Why not Bowe vs Tyson?

[Beanflicker]

Why couldn't Bowe handle punching power? He got cracked and rocked plenty of times and came back. He fought a lot of hard hitters.

[El Kabong]

Why couldn't Bowe handle punching power? He got cracked and rocked plenty of times and came back. He fought a lot of hard hitters.

Riddick Bowe never fought a heavyweight power puncher....FACT. Getting dropped by Holyfield & Golota doesn't do much to add to this idea that Riddick was some granite chinned warrior. There were heaps of power punchers in the 1990's and Bowe fought 0 of them.

[Beanflicker]

Bert Cooper could punch, so could Pinklon. JLG was no world beater but he could crack. Herbie Hide had dynamite in his hands. He was a natural cruiserweight, sure, but so is David Haye

Bowe has been cracked enough by good punchers to where I think it's a little unfair to cast doubts about his chin.

[Spicoli]

Why couldn't Bowe handle punching power? He got cracked and rocked plenty of times and came back. He fought a lot of hard hitters.

Riddick Bowe never fought a heavyweight power puncher....FACT. Getting dropped by Holyfield & Golota doesn't do much to add to this idea that Riddick was some granite chinned warrior. There were heaps of power punchers in the 1990's and Bowe fought 0 of them.

As far as single home run hitters Bowe wasn't facing a Foreman or Tyson but again I think you seriously under sell Holyfield as a hurtful combo puncher. He put some of the hardest chins and sacks on jelly legs more than once and they were more tried and true above any single bomb an off balance Shannon Briggs could bring. And yes Bowes a slob who blew his potential.

[El Kabong]

As far as single home run hitters Bowe wasn't facing a Foreman or Tyson but again I think you seriously under sell Holyfield as a hurtful combo puncher. He put some of the hardest chins and sacks on jelly legs more than once and they were more tried and true above any single bomb an off balance Shannon Briggs could bring. And yes Bowes a slob who blew his potential.

Holyfield was good at applying ungodly amounts of pressure as well as making for ugly fights....his power was good enough, but he wasn't a "Power Puncher" he only has 29 KO's out of 44 wins....hardly someone you can call a power puncher.

[Beanflicker]

Hide 49 with 43 KOs (same as Marciano), and he had the cruiserweight speed to go with it.
JLG 31 with 27 KOs
Bert Cooper 38 with 31


Not guys on the level of a Tyson by any stretch, but if we're talking pure power, these guys could bang and all ended up flat on the canvas.

[El Kabong]

Hide 49 with 43 KOs (same as Marciano), and he had the cruiserweight speed to go with it.
JLG 31 with 27 KOs
Bert Cooper 38 with 31


Not guys on the level of a Tyson by any stretch, but if we're talking pure power, these guys could bang and all ended up flat on the canvas.

Herbie Hide was a cruiserweight, that's the issue!

JLG had an inflated record. He ended up getting KO'd by the likes of Michael Grant, Ross Purrity, Tim Witherspoon, & Cliff Couser just to mention a few.

Bert Cooper was a heavy hitter at CRUISERWEIGHT, he was ok at heavyweight but nothing special I mean Larry Donald stopped him.

We never saw Bowe take on the best contenders of his era, now I don't mean just Tyson & Lewis, I mean guys like Ray Mercer, Tommy Morrison, Donovan Ruddock, Shannon Briggs, George Foreman, Michael Moorer, etc. Other than the wins over Holyfield Bowe never impressed me.

[Bobthepen]

Hide 49 with 43 KOs (same as Marciano), and he had the cruiserweight speed to go with it.
JLG 31 with 27 KOs
Bert Cooper 38 with 31


Not guys on the level of a Tyson by any stretch, but if we're talking pure power, these guys could bang and all ended up flat on the canvas.

Herbie Hide was a cruiserweight, that's the issue!

JLG had an inflated record. He ended up getting KO'd by the likes of Michael Grant, Ross Purrity, Tim Witherspoon, & Cliff Couser just to mention a few.

Bert Cooper was a heavy hitter at CRUISERWEIGHT, he was ok at heavyweight but nothing special I mean Larry Donald stopped him.

