How Good was Bowe?

[sisforshaq]

Any way you wanna put it how good was Rid**** Bowe? What would he be as an all time Heavyweight?

[Zab Super Judah]

he was good but he was always a lazy ass

[JUYJUY]

Bowe had a little spell while Tyson was in jail and before Lewis went to the Kronk. He fought the over-rated Holyfield a few times, even losing against him. He's not an all-time great.

[The Devil]

Any way you wanna put it how good was Rid**** Bowe? What would he be as an all time Heavyweight?

We will never know because he ducked Lennox Lewis, the force of Bowes era.

[oldgringo]

Bowe had every skill neccessary to be an all-time great heavyweight. Great jab, good right hand behind it, power in both hands, great size and overall strength, long reach, a very solid chin, and most inportantly he was an EXCELLENT in-fighter. Most big men suck on the inside but Rid**** was a terror in the trenches.

The version of Rid**** that beat Holyfield in his first fight would have given any HW a lot of trouble and would have beaten some of them. Thats right, Ali, Holmes, Foreman, Lewis....you name it and Bowe would have been competitive with them.

He was however very afraid of Lennox for some reason, and couldn't control his weight issues. His laziness and overeating is what lead to his downfall....and the Holyfield fights.

[RoyFlapsHisLips]

The biggest problem in rating Bowe is he had one night where he looked like an all-galaxy fighter. He never came close to repeating his performance in the first Holyfield fight. A one-fight 'prime'.

I think he let Rock Newman talk him into avoiding Lewis to let the match build up into something huge. Unfortunately, plans went awry on both sides. Bowe got drawn into three decimating wars with Holyfield and Lewis lost to McCall. They should have taken the fight when they had it.

One thing I'm sure of is Bowe wasn't afraid of Lewis.

[JUYJUY]

Thats right, Ali, Holmes, Foreman, Lewis....you name it and Bowe would have been competitive with them.

I think he'd of been competitive with a Catskills Tyson as well, obviously he wouldn't of stood much chance of beating a Catskills Tyson but I don't think it would of been an easy fight for Mike. I rate Bowe alongside the likes of Tony Tubbs and Pinklon Thomas, slightly below Tucker but slightly above Witherspoon.

[The Phantom Menace]

He definitely does not belong in the top ten. Top 30 is more like it. He ran from Lennox remember.

[SacTown1]

Bowe had top-5 skills along with a club-fighter's work-ethic, which led to instant stardom followed by a quick demise

[Bozo_no no]

One thing I'm sure of is Bowe wasn't afraid of Lewis.

Actions speak louder than words. He climed out of the ring after the 1st Holyfield fight and confronted Lewis on camera (who was doing commentary). He said he "owed" Lewis one for losing to him in the olympics, and promied to fight him next. Lewis got close to him and told him he was going to knock him out 'again'. Bowe looked very uncomfortable the whole time.

Not only did he not go though with his own promise, he later threw his belt away rather than fight Lewis.

I think for whatever reason, his loss to Lewis in the Olympics planted a seed that he shouldn't fight him.

I don't know if afraid is the right word, but he clearly never had any interest in fighting Lewis.

Aside from that, I think he was a decent prospect, but the Holyfield fights took something out of him. He got hit too often and I don't think he was the same fighter after those three fights (even though he won 2 of 3).

He was another guy that was never 'all there' in the brains department.