Riddick Bowe

Last updated

Riddick Bowe
RiddickBowe.jpg
Bowe in 1993
Born
Riddick Lamont Bowe

(1967-08-10) August 10, 1967 (age 57) [1]
New York City, New York, U.S.
Other namesBig Daddy
Statistics
Weight(s) Heavyweight
Height6 ft 5 in (196 cm) [2]
Reach81 in (206 cm) [2]
Stance Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights45
Wins43
Wins by KO33
Losses1
No contests1
Medal record
Men's amateur boxing
Representing Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States
Olympic Games
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 1988 Seoul Super heavyweight
Pan American Games
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 1987 Indianapolis Super heavyweight
Junior World Championships
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1985 Bucharest Light heavyweight

Riddick Lamont Bowe (born August 10, 1967) [1] is an American former professional boxer and professional kickboxer who competed between 1989 and 2008 in boxing, and from 2013 to 2016 in kickboxing (Muay Thai). He held the undisputed world heavyweight championship in 1992, and won the super heavyweight silver medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics. [3]

Contents

After turning professional in 1989, Bowe went on to become a two-time world heavyweight champion. In 1992 he became the undisputed heavyweight champion by winning the World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Council (WBC) and International Boxing Federation (IBF) titles by defeating then-unbeaten former undisputed cruiserweight champion Evander Holyfield. That same year, Bowe was named Fighter of the Year by The Ring magazine and the Boxing Writers' Association of America. Bowe vacated the WBC title later that year in protest, instead of defending the title against their number one contender, Lennox Lewis. This left the undisputed championship fragmented until 1999. In a rematch with Holyfield in 1993, Bowe narrowly lost the WBA and IBF titles in what would be his only professional defeat.

Bowe later regained a portion of the world heavyweight championship in 1995, defeating Herbie Hide for the World Boxing Organization (WBO) title. In doing so, Bowe became the first boxer in history to win the titles of all four major sanctioning bodies: the WBA, WBC, IBF, and WBO. Later that year, Bowe vacated the WBO title in order to fight Holyfield for a third time, and won decisively by being the first boxer to defeat Holyfield by knockout. 1996 saw Bowe engage in two brutal slugfests with Andrew Golota, both of which ended controversially when Golota repeatedly hit him with low blows.

Bowe retired from boxing after the Golota fights, making low-key comebacks in 2004 and 2008. In a 2010 article by Boxing Scene, Bowe was ranked the 21st greatest heavyweight of all time. [4] In 2015, he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. [5] As of 2023, Bowe remains the last undisputed world heavyweight champion from the United States.

Early life

Bowe was born on August 10, 1967, the twelfth of his mother Dorothy Bowe's thirteen children. [6] Bowe was born and raised in the East New York section of Brooklyn, New York City. His brother Henry died of AIDS, [7] and his sister Brenda was stabbed to death by a drug addict during an attempted robbery. [8]

Bowe was in the same elementary school sixth-grade class with Mike Tyson. [9] [10] "We went to school together in the sixth grade in P.S. 396 (in Brownsville.) I really didn't know him," Bowe recalled. [11]

Amateur boxing career

Bowe was training at the Bedford-Stuyvesant Boxing Association Gym or the "Bed-Stuy BA" for short. As an amateur, Bowe won the prestigious New York Golden Gloves Championship and other tournaments. In 1984, age 17, he knocked out opponent James Smith in just 4 seconds. In 1985, at the National Golden Gloves championships, he lost to Fort Worth heavyweight Donald Stephens. Apart from boxing he attended Kingsborough Community College, where he studied drama — in hopes of an acting career after boxing — also he took up a business administration study. [12]

His friends called him "Don King" because of his hairstyle. Bowe said he was emulating Mark Breland, "I got a majority of my experience with Mark, I'm inspired by what he's accomplished. It makes it possible for me to do the same," said Bowe in an interview. [13]

New York Golden Gloves Championships

Bowe won four New York Golden Gloves Championships. He won two bouts as a 178-pounder in 1984 before failing to show for a third bout. [14] He won the 1985 178 lb Novice Championship, 1986 178 lb Open Championship and the 1987 and 1988 Super Heavyweight Open Championship. Already in 1985 Bowe was ranked #1 light heavyweight in the United States. [15]

1986 Goodwill Games

He was a light heavyweight runner-up for the 1986 World Championships and 1986 Goodwill Games but for some reason didn't qualify. [16] Meanwhile, during the year-and-a-half hiatus he gained well above thirty pounds and jumped from light heavyweight to super heavyweight, coming back for the 1987 United States Olympic Festival.

1987 Pan Am

Prior to 1987 Pan American Games, Bowe said he had suffered a hairline fracture in his right hand during one of his two fights at the Olympic Festival in July 1987. The injury, he said, was revealed in X-rays he had taken at home. Roosevelt Sanders, the head coach, said he was aware that Bowe's hand was being treated, but had not known it was broken. Bowe said he kept those injuries secret from the U.S. team coaching staff for fear of being kept out of the tournament. [17]

