20.08.04 – By Jeff Bastasini: Former heavyweight champion Riddick Bowe (40-1, 32 KO’s) is set to come out of retirement on September 25, against low-ranked heavyweight veteran Jeff Lally (23-23-1, 10 KOs) at Fire Lake Casino. “I truly believe that I’m the best fighter out there, especially when I get in good shape,” Bowe said. “The division is wide open.” Bowe, 37, hasn’t fought in 7 ½ years, and has had an ongoing weight problem for most of those years. He reportedly weighed well over 300 pounds when he entered prison, but has shed much of the weight since getting out after serving 17 months for kidnapping his first wife, Judy Bowe, and their five children in 1988. Bowe’s lawyers called the boxer’s actions a misguided attempt to reunite his family. During his trial, the judge barred Bowe from boxing because of possible brain damage, but according to Bowe’s attorney, the order was withdrawn when he was released from prison. His attorney added that he is fit to box after undergoing neurological testing.
Bowe is reportedly down to 255, which is close to what he weighed in his prime (235). Bowe reportedly underwent and passed all neurological exams that cleared him to continue fighting. In Bowe’s last fight 7 ½ years ago, Andrew Golota landed over 400 punches to Bowe’s head. After the fight, Bowe’s speech was noticeably affected, and experts speculate that he developed brain damage from that bout, as well as from the previous ring wars with Evander Holyfield.
In April, a judge dismissed a lawsuit filed against Bowe and Newman by a Sports Illustrated photographer who says he was hurt eight years ago during a riot after one of the boxer’s bouts at Madison Square Garden. In June, Riddick was acquitted of assault charges after his current wife, Terri, and three other alleged victims failed to appear in court.
In May 1997, Bowe and his sister, Velma Melton, were involved in a spat in which both reportedly got split lips. Bowe quickly announced a reconciliation.
Bowe thinks he can contend for the heavyweight title within 18 months. He said that when he began boxing, he would frequently fight every month or multiple times in one month.
Bowe doesn’t appear to be making the comeback for the sake of money. His net worth is reported to be over 20 million, and he has 9 homes in the United States, as well as 26 cars.
Bowe was born and raised in a poverty-stricken neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York in 1968. Bowe showed a lot of promise as a teenager in the amateurs. His enormous size, 6’5” and around 230 pounds, helped him win three Golden Gloves titles. In 1988, he represented the U.S. in the Summer Olympics in Seoul, North Korea where he earned the silver medal. After returning from Seoul, Bowe turned professional and recorded 31 straight victories (22 by knockout). Bowe appeared to the “the total package” for a heavyweight fighter. A legitimate heavyweight, and a bulky guy (he had to watch his weight, which he didn’t always do) he had excellent movement and phenomenal hand speed for a guy his size. He could box if he had to, and could unleash a powerful knockout punch with either hand. His manager gave him the name “Big Daddy” after observing Bowe gently stroking the head of his son. Critics regarded Bowe as a fighter with gifted physical attributes; however, they have always questioned his heart and dedication.
On November 13, 1992, Bowe defeated Evander Holyfield to win the heavyweight title in one of the most exciting bouts in heavyweight championship fights. Both fighters traded huge blows for 12 rounds. This was Bowe at his best, showing courage and skill that hadn’t been seen since the retirement of Muhammed Ali. Along with nearly 20,000 others, I sat in awe at what a boxing match could be as two warriors gave it everything they got. In addition to giving us arguably the greatest single round in boxing history (though you could make a good case for Round One of the Hagler/Hearns fight), the fight in its entirety has to rank as an all-time classic.
After winning the title, Bowe begin to spend much less time in the gym and more time in the kitchen. When not fighting, Bowe would balloon up to over 300 pounds. However, it didn’t stop Bowe from steam rolling over journeymen fighters like Michael Dokes and Jesse Ferguson before meeting Evander Holyfield in a rematch in November 1993.
Bowe’s rematch with Holyfield was an even battle through most of the first six rounds. But, just when it seemed impossible for things to be weirder in Bowe’s career, the most bizarre of the bizarre was about to happen. A man, later identified as James Miller, parachuted into the ring during the seventh round. After a 20 minute delay, in which Miller was badly beaten and taken into custody, the fight would resume. Evander would pull off a majority decision victory. It was an extraordinary championship fight. Like their first fight, the rematch was an all out brawl, lasting the entire twelve rounds.
Bowe fought Holyfield once more in November 4, 1995. Despite winning the fight, Bowe appeared slow and looked to be overweight. At the time of the fight, Holyfield had been seeking medical attention for a heart condition, a problem that seemed to effect his stamina in the bout. In the eighth, a badly fatigued Holyfield suffered two knockdowns, as Bowe became the first fighter to TKO Holyfield. However, Bowe was given very little credit for the victory due to the medical problems Holyfield was experiencing.
After the third Holyfield fight, Bowe’s career went into a downward spiral. He was thoroughly dominated by Andrew Golota before Golota was disqualified for a constant barrage of low blows, and a post match riot ensued. Bowe came into their first fight grossly overweight, and it appeared he had not taken Golota seriously. In the second fight, Bowe overtrained for the bout, and looked weak. Both fights were marked by the huge mount of punishment Bowe recieved from Golota, and to most observers, it was clear that Bowe was finished as a fighter.
After his second fight with Golota, Bowe declared that he was leaving boxing in order to fulfill his lifelong dream of joining the Marines. However, after several days of boot camp, Bowe went AWOL. His homesickness and lack of discipline had caused him to quit.
I see Bowe as being somewhere between sad and idiotic, he never seemed to really want to put out the effort to reach the very top that was within his grasp. Most people never the get the opportunity to achieve greatness. Bowe had the potential, and was basically too lazy to answer the bell.