By Sammy Rozenberg
Riddick "Big Daddy" Bowe won a ten round split decision this past Friday, it was the second fight in Bowe's comeback campaign. The fight was closer then Bowe would have liked and some people thought the decision should of went the other way. Bowe on the other hand felt that the decision was well deserved and there was no way his opponent Billy Zumbrun won the fight.
BoxingScene caught up with the former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world to get his thoughts on the fight with Zumbrun, his future in the division and whether or not he truly feels that he is the same fighter that had three wars with the great Evander Holyfield. Bowe's ultimate goal is to regain the glory he once had in the 90s and regain the heavyweight championship of the world.
BoxingScene: Where you happy with your performance against Billy Zumbrun?
Bowe: I'm very happy with my performance. I got some good rounds in, went ten rounds. I fought really hard. I wanted to get a knockout, but Billy is a real tough guy and went the full ten.
BoxingScene: Did he ever have you in serious trouble at anytime in the fight?
Bowe: He hit me with some hard shots, he got fast hands, but I was never in serious trouble. I took his punches, some of them were very hard and then threw some of my own right back.
BoxingScene: Did he surprise you by coming back from the hard bodyshot you landed which caused the only knockdown in the fight?
Bowe: He's a tough fighter, I hit him on point and he got back up and finished the fight. I wanted to knock him out, but that didnt go as planned.
BoxingScene: Did you expect such a tough fight?
Bowe: We didnt think Billy was this tough, it was a tougher fight then I anticipated, but I still fought hard and I think I deserved to get the decision.
BoxingScene: You were boxing in a lot of the rounds rather then slugging, was that the strategy?
Bowe: I wanted to show everybody that I can still box, I still got my jab and I can move around. People said I couldnt box anymore and I proved a lot of people wrong tonight.
BoxingScene: When do you see yourself stepping up to a bigger challenge?
Bowe: Maybe after 10 more fights. I'm taking it slow, I want to stay busy and show everyone that I'm still the same fighter they remember.
BoxingScene: Do you think that your the same Bowe that beat Evander Holyfield?
Bowe: I'm older, but I think I'm still the same fighter. I need to work on a few things, as time goes on everyone will see the same guy.
BoxingScene: Do you think an in-shape Riddick Bowe can be beat the best the heavyweight division has to offer?
Bowe: Oh, yes. Once I'm ready for the step, if I train hard and stay focused, none of these guys can beat me.