Olympic qualifiers

At first, Bowe was dismissed from the Olympic-year training camp, because U.S. Olympic boxing Coach Ken Adams didn't like him. [18] U.S. Army superheavyweight Robert Salters, a Brooklyn-born 25-year-old artilleryman of Fort Bragg, NC, who took up boxing in 1986, and had less than twenty amateur fights in his 16-months-long record before they first met at the 1988 AAU National finals, where Salters floored Bowe twice before ref stopped the fight, [19] became a real nemesis for Bowe during his amateur career, as they fought each other to nearly a draw in the 1988 Olympic Box-offs at Caesars Palace, after Bowe lost to Salters in the Olympic Trials (Bowe came in at 231 lbs, Salters at 247. [20] [21] ). "He was talking' trash about me, and that helped me mentally," Salters said. Bowe had been boxing reportedly with ligament damage on the middle knuckle of his right hand, which he got the day before the Box-offs, and with a damaged right ankle, eventually managed to win, for the judges had to pick up a winner despite the even 58–58 score. [22] [23] The fifth unidentified judge, who scored the bout 58–58, gave it to Bowe on unidentified subjective grounds. [24] Despite giving Bowe a hard time on four occasions in a row, Salters never turned pro.

1988 Olympics

Bowe won the silver medal in the 1988 Seoul Olympics, outpointing Soviet Alex Miroshnichenko in the semifinals, [25] and losing a controversial match in the finals to future world heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis. Bowe had a dominant first round, landing 33 of 94 punches thrown (34%) while Lewis landed 14 of 67 (21%). In the first round the referee from East Germany gave Bowe two cautions for headbutts and deducted a point for a third headbutt, although replay clearly showed there was no headbutt. Commentator Ferdie Pacheco disagreed with the deduction, saying they did not hit heads. In the second round, Lewis landed several hard punches. The referee gave Bowe two standing eight counts and waved the fight off after the second one, even though Bowe seemed able to continue. Pacheco disagreed with the stoppage, calling it "very strange," but Marv Albert said Bowe took "a pounding." [26]

Highlights

Bowe finished his amateur career with a record of 104 wins, 18 losses.

Professional boxing career

Bowe turned professional after his Olympic loss. Highly regarded trainer Eddie Futch took on the job of developing Bowe, as he saw the talent. Eddie would say that Bowe had more potential than any boxer he had ever trained.

Bowe turned professional in March 1989 and knocked out Lionel Butler. His then manager, Rock Newman, kept Bowe active, fighting 13 times in 1989, beating journeymen — the most notable being Garing Lane, whom he beat twice. In September 1990, Bowe made his first step up in class, fighting faded ex-champion Pinklon Thomas, whom he dominated until Thomas gave up after eight rounds. The following month, Bowe knocked out Bert Cooper in two rounds, which added to his reputation and high ranking.

In March 1991, Bowe knocked out 1984 Olympic Super Heavyweight Gold medalist Tyrell Biggs. In Bowe's next fight, ex-champion Tony Tubbs appeared to outbox and outsmart Bowe in a close bout, only to have the judges award Bowe a unanimous decision. In August 1991, Bowe knocked out future world heavyweight champion Bruce Seldon in one round. In July 1992, he knocked out South African Pierre Coetzer in the seventh round of a world title eliminator.

Fights against Elijah Tillery

Bowe fought two interesting bouts against Elijah Tillery in 1991. Their first fight, at the Washington Convention Center, drew attention for its bizarre conclusion. Bowe dominated the first round and dropped Tillery. After the round ended, Tillery walked toward Bowe and taunted him, and Bowe responded by punching Tillery. Tillery then threw several low kicks at Bowe, who then unleashed a flurry of punches on Tillery as he lay on the ropes. Bowe's trainer Rock Newman grabbed Tillery from behind on the ring apron and pulled him over the ropes as Bowe continued to throw punches. Tillery somersaulted over the ropes, and was quickly detained by security. [27] After order was restored and the fighters returned to the ring, Tillery and Bowe continued a war of words, and minor incidents continued until the ring was cleared. Tillery was controversially disqualified for kicking Bowe, with Bowe getting the win, much to the surprise of the television announcers. The referee, Karl Milligan, had stepped between the two fighters to separate them and stepped forward as he did so, inadvertently missing the action behind him after the bell between the combatants. The fighters fought a rematch two months later at Convention Hall in Atlantic City, with Bowe dominating and stopping Tillery in four rounds.

World heavyweight champion

In November 1992 he fought reigning champ Evander Holyfield for the undisputed heavyweight title. Bowe won a unanimous decision in an entertaining fight, flooring Holyfield in the 11th round. However, it was the tenth round most boxing fans will remember. The epic brutal back and forth exchanges helped make it Ring Magazine's "Round of the Year." Commentator Al Bernstein exclaimed, "That was one of the greatest rounds in heavyweight history. Period!"

A couple of weeks earlier in London, Bowe's old Olympic rival, Lennox Lewis, knocked out Canadian Donovan "Razor" Ruddock in two rounds, establishing himself as the World Boxing Council's number one contender. The Bowe-Holyfield and Lewis-Ruddock fights were part of a mini-tournament, whereby all four fighters agreed the two winners would meet each other for the undisputed world heavyweight championship. Bowe's manager Rock Newman made a proposal: the $32 million purse HBO was offering should be split 90–10 in Bowe's favor, an 'absurd' offer which Lennox Lewis rejected. [28] Lewis's manager, Kellie Maloney (known as Frank Maloney at the time), rejected another offer of two million for Lewis to fight on a Bowe undercard, citing his distrust of the Bowe camp after the aforementioned financial negotiations. Bowe responded by holding a press conference in which he dumped the WBC world heavyweight championship belt into a trash can and relinquished it in order to protest the actions of the WBC and WBC President José Sulaimán concerning the fight payoff. [29] [30]

Bowe's first defense of his remaining titles came on February 6, 1993, when he fought 34-year-old former champion Michael Dokes at Madison Square Garden and knocked him out in the first round. In February 1993, Bowe met Pope John Paul II during the pope's general audience at the Vatican, a day after Bowe completed a goodwill mission to Somalia. In Bowe's next fight, May 22, 1993, at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C., Bowe knocked out Jesse Ferguson in the second round to retain the title. This set up a rematch with Evander Holyfield.