We never saw Bowe take on the best contenders of his era, now I don't mean just Tyson & Lewis, I mean guys like Ray Mercer, Tommy Morrison, Donovan Ruddock, Shannon Briggs, George Foreman, Michael Moorer, etc. Other than the wins over Holyfield Bowe never impressed me.

Tommy Morrison best contender? Bowe was retired by the time Briggs stepped onto the world scene, so not his era.
Bowe would have dispatched Briggs easily. Lewis struggled with Briggs for two rounds because he didn't jab. Bowe would have used his jab, and was a better infighter than Lewis and would have punished Briggs as he came inside to hold.
Bowe had all the tools for me, just lacked the mentality.

[Master]

Hide 49 with 43 KOs (same as Marciano), and he had the cruiserweight speed to go with it.
JLG 31 with 27 KOs
Bert Cooper 38 with 31


Not guys on the level of a Tyson by any stretch, but if we're talking pure power, these guys could bang and all ended up flat on the canvas.

Either way Briggs is crap compared to Bowe and the best Bowe would beat the best Briggs. Bowe had a decent chin which gradually weakened the older (and fatter) he got.

[El Kabong]

Either way Briggs is crap compared to Bowe and the best Bowe would beat the best Briggs. Bowe had a decent chin which gradually weakened the older (and fatter) he got.

Briggs is a flake, but flakey as he may be he would have given Bowe hell.....FACT. Hell I think Michael Grant could have made life troublesome for Riddick. I am CERTAIN Ruddock would have beaten him, would have doe far better vs Bowe than vs Lewis and Tyson.

[Spicoli]

As far as single home run hitters Bowe wasn't facing a Foreman or Tyson but again I think you seriously under sell Holyfield as a hurtful combo puncher. He put some of the hardest chins and sacks on jelly legs more than once and they were more tried and true above any single bomb an off balance Shannon Briggs could bring. And yes Bowes a slob who blew his potential.

Holyfield was good at applying ungodly amounts of pressure as well as making for ugly fights....his power was good enough, but he wasn't a "Power Puncher" he only has 29 KO's out of 44 wins....hardly someone you can call a power puncher.

He def was not a power puncher in the truest sense but ko numbers can be overstated and power without skill/substance doesn't amount to much. I think at the end of the day who'd ya hurt and when did ya hurt them speaks more to power than a blanket percentage.

[El Kabong]

As far as single home run hitters Bowe wasn't facing a Foreman or Tyson but again I think you seriously under sell Holyfield as a hurtful combo puncher. He put some of the hardest chins and sacks on jelly legs more than once and they were more tried and true above any single bomb an off balance Shannon Briggs could bring. And yes Bowes a slob who blew his potential.

Holyfield was good at applying ungodly amounts of pressure as well as making for ugly fights....his power was good enough, but he wasn't a "Power Puncher" he only has 29 KO's out of 44 wins....hardly someone you can call a power puncher.

He def was not a power puncher in the truest sense but ko numbers can be overstated and power without skill/substance doesn't amount to much. I think at the end of the day who'd ya hurt and when did ya hurt them speaks more to power than a blanket percentage.

I get that, but I just have a feeling based on how Bowe did vs Lennox Lewis that he would have more trouble with the big bangers which would include Shannon Briggs who most certainly had 1 punch power.

[VictorCharlie]

Bowe's mental issues were more pronounced outside of the ring. I don't remember seeing him really crumble mentally/emotionally in the ring the way Tyson did but he obviously didn't have the discipline outside of the ring. The guy had all of the boxing skill and physical attributes needed but just couldn't put down the cupcakes and deteriorated faster than any fighter I've ever seen except maybe Meldrick Taylor. I think in a battle of wills between these two Riddick could weather the Tyson storm and win on a late round KO after pumping the jab and tieing up Mike.

[Beanflicker]

I get that, but I just have a feeling based on how Bowe did vs Lennox Lewis that he would have more trouble with the big bangers which would include Shannon Briggs who most certainly had 1 punch power.

That's the amateurs though. Augie Sanchez beat Mayweather in the amateurs. Tillman beat Tyson twice in the amateurs.

You gotta give him his due as a pro!