Bowe: Was Futch right?

Eddie Futch said "Riddick Bowe has the potential, the be the greatest HW he had ever seen"

Nobody had such a meteoric rise and fall as Riddick Bowe. His demise, unlike Tyson's, was a result of his unrestrained pursuit of pork chop. Bowe- a relentless food bag even had a kitchen installed in his bedroom.

But there was a period there when he bested Holyfield in 92 and went on to top him in there trilogy that Bowe was definitely up there with any premiere HW. Only 1 year after his last fight with Holyfield, we witnessed his 2 beatdowns by Golota. Obviously this represented such wasted talent. Bowe clearly did not have the mentality of a champion anymore.

His public ducking of Lennox Lewis is probably the most shameful act of all time in HW boxing. Why did he do it? Was he really that afraid of Lennox? Was it that he could not stand to lose to someone he hated so passionately? Or did Rock Newman desperately not want to risk his cash cow until he had milked him for what he was worth first?

If Riddick had tempered his eating habits and remained focussed on his training and not chickened out against Lewis... Could he have beaten him? He was big enough. He had skills, not as sharp as Lewis on the outside but clearly a better inside game. And he had a better chin.

We know he could beat Holyfield, but what about Tyson?

Could he compete with Vitali Klitschko, or Wladimir?

Clearly Riddick robbed us of atleast 1 superfight with Lewis and could have had highly electrifying ones with these others had he the will to succeed.

Your a dickhead.
The end

More of the same old inflammatory dumb assed shit huh @Max Power !!!??

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Originally Posted by Dark Lord Al

Your a dickhead.
The end

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This is far more eloquent than the eight paragraphs that preceded it.

Why would that post wind anyone up? The fuck is going on round here :-\

I actually thought Bowe would beat Lewis back then, but have changed my mind over the years. Bowe-Vitali, I would favour a prime Vitali in an entertaining fight. Wlad-Bowe, I would favour Bowe by KO.

I never knew he put a kitchen in his bedroom. ;D

How is asking a question a "windup"?

I think Riddick Bowe was a very talented fighter who was kind of like Arturo Gatti in that he could box and when he did he looked great but he could get drawn into battles and it was just hard for him to not want to battle it out even though he could have used his height and size more effectively and prolonged his career.

I always was intrigued by a Bowe-Tyson matchup. Bowe COULD use his reach effectively but he wasn't consistent with it (which always allowed Holyfield back in their fights). Tyson was harmless when kept at the end of a long jab, but let him inside and don't tie him up or drop the jab instead of snapping it back and you've BIG trouble. I also look at Bowe's record and he never fought a big time power puncher in his era: Tyson, Lewis, Ruddock, Morrison, etc he never fought a guy with top notch power which always made me question his chin. I think it would be a battle but Bowe had the mental toughness to beat Tyson had they fought.

I think Lennox Lewis would beat him if Lennox was focused. If Lennox half assed it like he did vs Bruno (where he was lucky to get the win given his effort or lack there of) then Bowe would have demolished him.

Vitali would hammer the dog shit out of Bowe

Wlad vs Bowe would be very interesting. Wlad knows how to fight tall and he follows that plan strictly, he's also very athletic, but Bowe is a rougher kind of fighter and can mix it up. I think if Golota can outbox and befuddle Bowe then Wlad would have an easy time, but if the Bowe that fought Holyfield was around maybe he can get Wlad to run out of gas just by pressure and fighting more on the inside.

Bowe vs Briggs would have been decent too as Briggs could punch, had fast hands, and was a relatively big fella

Yes, yes and yes.

As for Tyson and Bowe, I can maybe see Bowe as somewhat similar in 92 as Buster Douglas in Tokyo. Both looked similar, similar size and even a similar sad story.

Wladimir vs Bowe is definitely the shaky proposition. I can see Bowe getting Wlad sometimes. I think Bowe would have moments like Tony Thompson did but Bowe hits harder and Wlad did not fight anybody who can work inside but with the height and reach of Bowe. But then again if Wladimir performed flawlessly I can see a decision win as well. He isn't knocking Bowe out though, no way.

Vitali I see the clear favourite over Bowe, he never loses focus.

LEnnox again I favour most of the time but if their fight at the Olympics was anything to go by, for me I don't really call that a KO, not in pro boxing and the first round proved that Bowe's inside game troubled Lewis. I think too if Lewis was half assed at all as he could be against Mercer or McCall or Bruno... He would have gone down to the big daddy and maybe we'd be celebrating old food bag as the premiere HW of the 90's instead.

But again... It's just what ifs?

Briggs vs Bowe would have been good for sure as I believe Bowe 92 vs Tokyo Buster would have been a classic war.