In the rematch with Holyfield, Bowe looked overweight. He had entered training camp at a 266 lbs and weighed in at 246 lbs, eleven pounds heavier than in the first fight with Holyfield. [31]

Bowe and Holyfield exchanged hard punches. Bowe ended up losing the belts to Holyfield by a majority decision. This fight was also known for a bizarre stunt in which parachutist James "Fan Man" Miller dropped into the open air arena, landing in the ropes by Bowe's corner. This surreal scene delayed the fight in the seventh round by nearly a half-hour. Bowe stated afterwards he thought the bout should have declared a 'technical draw' or a 'no contest' owing to the unfair delay.

After title loss

In August 1994, Bowe fought two comeback fights. He faced the much smaller Buster Mathis Jr and, after struggling to connect with his bobbing and weaving target, hit Mathis while he was down with what was ruled an accidental blow, and the bout was ruled a 'No Contest' by referee Arthur Mercante, Sr. In December 1994, Bowe punched Larry Donald at a prefight press conference, later beating him by 12 round unanimous decision for the WBC Continental Americas Heavyweight title, giving the 16-0 heavyweight contender Donald his first loss.

WBO heavyweight champion and Holyfield rubber match

In March 1995, Bowe won the WBO version of the world heavyweight championship by knocking down England's Herbie Hide six times en route to scoring a sixth-round knockout.

In June 1995, after a heated build up, Bowe defended the WBO heavyweight title against his archrival in the amateurs, Jorge Luis González, At the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The prefight hype contained bizarre trash talk, which included Gonzalez declaring a desire to eat Bowe's heart and likening himself to a lion while making Bowe out to be a hyena. Bowe won by sixth-round knockout over Gonzalez. He vacated the WBO championship soon after. After the Gonzales fight, Bowe fought a rubber match with Evander Holyfield, their third and final meeting. Holyfield knocked Bowe down during the fight, but Bowe maintained his composure, and persevered to score an eighth round stoppage victory.

On January 11, 1996 Bowe was officially no longer the WBO champion.

Bowe vs. Golota I and II

After defeating Holyfield in the third bout of their trilogy, Bowe was matched against undefeated heavyweight contender Andrew Golota at the Madison Square Garden in an HBO Boxing event. Bowe's weight problem again resurfaced, as the favorite entered the ring at a career high of 252 lbs. [32] Though ahead on points, Golota was penalized several times for low blows to the testes, and was finally disqualified in the seventh round after a combination of punches to Bowe's testicles. Seconds after Golota was disqualified, Bowe's entourage rushed the ring, attacked Golota with a two way radio (Golota traded punches with one of them, requiring 11 stitches to close the wound caused by the radio) and assaulted Golota's 74-year-old trainer Lou Duva, who collapsed in the ring and was taken out of The Garden on a stretcher. The entourage began rioting, fighting with spectators, staff and policemen alike, resulting in a number of injuries before they were forced out of the arena in what evolved into a lengthy televised ring spectacle.

The fight made many sports shows, including SportsCenter , and there was a good amount of public interest in a rematch. The rematch was on Pay Per View. Golota, after dropping Bowe in the second round, and being dropped himself later, was leading on the scorecards, only to be disqualified in the ninth round, once again for deliberately punching Bowe repeatedly in the testes. [33] Despite not having another riot, this fight also proved to be controversial, with an unsuccessful protest filed by Golota's camp to try to overturn the fight's result.

This fight was featured on HBO's documentary Legendary Nights: The Tale of Bowe-Golota.

Return to boxing

Bowe in 2008 Riddick Bowe.jpg
Bowe in 2008

On September 25, 2004, after seven and a half years away from boxing, Bowe returned with a second-round knockout over Marcus Rhode. In a second comeback fight, in April 2005, an overweight Bowe narrowly defeated journeyman Billy Zumbrun by ten round split decision.

Bowe declared bankruptcy in 2005. [34] On December 13, 2008, with the help of new manager Bob Bain, Bowe, 41, returned to the ring for the first time in over three and a half years on the undercard of the Wladimir Klitschko versus Hasim Rahman world heavyweight title bout in Mannheim, Germany and won an eight-round unanimous decision over Gene Pukall.

Legacy and reputation

Riddick Bowe's boxing record stands at 43 wins and 1 loss, with 33 knockouts. In the autobiography of veteran former referee Mills Lane, Let's Get It On, who had officiated at some of Bowe's fights, he professed that Bowe could have been one of boxing's greatest boxers but foolishly squandered the opportunity through immaturity and lack of discipline.

BoxRec ranks Bowe as the 28th greatest fighter among boxers that had their last professional boxing match at heavyweight. [35] Noted for his in-fighting skills, jab and combination punching, Bowe's first fight with Evander Holyfield is considered one of the greatest world heavyweight title fights of all time. Following this victory, he met Nelson Mandela during a visit to South Africa. Bowe's trainer at the time, Eddie Futch, lamented that upon his return, Bowe failed to ever achieve the same physical condition for his subsequent fights.

