Was Rid**** Bowe really that good?

[dan_cov]

I see he wins a lot of fantasy fights and he could sure box, he could fight great up close for such a big man but is he more hyped/favoured due to what he could of been do you think?

Don't get me wrong, he sure was a talented giant but like, he only ever put in maybe 2-3 great performances did he not?
(Holyfield bouts, Michael Dokes who was a good fighter but tended to fall that little bit short at world level R.I.P Champ)

Kind of a coulda, shoulda, woulda...

I struggle to really pick inconsistent guys who struggled, had demons and only put in a few great performances over elite level consistency that has/did stay(ed) on top for like a decade...

Can you really pick Bowe over Vitali, Ali, Holmes, Lewis etc head-to-head?

[jaded]

He had his moments...but if he was then Golata must have been great because aside from the low blows he was all over Bowe...and although Golata in his prime also had his moments...he was not great.

[paulf]

He had his moments...but if he was then Golata must have been great because aside from the low blows he was all over Bowe...and although Golata in his prime also had his moments...he was not great.

By then Bowe was gone. He was grossly out of shape in their first fight, and while he looked much better coming into their second fight his reflexes vanished.

Yeah Bowe was good. Bowe was amazing. Bowe vs Tyson would have been one for the ages. Lennox Lewis beat him in the Olympics and while he did blatantly duck Lennox, I think it would have been a competitive fight.

He, Ike, and to a lesser degree Mike are the biggest wastes of heavyweight talent in the modern boxing era.

[miron_lang]

did not have enough fights to compare to other great heavyweights.


Lennox Lewis would be the favorite if they ever did it and would have won too.

[The Noose]

Watched the 1st holyfield fight the other day, and i was very very impressed. He had it all.
But it didnt last long.

I favour him over Lewis and both Klits at their peaks.

[yoz]

I see he wins a lot of fantasy fights and he could sure box, he could fight great up close for such a big man but is he more hyped/favoured due to what he could of been do you think?

Don't get me wrong, he sure was a talented giant but like, he only ever put in maybe 2-3 great performances did he not?
(Holyfield bouts, Michael Dokes who was a good fighter but tended to fall that little bit short at world level R.I.P Champ)

Kind of a coulda, shoulda, woulda...

I struggle to really pick inconsistent guys who struggled, had demons and only put in a few great performances over elite level consistency that has/did stay(ed) on top for like a decade...

Can you really pick Bowe over Vitali, Ali, Holmes, Lewis etc head-to-head?

Lewis > Bowe.

[jaded]

By then Bowe was gone. He was grossly out of shape in their first fight, and while he looked much better coming into their second fight his reflexes vanished.

Yeah Bowe was good. Bowe was amazing. Bowe vs Tyson would have been one for the ages. Lennox Lewis beat him in the Olympics and while he did blatantly duck Lennox, I think it would have been a competitive fight.

He, Ike, and to a lesser degree Mike are the biggest wastes of heavyweight talent in the modern boxing era.

LOL...He fought Golata 8 months after he beat Holyfield...he was still in shape. Golata was much faster.

I just watched that again last night...that fight was crazy...that was the one with the huge riot that lasted almost as long as the fight. Golata was actually pretty damm good that night...just terribly dumb. He said in an interview that he just couldn't control himself.

[TBear]

I always thought Bowe was torn between poor management and excellent training. In his prime he was very good. But career wise his prime was not really long.

[miron_lang]

Golota was winning both fights. He was comfortably ahead when he started targeting Bowe's testicles.


Golota was unfit to fight mentally IMO.

[TBear]

LOL...He fought Golata 8 months after he beat Holyfield...he was still in shape. Golata was much faster.

I just watched that again last night...that fight was crazy...that was the one with the huge riot that lasted almost as long as the fight. Golata was actually pretty damm good that night...just terribly dumb. He said in an interview that he just couldn't control himself.

He came in against Golota out of shape and over weight in the first fight. 12 pounds heavier than he was against his previous bout with Holyfield. He was so out of shape for that first fight, in the immediate rematch they worked him like a dog, over training him in the process. He was obviously weak. Matter of fact for the rematch he was 17 pounds lighter and looked dried out!
But I doen't blame anyone but Bowe and his management for screwing up. Sometimes a simple mistake can ruin a whole career in boxing. That is just the way it is!