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Originally Posted by Max Power

Yes, yes and yes.

As for Tyson and Bowe, I can maybe see Bowe as somewhat similar in 92 as Buster Douglas in Tokyo. Both looked similar, similar size and even a similar sad story.

Wladimir vs Bowe is definitely the shaky proposition. I can see Bowe getting Wlad sometimes. I think Bowe would have moments like Tony Thompson did but Bowe hits harder and Wlad did not fight anybody who can work inside but with the height and reach of Bowe. But then again if Wladimir performed flawlessly I can see a decision win as well. He isn't knocking Bowe out though, no way.

Vitali I see the clear favourite over Bowe, he never loses focus.

LEnnox again I favour most of the time but if their fight at the Olympics was anything to go by, for me I don't really call that a KO, not in pro boxing and the first round proved that Bowe's inside game troubled Lewis. I think too if Lewis was half assed at all as he could be against Mercer or McCall or Bruno... He would have gone down to the big daddy and maybe we'd be celebrating old food bag as the premiere HW of the 90's instead.

But again... It's just what ifs?

Briggs vs Bowe would have been good for sure as I believe Bowe 92 vs Tokyo Buster would have been a classic war.

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Lewis V Bowe who wins Lewis, remember Lewis had that mental edge over Bowe, he beat him in
the amateurs. He hit Bowe on the chin, big daddy's legs were like jelly.
Simple Bowe put his belt in the bin and his Career went with it, he could have should have just
becomes. :bs:

Futch was a great trainer and Bowe had all the talent to be the best but lacked the consistent dedication that is required for a great champion. I think Holyfield finished his career with the wars he had with him.

Bowe could have beaten Lewis before he had Manny Steward but after no chance, by that time Bowe was finished.

Yeah Bowe fizzled quick after Holyfield I agree. I think if Bowe was ever gonna get Lennox it would have been when they were supposed to fight also, that was his only chance in this reality I agree with that too.

But to be honest the other man was likely right, Lewis had even then that supreme confidence like a lion entering an unarmed village.

What was the motivation behind the chicken Bowe event? Was he really that terrified of Lewis? I find it hard to swallow that big Riddick Bowe would be that afraid of Lewis that he would publicly make a complete coward and fool of himself and split up the titles which to this day are all but unified.

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Originally Posted by Dia bando

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Originally Posted by Max Power

Yes, yes and yes.

As for Tyson and Bowe, I can maybe see Bowe as somewhat similar in 92 as Buster Douglas in Tokyo. Both looked similar, similar size and even a similar sad story.

Wladimir vs Bowe is definitely the shaky proposition. I can see Bowe getting Wlad sometimes. I think Bowe would have moments like Tony Thompson did but Bowe hits harder and Wlad did not fight anybody who can work inside but with the height and reach of Bowe. But then again if Wladimir performed flawlessly I can see a decision win as well. He isn't knocking Bowe out though, no way.

Vitali I see the clear favourite over Bowe, he never loses focus.

LEnnox again I favour most of the time but if their fight at the Olympics was anything to go by, for me I don't really call that a KO, not in pro boxing and the first round proved that Bowe's inside game troubled Lewis. I think too if Lewis was half assed at all as he could be against Mercer or McCall or Bruno... He would have gone down to the big daddy and maybe we'd be celebrating old food bag as the premiere HW of the 90's instead.

But again... It's just what ifs?

Briggs vs Bowe would have been good for sure as I believe Bowe 92 vs Tokyo Buster would have been a classic war.

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Lewis V Bowe who wins Lewis, remember Lewis had that mental edge over Bowe, he beat him in
the amateurs. He hit Bowe on the chin, big daddy legs were like jelly.
Simple Bowe put his belt in the bin and his Career went with it, he could have should have just
becomes. :bs:

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The Bowe of the am's was a different Bowe in the pro's. Bowe in the pro's had more wollop and certainly stood up longer. Sure, Lewis would have tagged him. But, with Bowe's reach and punching power, what would have happened to Lewis- same thing that happened to him with Rachman and McCall.

When Futch made that statement, Bowe was in the gym every day, working under supervision and improving. When he won the title, he took off for a year (give or take) and Futch changed his opinion. From then on, he said, Bowe's training camps became fat farms.
bowe was a weak willed individual that valued being lazy and eating like a pig more than he valued being good at his trade and securing a financial future for himself andhis half dozen kids. kind of a spineless individual in all regards.
If you don't care about yourself when your are by yourself, then you ain't no good.

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Originally Posted by Max Power

Yeah Bowe fizzled quick after Holyfield I agree. I think if Bowe was ever gonna get Lennox it would have been when they were supposed to fight also, that was his only chance in this reality I agree with that too.