In 2017, The Ring magazine ranked Bowe as the 19th best heavyweight of all time in a poll of a panel of 30 trainers, matchmakers and members of the boxing media. The consensus was that Bowe, described as both a "super talent" and a "super waste", only had one great fight, when winning the title from Holyfield, and ultimately disappointed in squandering his obvious natural ability due to laziness. [36]

Bowe's reputation suffered because of the weak challengers he faced as champion (an aging Michael Dokes and also Jesse Ferguson) before losing the title to Holyfield in their rematch. He is also widely criticized for relinquishing the WBC title rather than defending it against mandatory challenger Lennox Lewis, thus fracturing the undisputed championship until Lewis unified the titles in 1999.

Bowe is the first boxer in any division to hold all four major versions of the world championship (WBA, WBC, IBF, and WBO) during his career, an accomplishment emulated in the heavyweight division only by Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk.

Bowe's sole loss, to Evander Holyfield in 1993, was avenged in 1995, meaning that he finished their trilogy 2-1 ahead. With the exception of a 1994 no-contest with Buster Mathis Jr., Bowe defeated every opponent he faced as a professional.

Alongside Gene Tunney, Rocky Marciano, Sultan Ibragimov and Nikolai Valuev, Bowe is one of five former heavyweight champions to have never suffered a stoppage defeat during his career.

Professional kickboxing career

In March 2013, Bowe announced his Muay Thai debut, having trained under Kru Airr Phanthip and Kru Chan in Las Vegas. [37] He faced Levgen Golovin for the WPMF Super Heavyweight World Title in Pattaya, Thailand. On June 14, 2013, Bowe was knocked down five times from kicks to his leg. The championship match was called to a stop halfway through the second round. [38] [39]

Life outside of boxing

Joining the Marine Corps

After the Golota fights, Bowe retired from boxing and decided to join the United States Marine Corps Reserve. He said he made the decision both to make his mother proud and to rededicate himself to training, with the intention of returning to boxing shortly after. [40]

Bowe arrived at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island on February 10, 1997. [41] On his first day of recruit training, Bowe discussed leaving the Corps with Marine commanders, and quit after three days of heavy physical training with his platoon in Parris Island, South Carolina, on February 21, 1997. [41]

Humanitarian Activities

Shortly after winning his first title against Evander Holyfield, Bowe saw a news story on television that revealed a million dollars worth of medicines donated to the Somali refugees and orphans were not able to be transported to the war-torn region due to a lack of funds to pay for the charter aircraft needed. Bowe immediately had his representatives contact AmeriCares, the NGO leading the effort, and pledged the 100,000 dollars needed to fund the trip [42] - on the condition he could go to the country with the goods, and make sure they got to their intended recipients. [43] While in Somalia, he visited U.S. Marines and an orphanage on the Kenyan border. He was accompanied by several members of his management team, including manager Rock Newman and Head of International Sales Alexis Denny (CEO of an independent media distributor).

Bowe also took action when he heard news of other tragedies. In 1995, when Alexis Denny was in Indonesia on other business, she read Asian news coverage of Rodolfo Yap, a young man in the Philippines who was electrocuted while positioning his antenna so his family could watch a Riddick Bowe fight. She relayed this news to Bowe, and explained to the media at the time 'The heavyweight champion was very moved by the story and having lost a brother and a sister earlier in life, decided to make a financial contribution to the family of Mr. Yap." [44] Bowe authorized her to fly to the Philippines and try to locate the man's family, make a contribution to their expenses, and also provide funds to support the Philippine boxing Team training for the Olympics (in the name of the deceased).

Prison

Bowe was convicted of the February 1998 kidnapping of his estranged wife Judy, and their five children. [45] Thinking it would reconcile his marriage, Bowe went to his wife's Cornelius, North Carolina, home and threatened her with a knife, handcuffs, duct tape, and pepper spray. He forced her and their children into a vehicle and set out for his Fort Washington, Maryland, home. During the kidnapping, Bowe stabbed his wife in the chest. [45] Police captured Bowe in South Hill, Virginia, freeing his family. [45] Bowe agreed to a plea bargain of guilty to "interstate domestic violence", and was sentenced to 18 to 24 months in prison. [45] Despite the agreed sentence, on February 29, 2000, the judge sentenced Bowe to only 30 days, due to a claim of brain damage by Bowe's defense. [46] [47] This sentence, counter to the plea agreement, was later overturned. Bowe served 17 months in Federal prison. [48] On February 8, 2001, Bowe was arrested in Long Island after a domestic dispute with his new wife. [45] Bowe allegedly dragged his wife and left her with cuts on her knees and elbows. [47]

Attempted professional wrestling debut

In 2013, Riddick Bowe announced his intentions to start training to be a professional wrestler. He was to make his debut for the UK-based Preston City Wrestling organization on March 1, 2014. [49] On December 14, 2013, Preston City Wrestling announced on their Facebook Page that Bowe would no longer be appearing due to a disagreement with Bowe's new agent.

In 1993, a video game entitled Riddick Bowe Boxing was released for various platforms. Also that year, Bowe appeared in an episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air , entitled "You Bet Your Life", as a bully named "Bo".

In 1997, Bowe appeared in the music video “Mo Money Mo Problems” by The Notorious B.I.G.

