If You managed Bowe ( with hindsight)

Tyson was still in prison, Bowe should of fought Lewis, by the time Bowe fought Golota he was finished, Bowe did do well though to beat Holy in their third fight but he didn`t look great, so he didn`t prove much, should of fought Lewis then or when he first won the title off Holy, we never got to find out who was better v Lewis and Bowe, if Bowe had beat Lewis then he could of gone on to rematch Holy, he only met him again because he had already beat him, before that he should of met Lewis instead of making those shitty defences against Dokes and Ferguson, Bowe was still in shape for those fights and waisted his time knocking out two washed up fighters, he ruined his legacy and hurt Lewis`s by not meeting him also.

 

I guess that Bowe's biggest problem was always going to be Bowe.

There is only so much that a more level headed manager could have done about that.

I suspect that he was probably wise to steer clear of Lewis, and pursue the trilogy with Holyfield.

A bit of clever match making, might have left him in the game when Tyson got out of prison, and there were a few soft belts around.

I would have tried to keep his finances in a better state, and maybe I would have been successful, or maybe I wouldn't.

 

Mega fight vs Lennox in 1993

 

I'd match him with Lennox.

Lennox was still raw in terms of skills at that time, Bowe was at his peak. Lennox looked pretty good in destroying Ruddock, but later didn't look nearly as good vs past prime Tucker, Jackson, Bruno and McCall.

If Bowe wins, I'd match him vs Holy again.

Tyson? Maybe in 1996, if Bowe manages to keep himself in shape.

 

Mega fight with Lewis?

You have to ask how much it would have made relative to other potential fights, and how great would the risks have been?

I suspect that Manny was asking these questions when he vetoed it.

 

One thing that I don't think Rock Newman gets credit for was trying to keep Bowe busy. I think Newman KNEW Bowe was his own worst enemy and knew the best thing for him was to keep him active and thus keep him in the gym.

Bowe was back in the ring three months after the grueling title-winning bout with Holyfield. What other champions have done that? Not many. Sure, it was against a by-that-time soft touch in Dokes, but that wasn't really much different from, say, Ali-Williams in '66. Nothing wrong with keeping busy with a gimmee defense against a known name.

Three months later Newman had Bowe in the ring again. In hindsight, maybe the defense should have been against Mercer as planned (it wouldn't be the first time a planned title fight went though after a surprise loss by the challenger... ahem... Ron Lyle), but then Bowe would've gotten stick for not fighting Ferguson.

After these two fights Bowe seemed to take a lot of criticism for fighting soft touches rather than getting praise for staying busy. So...

In August I'd put him back in the ring against an Alex Garcia or Tony Tubbs. This'd be after a Lewis fight was announced and signed for November.

If he beats Lewis (which is a big if), I'd probably give him a six month break before his next defense, but I'd be sure to get him into training at the three month point, around March 1st. I'd be looking at a Holyfield rematch in the fall, as well as fights (following the Larry Holmes template) against undefeated but untested guys like Larry Donald, Herbie Hide, and Jorge Luis Gonzalez. I'd also be looking at Michael Moorer, Henry Akinwande, and Tommy Morrison.

Following that I'd be looking at a Lennox Lewis rematch (depending on how he rebounded) and a mega-fight against a comebacking Mike Tyson. And I'd probably stay away from that crazy Polish guy (I'd pull the Ali trick - "you and Lewis or Tyson fight and I'll fight the winner.").

Above all I'd keep Bowe busy. He was at his best when he fought at least every three months or so. Those six month + layoffs, between Ferguson & Holyfield II and between Holyfield III & Golota really hurt him.

 

I'd try to ship him to England to fight Bruno.
I'd avoid Lewis.
I would try to get Morrison, Foreman, and Ruddock in the ring.

 

Straight to Lewis. I would have wanted him a bit fearful. Bowe would have been dangerous if he was a bit scared. He would have gotten into top condition and the best Bowe may have beaten Lewis at that time. There was a a window there where Bowe was the better more complete heavyweight.

I think Bowe needed that challenge. He milked it too long. Throwing the belt away was too much. He let everyone know he was fearful. He earned that belt. Why give it away?

 

Financially I agree. Newman made as much as he could but it hurt Bowe that they ducked Lewis. He lost some respect and then two bums he just went the wrong direction.

 

Dump Newman. Have Futch also manage him. Fight Lewis which I believe he would have won.
Eddie would have kept him in line as long as he could. Made him money then told him that's enough. Easier said than done rite. BTW I had him winning Holy 2 so hes really undefeated in my book.

 

In 1992-93 bowe vs lewis would have been a war. Bruno had lewis semi ko but he could recover himself. I always did think that lewis that night would not survive to foreman,liston,louis etc

 

I think it's important to clarify that Bowe actually never gave the belt away; the belt in the trash bit was a publicity stunt meant to preempt the fact that he was going to get stripped of the WBC Belt anyway. Rock Neuman made 2 offers to the Lewis camp, which they both declined. At the last minute Frank Maloney accepted but Rock Neuman rescinded the offer claiming it was off the table. Lewis sued and won and the WBC gave the Bowe camp an ultimatum; Bowe must fight Lewis as his mandatory get stripped of the title. Since they couldn't come to terms with the purse split and they knew they would get stripped, they pulled off a little PR stunt.

I should probably mention that Bowe losing to Holyfield in the rematch in '93 and Lewis losing to McCall in '94 derailed the potential fight. There was some renewed talks when Bowe picked up the WBO strap, in fact after winning the Holyfield rubber match Bowe had options. A Super-fight with Mike Tyson or the Mega fight with Lennox Lewis that has been lingering for 2 years.

Turns out some Polish guy turned up and spoiled the plans.

As for the question? As Bowe's manager? I would have kept him busy against a better crop of opponents. Instead of Micheal Dokes? I'd go with Micheal Moorer. Instead of Jessie Ferguson? I'd go with Ray Mercer despite the loss. Instead of the Holyfield rematch? I'd go with Lennox Lewis and then pursue a Holyfield rematch if Bowe wins. And should Evander win the rematch, at that point Bowe would be entitled to take on some soft "keep him busy" touches before pursuing a rubbermatch with Evander. Once Mike Tyson comes out of prison I would keep the winning streak running against green undefeated contenders and soft touches until I angle for a Tyson fight where we can cash out.

 

1993 :
Jorge luis Gonzalez
Frank Bruno in Uk or Tony Tucker
rematch with Holyfield

1994 :
Tommy Morrison
the winner of imposed fight : George Foreman vs Larry Holmes
Lennox Lewis in Africa

1995 :
Ray Mercer
Mike Tyson after his win against Mathis Jr
rematch with Lewis


I keep Futch, I make sure his weight stays around 235 -242 for big fight never above 250 for easy defense.
I slow down his life brake and make sure that his entourage do not lead him down and I make a TV star during his week of rest

 

Not sure why everyone thinks he should’ve fought Lewis. Sounds like instant career derailment.