversial decision loss to WBA champion John Ruiz in November and a draw against IBF champ Chris Byrd seven months earlier. The loss to Ruiz especially grated on Golota, who knocked his opponent down twice in the second round that night. Ruiz also had a point deducted for hitting on the break in the fourth.

Still, the title eluded Golota that night, just as it did Saturday.

The fight was held in Golota's adopted hometown that sports a large Polish population. But he simply showed nothing.

He received mostly cheers, with a few boos, from the crowd of 20,126 in the pre-fight introductions, and shortly afterward, he left the ring with his head hanging.

Brewster said he watched video of Golota and noticed, "He keeps his hands high, and I knew he would be susceptible to my punches."

So Brewster went right at Golota.

"I'm not saying I'm great, but there was Lennox Lewis," Brewster said. "Before that, there was Mike Tyson. And there's me. I need to stand up and be a great champion. I'm here to stay."

Notes

Promoter Don King said he plans to stage a card Aug. 13 at the United Center, with heavyweight Hasim Rahman facing Monte Barrett.