Professional boxing record

45 fights43 wins1 loss
By knockout330
By decision71
By disqualification30
No contests1
No.ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes
45Win43–1 (1) Gene Pukall UD8 Dec 13, 2008 SAP Arena, Mannheim, Germany
44Win42–1 (1)Billy ZumbrunSD10Apr 7, 2005 Pechanga Resort & Casino, Temecula, California, U.S.
43Win41–1 (1)Marcus RhodeTKO2 (10), 2:45Sep 25, 2004Fire Lake Casino, Shawnee, Oklahoma, U.S.
42Win40–1 (1) Andrew Golota DQ9 (10), 2:58 Dec 14, 1996 Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.Golota disqualified for repeated low blows
41Win39–1 (1) Andrew Golota DQ7 (12), 2:37 Jul 11, 1996 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.Golota disqualified for repeated low blows
40Win38–1 (1) Evander Holyfield TKO8 (12), 0:58 Nov 4, 1995 Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
39Win37–1 (1) Jorge Luis González KO6 (12), 1:50 Jun 17, 1995 MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.Retained WBO heavyweight title
38Win36–1 (1) Herbie Hide KO6 (12), 2:25 Mar 11, 1995 MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.Won WBO heavyweight title
37Win35–1 (1) Larry Donald UD12 Dec 3, 1994 Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.Won WBC Continental Americas heavyweight title
36NC34–1 (1) Buster Mathis Jr. NC4 (10), 2:11 Aug 13, 1994 Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.Mathis Jr. unable to continue after a Bowe foul
35Loss34–1 Evander Holyfield MD12 Nov 6, 1993 Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.Lost WBA and IBF heavyweight titles
34Win34–0 Jesse Ferguson KO2 (12), 0:17 May 22, 1993 Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, Washington, D.C., U.S.Retained WBA heavyweight title
33Win33–0 Michael Dokes TKO1 (12), 2:19 Feb 6, 1993 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.Retained WBA and IBF heavyweight titles
32Win32–0 Evander Holyfield UD12 Nov 13, 1992 Thomas & Mack Center, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.Won WBA, WBC, and IBF heavyweight titles
31Win31–0 Pierre Coetzer TKO7 (12), 2:59Jul 18, 1992The Mirage, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
30Win30–0Everett MartinTKO5 (10), 2:28May 8, 1992 Riviera, Winchester, Nevada, U.S.
29Win29–0Conroy NelsonKO1 (10), 1:16Apr 7, 1992Broadway by the Bay Theater, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
28Win28–0 Elijah Tillery TKO4 (10), 1:14 Dec 13, 1991 Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
27Win27–0 Elijah Tillery DQ1 (12)Oct 29, 1991 Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington, D.C., U.S.Won vacant WBC Continental Americas heavyweight title;
Tillery disqualified for kicking
26Win26–0 Bruce Seldon KO1 (10), 1:48Aug 9, 1991 Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
25Win25–0Philipp BrownTKO3 (10), 2:47Jul 23, 1991Broadway by the Bay Theater, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
24Win24–0Rodolfo MarinKO2 (10), 1:45 Jun 28, 1991 The Mirage, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
23Win23–0 Tony Tubbs UD10Apr 20, 1991 Caesar's, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
22Win22–0 Tyrell Biggs TKO8 (10), 2:17Mar 2, 1991Broadway by the Bay Theater, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
21Win21–0Tony MorrisonKO1, 2:20Dec 14, 1990 Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
20Win20–0 Bert Cooper KO2 (10), 3:09 Oct 25, 1990 The Mirage, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
19Win19–0 Pinklon Thomas RTD8 (10), 3:00Sep 7, 1990 UDC Physical Activities Center, Washington, D.C., U.S.
18Win18–0 Art Tucker TKO3 (10), 1:41Jul 8, 1990Broadway by the Bay Theater, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
17Win17–0Jesus ContrerasKO1 (10), 1:18May 8, 1990Broadway by the Bay Theater, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
16Win16–0Eddie GonzalesUD8 Apr 14, 1990 The Mirage, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
15Win15–0Robert ColayTKO2 (6), 0:49Apr 1, 1990 D.C. Armory, Washington, D.C., U.S.
14Win14–0Mike RobinsonTKO3, 1:58Feb 20, 1990Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
13Win13–0Charles WoolardTKO2, 2:46Dec 14, 1989 St. Joseph, Missouri, U.S.
12Win12–0Art CardRTD3 (8), 3:00Nov 28, 1989 Alumni Arena, Buffalo, New York, U.S.
11Win11–0Don AskewTKO1, 2:21Nov 18, 1989 Coolidge High School, Washington, D.C., U.S.
10Win10–0Garing LaneTKO4 (6), 1:50 Nov 4, 1989 Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
9Win9–0Mike AceyTKO1 (4), 2:26Oct 19, 1989Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
8Win8–0Earl LewisTKO1 (6), 1:26Sep 19, 1989 Veteran's Coliseum, Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.
7Win7–0Anthony HayesKO1 (6), 1:21Sep 15, 1989Gleason's Arena, New York City, New York, U.S.
6Win6–0Lee MooreKO1Sep 3, 1989 Pensacola, Florida, U.S.
5Win5–0Lorenzo CanadyRTD2 (6), 3:00Jul 15, 1989 Broadway by the Bay Theater, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
4Win4–0Antonio WhitesideTKO1 (6), 1:19Jul 2, 1989 Cumberland County Crown Coliseum, Fayetteville, North Carolina, U.S.
3Win3–0Garing LaneUD4May 9, 1989 Steel Pier, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
2Win2–0Tracy ThomasTKO3, 1:57Apr 14, 1989 Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
1Win1–0 Lionel Butler TKO2 (4), 1:55Mar 6, 1989 Lawlor Events Center, Reno, Nevada, U.S.