But to be honest the other man was likely right, Lewis had even then that supreme confidence like a lion entering an unarmed village.

What was the motivation behind the chicken Bowe event? Was he really that terrified of Lewis? I find it hard to swallow that big Riddick Bowe would be that afraid of Lewis that he would publicly make a complete coward and fool of himself and split up the titles which to this day are all but unified.

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Fighters that have beaten there opponents, in previous encounters have that edge, when Bowe fought Lewis in there amateurs, they were evenly matched both big guys with good skills, but
I remember watching that fight, Bowe got hit he was out on his feet.!

Going into the pro game, I feel that lose had mentally scared Bowe and he did not fancy his chances, against Lewis, if they had fought you would have to back Lewis.
I liked Lewis but you could get infuriated watching him sometimes, he could be lazy and negative,
then he could be magnificent, when you watched him your just not sure which fighter would turn up, but that's boxing, the very best can look crap on any given day.;)

Ha ha, mate you summed up Lewis totally. When he was on he beats everybody. I can't bet on either Klitschko to beat a sizzling LEnnox Lewis. But he got incredibly lazy sometimes. He just got too complacent at times, thinking he was immune to punches. Both his KO losses were a result of it.

But gotta pick him over Bowe in 92, you are quite right. Would have been a great fight though. Probably the signature fight of the 90's.

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Originally Posted by Max Power

Yeah Bowe fizzled quick after Holyfield I agree. I think if Bowe was ever gonna get Lennox it would have been when they were supposed to fight also, that was his only chance in this reality I agree with that too.

But to be honest the other man was likely right, Lewis had even then that supreme confidence like a lion entering an unarmed village.

What was the motivation behind the chicken Bowe event? Was he really that terrified of Lewis? I find it hard to swallow that big Riddick Bowe would be that afraid of Lewis that he would publicly make a complete coward and fool of himself and split up the titles which to this day are all but unified.

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Bowe threw the belts in the bin and publicly humiliated the WBC and fought easy fights against Dokes and Ferguson where he lost his hunger for fighting.

This is one of the more intelligent threads on here lately.

Bowe was arguably the most naturally talented out of the big 4 in the 90s, meaning the inclusion of Holyfield, Lewis and Tyson in that list. It was also a pretty decent HW era all round with some good boxers on the fringe and the likes of Foreman still around and Moorer, Ruddock, Mercer, etc.

It was a shame that Bowe did not fight Tyson or Lewis as when he was fit and in the zone they both would have been up against it. I think it was less about food and more about mentality with Riddick and papa smurf was probably right about the potential.

I also think that he underestimated Holyfield in the return who was magnificent, his best performance.. and would have beaten anyone on the planet on that night regardless of silly skydivers etc...

MBH

Bowe got too big for himself. He had serious boxing know how but say what you want about him...he also had something the division, Tyson and Holyfield as champions lacked..a legitimate champion with a huuuge personality and charisma. The guy blew up massively in the spotlight. He didn't lack heart, he lacked focus and someone kicking him in the ass other than Elijah Tillery.

He had the talent but not the heart.

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Originally Posted by mrbig1

He had the talent but not the heart.

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A fighter doesn't take what he sponged with Holyfield and Golota over 5 fights and not have heart.

Well for what it's worth I think Bowe was not so much scared of Lennox personally but I think after winning the title he wanted to hold onto it for a while and not be regarded as a 1-time champ as others have, but rather he wanted to be considered a REAL champion like Tyson and Holmes.

He knew Lennox was really good and did not want to risk losing it to Lewis right away whom he hated badly. The thought of Lennox undermining him and stealing his legacy was unbearable, so maybe he figured by avoiding him he could continue to reign and leave the element of doubt which he somewhat has. A cowardly act still to be sure. But one motivated more out of selfishness than fear.

Atleast that's my theory which could be off mark but we will never really know.

As for the problems with the rest of Bowe's career, I think the Bowe who rose to prominence was focussed, dedicated in his training and just as talented as the rest of the "big 4" as I like the way that was put (the others being Holyfield, Tyson and Lewis).

But I think winning the title was everything for Bowe. I think once he achieved this he subconsciously reached his state of satisfaction. The heavyweight championship for Bowe was a "goal" not a "destiny" as Lewis viewed it. And so he fell back into his old habits of eating and getting lazy with his training, ballooning up and ultimately getting pasted by Golota.

"Heart" had nothing to do with it, Bowe had plenty. "Discipline" was the problem.

Newman said... "Bowe absolutely loved the idea of being the Heavyweight Champion. But he absolutely hated the sacrifices and effort it took to actually BE that person."