Former heavyweight king Riddick Bowe celebrates his 58th birthday today, and the man known as “Big Daddy” sure has some hugely eventful, up and down (mostly up) ring career to look back on. But it is possible Bowe has a sense, a feeling, of regret as he does look back. For Bowe, as gifted as he was and as special as he was on certain nights he had in the ring, didn’t fulfil his full potential.
Bowe was, you could argue, great for one night only; this when he defeated all-time great Evander Holyfield in a Fight of the Decade candidate (if not winner), this in November of 1992. Bowe was superb that night, and his blend of infighting, combination punching, this of the unrelenting kind, and his desire saw him top Holyfield over the course of 12 thrilling rounds. But Bowe had peaked, his crowning moment literally was just that.
Bowe, always a man who struggled with his weight along with his appetite for junk food, sure enough piled on the pounds, and he was never again the sleek, 235-pound operator he was in the Holyfield fight. In the rematch with Evander, Bowe scaled 246, and he was edged on points (this in the infamous “Fan Man” fight).
From the peak of the mountain to the slow slide down
Bowe got some of the weight off ahead of the trilogy fight with Holyfield, with him coming in at 240. The up-from-the-floor KO win Bowe scored over “The Real Deal” proved to be his last great fight/win. Bowe would take hellacious punishment in his two hard-to-watch fights (street fights, gutter fights) with a crazed Andrew Golota, who simply could not stop hitting Bowe low in both fights and was justly thrown out both times.
But Bowe had taken serious punishment, and fans feared he had brain damage. Bowe went off the rails, first signing up for the Marines and being wholly unable to cope with the strict regimen, this after less than a week in boot camp. Then Bowe kidnapped his wife and kids. In court, Bowe’s lawyer used possible brain damage as a defence. It was one big, big fall from grace.
What could have been if Bowe had stayed hungry?
Bowe, for a short time, from 1992 to 1995, was perhaps the best heavyweight on the planet. He could have been an all-time great just like his most famous and celebrated dance partner Holyfield. Bowe today makes guest appearances and he gives the occasional interview (his speech sometimes clear, other times not so much), and he is rightly remembered as a fine, fine fighter.
But again, Bowe could have done more, he could have ruled for years. If only he could have held on to the desire he had when he stepped into the ring with Holyfield that first time.
A while back, Bowe was asked by Boxing Social to list his five greatest heavyweights of all time:
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Muhammad Ali
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Evander Holyfield
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Riddick Bowe (Bowe’s ego, sufficient to rank himself in his list, gets credit for actually ranking Holyfield one place higher!)
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Mike Tyson
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James “Buster” Douglas