Muay Thai record

Muay Thai record
0 wins (0 KOs), 1 loss, 0 draws
DateResultOpponentEventLocationMethodRoundTimeRecord
2013-06-14Loss Flag of Ukraine.svg Ievgen GolovinWPMF Super Heavyweight Title Pattaya, Thailand TKO (right low kick)2N/A0–1
Legend:   Win   Loss   Draw/No contest   Notes

See also

Notes

    Related Research Articles

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Lennox Lewis</span> British-Canadian boxer (born 1965)

    Lennox Claudius Lewis is a boxing commentator and former professional boxer who competed from 1989 to 2003. He is a three-time world heavyweight champion, a two-time lineal champion, and held the undisputed championship. Holding dual British and Canadian citizenship, Lewis represented Canada as an amateur at the 1984 and 1988 Olympics; in the latter, he won a gold medal in the super-heavyweight division.

    <i>HBO World Championship Boxing</i> American TV sports series (1973–2018)

    HBO World Championship Boxing is an American sports television series on premium television network HBO. It premiered on January 22, 1973, with a fight that saw George Foreman defeat Joe Frazier in Kingston, Jamaica.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Evander Holyfield</span> American boxer (born 1962)

    Evander Holyfield is an American former professional boxer who competed between 1984 and 2011. He reigned as the undisputed champion at cruiserweight in the late 1980s and at heavyweight in the early 1990s, and was the only boxer in history to win the undisputed championship in two weight classes in the "three belt era", a feat later surpassed by Terence Crawford, Naoya Inoue and Oleksandr Usyk, who became two-weight undisputed champions in the four-belt era. Nicknamed "the Real Deal", Holyfield is the only four-time world heavyweight champion, having held the unified WBA, WBC, and IBF titles from 1990 to 1992, the WBA and IBF titles again from 1993 to 1994, the WBA title a third time from 1996 to 1999; the IBF title a third time from 1997 to 1999 and the WBA title for a fourth time from 2000 to 2001.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Golota</span> Polish boxer (born 1968)

    Andrzej Jan Gołota, best known as Andrew Golota, is a Polish former professional boxer who competed from 1992 to 2013. He challenged four times for a heavyweight world title, and as an amateur won a bronze medal in the heavyweight division at the 1988 Olympics. Despite his accomplishments and more than 40 professional wins, Golota is perhaps best known for twice being disqualified against Riddick Bowe for repeated low blows in fights that Golota was winning. On October 4, 1997, he became the first Pole to challenge for a heavyweight boxing crown when he fought WBC champion Lennox Lewis at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. In November 2016, Golota was inducted into the Illinois Boxing Hall of Fame.

    Bertram Cooper, nicknamed Smokin' Bert Cooper, was an American professional boxer who competed between 1984 and 2012. He fought Evander Holyfield, George Foreman, Riddick Bowe, Michael Moorer, Chris Byrd, Ray Mercer, and Corrie Sanders, among others. Cooper challenged three times for a world title, and was known for being in several wild fights, including his world title bouts with Holyfield and Moorer.

    As in the 1980s, the 1990s in boxing's popularity focused on all divisions. When 1980s legends Sugar Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns, as well as others retired, newer superstars filled the void: Pernell Whitaker, Julio César Chávez, in the early 1990s, Oscar De La Hoya, Félix Trinidad, Roy Jones Jr. and Floyd Mayweather Jr. in the mid to late 1990s.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Tyson vs. Evander Holyfield</span> Boxing competition

    Mike Tyson vs. Evander Holyfield, billed as Finally, was a professional boxing match fought between Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson for the WBA heavyweight championship on November 9, 1996, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Paradise, Nevada. The bout was Tyson's first defence of the WBA title that he had won from Bruce Seldon on September 7 of that year.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Evander Holyfield vs. Riddick Bowe</span> Boxing competition

    Evander Holyfield vs. Riddick Bowe was a professional boxing match that took place on November 13, 1992 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The fight was contested for the undisputed world heavyweight championship, which consisted of the WBA, WBC, and IBF championships.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Riddick Bowe vs. Evander Holyfield II</span> 1993 boxing match

    Riddick Bowe vs. Evander Holyfield II, billed as Repeat or Revenge, was a professional boxing match that took place on November 6, 1993, for the WBA and IBF heavyweight championships.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Riddick Bowe vs. Evander Holyfield III</span> 1995 boxing match

    Riddick Bowe vs. Evander Holyfield III, billed as "The Final Chapter", was a professional boxing match contested on November 4, 1995. The non-title match marked the third and final fight in the Bowe–Holyfield trilogy.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Evander Holyfield vs. Lennox Lewis</span> Boxing competition

    Evander Holyfield vs. Lennox Lewis, billed as Undisputed, was a professional boxing match contested on March 13, 1999 for the WBA, WBC, and IBF undisputed heavyweight championship.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Evander Holyfield vs. Lennox Lewis II</span> Boxing competition

    Evander Holyfield vs. Lennox Lewis II, billed as Unfinished Business, was a professional boxing match contested on November 13, 1999 for the WBA, WBC, IBF, and vacant IBO undisputed heavyweight championship.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Evander Holyfield vs. Bert Cooper</span> Boxing competition

    Evander Holyfield vs. Bert Cooper, billed as "The Homecoming", was a professional boxing match contested on November 23, 1991, for the WBA and IBF heavyweight championships.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Evander Holyfield vs. Larry Holmes</span> Boxing competition

    Evander Holyfield vs. Larry Holmes, billed as "Class of Champions", was a professional boxing match contested on June 19, 1992, for the undisputed heavyweight championship.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Riddick Bowe vs. Michael Dokes</span> 1993 boxing match

    Riddick Bowe vs. Michael Dokes, billed as The Homecoming, was a professional boxing match contested on February 6, 1993 for the WBA and IBF heavyweight championships. The fight emanated from Madison Square Garden in New York, New York.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Riddick Bowe vs. Jesse Ferguson</span> 1993 boxing match

    Riddick Bowe vs. Jesse Ferguson, billed as "The Heavyweight Debate", was a professional boxing match contested on May 22, 1993, for the WBA and Lineal Heavyweight championships. The fight took place in RFK Stadium in Washington, DC, was Bowe's second defense of the title he had won from Evander Holyfield in November 1992, and was the main event of a card that included a fight between Roy Jones Jr. and Bernard Hopkins for the vacant IBF middleweight championship, which Jones won.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Herbie Hide vs. Riddick Bowe</span> Boxing competition

    Herbie Hide vs. Riddick Bowe was a professional boxing match contested on March 11, 1995, for the World Boxing Organization Heavyweight Championship. The bout took place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Paradise, Nevada, and was televised by HBO. Hide was making the first defense of the title he had won from Michael Bentt in a fight that resulted in Bentt suffering career ending injuries while Bowe was trying to find his way back into the world championship picture sixteen months after he lost his place as champion to Evander Holyfield. Bowe defeated Hide in the 6th round.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Riddick Bowe vs. Andrew Golota</span> 1996 boxing match

    Riddick Bowe vs. Andrew Golota, billed as "Big Daddy's Home", was a professional boxing match contested on July 11, 1996. The fight was held at Madison Square Garden in New York City and was televised on HBO in the United States, and on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Lennox Lewis vs. Donovan Ruddock</span> Boxing match

    Lennox Lewis vs. Donovan Ruddock, billed as "The Fight for the Right" was a professional boxing match contested on 31 October 1992. The fight was a WBC heavyweight title "eliminator", with the winner scheduled to challenge the winner of the Evander Holyfield–Riddick Bowe championship bout held two weeks later. In addition, Lewis' Commonwealth heavyweight title was also on the line.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Lennox Lewis vs. Ray Mercer</span> Boxing competition

    Lennox Lewis vs. Ray Mercer, billed as "One Big Night", was a professional boxing match contested on May 10, 1996.

    References

    1. 1 2 Branch, John (June 13, 2009). "Fighter Remains a Champion Optimist". The New York Times . Retrieved May 10, 2012.
    2. 1 2 HBO Sports tale of the tape prior to the second Evander Holyfield fight.
    3. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Riddick Bowe". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020.
    4. "The Top 25 Heavyweights of All-Time – Top Ten". Boxingscene.com. March 19, 2010. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
    5. "Riddick Bowe and Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini highlight International Boxing Hall of Fame selections". ESPN.com. December 4, 2014.
    6. "Heavyweight champion Riddick Bowe fancies himself a - 11.30.92 - SI Vault". Archived from the original on August 7, 2011. Retrieved November 1, 2008.
    7. "BOXING MONTHLY - Article Three - October 1998". Archived from the original on December 20, 2008. Retrieved November 6, 2008.
    8. "...though Riddick Bowe may be a funny man, he's no joke - 12.10.90 - SI Vault". Archived from the original on April 28, 2012. Retrieved November 1, 2008.
    9. The man who was 'King', by Bill Gallo, Daily News from New York, August 7, 1988, p. 71.
    10. Seoul now just little bit closer by Joe Zedalis, Asbury Park Press, August 6, 1988, p. 29.
    11. Sports People by Dave Roos, The Courier-Journal, Louisville, Kentucky, April 1, 1988, E-2.
    12. Bowe mixture of three’ greats, Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph, July 31, 1987, p. 26.
    13. Mark Breland by Tommy Hanrahan, Daily News from New York, February 10, 1985, p. 226.
    14. Big night at Felt Forum by Bill Travers, Daily News from New York, July 22, 1988, p. 94.
    15. Atlas can't shrug off 'poor' quality of many trainers by Tommy Hanrahan, Daily News from New York, December 2, 1985, p. 57.
    16. Bent, Garcia score upsets. BEAUMONT, Texas (UPI), Defiance Crescent News , April 7, 1986. Michael Bent from Cambria Heights, N.Y., and Alex Garcia, 1986
    17. Moran, Malcolm. Mixed Results for U.S. Boxers, The New York Times, August 20, 1987, p. 24.
    18. Riddick Bowe Is Back, and He's a Heavy Favorite by Earl Gustkey, The Los Angeles Times, March 30, 1988, p. 8.
    19. High School Junior, Soldier Pull Major Upsets by Earl Gustkey, The Los Angeles Times, April 1, 1988, p. 34.
    20. Cole and Salters Allow Army's Four Horsemen to Ride Again by Earl Gustkey, The Los Angeles Times, July 11, 1988, p. 29.
    21. Army fighters laying down the boom by Tim Dahlberg, Associated Press Sports Writer.
    22. Bowe defeats Salters to earn spot on boxing team by Ed Schuyler Jr. (Associated Press), The Register, July 18, 1988, p. 58.
    23. Maynard, Bowe, Banks Make It the Hard Way by Earl Gustkey, The Los Angeles Times, July 18, 1988, p. 7.
    24. Brooklyn's Bowe's gonna go! by Michael Katz, Daily News from New York, July 18, 1988, p. 59.
    25. Sports of The Times; Green to Gold, Now Green Again, The New York Times.
    26. Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine : "Lennox Lewis vs Riddick Bowe 88 Olympic Final". YouTube . April 13, 2009. Retrieved May 3, 2017.
    27. Berger, Phil (October 30, 1991). "BOXING; Bowe Gets the Boot, but Wins". The New York Times . Retrieved May 22, 2010.
    28. "Memory Lane: When Bowe Ducked Lewis - BoxingInsider.com". BoxingInsider.com. June 2010.
    29. "BOXING; Bowe Trashes His W.B.C. Title Belt". The New York Times. December 15, 1992. Retrieved May 3, 2017.
    30. "Lennox Lewis lays rumors of return to rest once and for all". ESPN.com. November 26, 2008.
    31. "Video". CNN. November 15, 1993. Archived from the original on December 3, 2012. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
    32. "Video". CNN. August 19, 1996. Archived from the original on July 17, 2012. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
    33. "Oldies trying to prove they're still good". ESPN.com. August 16, 2007.
    34. Greenbelt, Maryland (October 19, 2005). "Ex-champ Bowe seeks bankruptcy protection – Sport". The Age. Melbourne. Retrieved June 24, 2008.
    35. BoxRec|
    36. The Ring
    37. "Riddick Bowe to make Muay Thai debut in May ~ Muay Thai Authority". Archived from the original on March 24, 2013. Retrieved March 21, 2013.
    38. "Riddick Bowe Brutalized in Muay Thai Debut | FSA - FightSport Asia". Archived from the original on June 18, 2013. Retrieved June 16, 2013.
    39. "Muaythai Superfight Results: Bowe TKO'd, Marcus remains undefeated ~ Muay Thai Authority". Archived from the original on June 18, 2013. Retrieved June 19, 2013.
    40. Sandomir, Richard (January 31, 1996). "Hut, 2, 3, 4! Bowe Is Joining U.S. Marine Corps". The New York Times . Retrieved May 22, 2010.
    41. 1 2 Goldstein, Alan (February 22, 1997). "After 11 days, Marine life too much for boxer Bowe Former champion quits boot camp". The Baltimore Sun . Retrieved December 5, 2018.
    42. "Sports People: Boxing: Bowe Visits Somalia". The New York Times . February 23, 1993. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
    43. Blockus, Gary (January 15, 1993). "Bowe Hopes to Feed World a New Breed". Morning Call. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
    44. "Gift for Dead Philippines Boxing Fan". UPI. June 28, 1995. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
    45. 1 2 3 4 5 "Riddick Bowe Facing 2 Years in Prison". ABC News. July 13, 2001. Retrieved April 30, 2013.
    46. "PLUS: COURT NEWS -- BOXING; Bowe Sentenced To 30 Days". The New York Times . March 1, 2000. Retrieved April 30, 2013.
    47. 1 2 "Bowe arrested for assault after domestic dispute". CNN. February 8, 2001. Archived from the original on May 26, 2010. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
    48. Eisele, Andrew. "Riddick Bowe Files for Bankruptcy". boxing.about.com. Archived from the original on August 7, 2011. Retrieved June 24, 2008.
    49. "Making His Pro Wresting Debut in 2014... — Preston City Wrestling". Archived from the original on September 18, 2013. Retrieved September 15, 2013.
    Sporting positions
    Regional boxing titles
    Vacant
    Title last held by
    Marcelo Victor Figueroa
    WBC Continental Americas
    heavyweight champion

    October 29, 1991 – December 1991
    Vacated
    Vacant
    Title next held by
    Alex García
    Vacant
    Title last held by
    Larry Donald
    WBC Continental Americas
    heavyweight champion

    December 3, 1994 – March 11, 1995
    Vacated
    Vacant
    Title next held by
    Jimmy Thunder
    World boxing titles
    Preceded by WBA heavyweight champion
    November 13, 1992November 6, 1993
    Succeeded by
    Evander Holyfield
    WBC heavyweight champion
    November 13, 1992 – December 14, 1992
    Vacated
    Succeeded by
    IBF heavyweight champion
    November 13, 1992 – November 6, 1993
    Succeeded by
    Evander Holyfield
    Undisputed heavyweight champion
    November 13, 1992 – December 14, 1992
    Titles fragmented
    Vacant
    Title next held by
    Lennox Lewis
    Preceded by WBO heavyweight champion
    March 11, 1995 – 11 January 1996
    Vacated
    Vacant
    Title next held by
    Henry Akinwande
    Awards
    Previous:
    Robert Quiroga vs.
    Akeem Anifowoshe
    The Ring Fight of the Year
    vs. Evander Holyfield

    1992
    Next:
    Michael Carbajal vs.
    Humberto González
    Inaugural winner Best Boxer ESPY Award
    1993
    Next:
    Evander Holyfield