Mike Tyson vs. Riddick Bowe Discussed as Tyson's first fight after release.

Yow...though I believe Tyson would have been knocked out by Bowe in 6 in 1992 (that JAB! and that INSIDE FIGHTING! incredible), but by 95 he was slipping.

That said, I doubt he'd have any fear of Mike, which works against the latter in a big way.

Bowe does well with the jab early on but gets hit...a LOT, staggered a few times. He gets floored in the 8th but gets up to put his foot in Mike's ass in 9. Bowe's near-Foreman level uppercut lands flush after a mostly missed jab-right-hook, and Mike goes out more comatose than he was against Douglas.

Prime Mike very well might have beat even 1992 Bowe. Plus, Mike would have knocked the living yee haw out of Bowe around the latter's Golota-travesty era.

 

Prime vs prime Tyson destroys Bowe by ko.
96 Tyson beats 96 flabby Bowe

 

Bowe's ties to HBO and Tyson's ties to Showtime may have been a stumbling block (as it was for Lewis-Tyson). I think Bowe wins in 95/96 unless Tyson gets him early. But then Bowe was only a couple of fights away from taking two beatings from Golota, so it's not a given.

 

Riddick Bowe did not face a lot of punchers, his chin and the amount of times he got buzzed does not fill me with much confidence. Tyson in 1995 was highly motivated to come back. Can Bowe take Tyson's power?

 

Tyson would need a couple of tune ups to even stand a chance, and even then I would favor Bowe over a post prison Tyson. That version of Iron Mike, while still a good heavyweight with ferocious instincts and power, sorely lacked the discipline, speed, and head movement that made him so dangerous in the 80's. Bowe was at least 10-20 lbs heavier, taller, stronger, a MUCH better inside fighter, and had a thunderous jab and uppercut. You don't fight fire with fire against such an opponent, especially if you are shorter and lack stamina.

On the other hand, Bowe was easy to hit and often gave up his height to bring the fight to his opponent so anything could happen in the first 3 rounds or so. But if Bowe isn't floored or badly hurt by round 5, I would be about 80% confident that the fight would be his. This version of Mike simply plays into Bowe's hands in several ways but it would be a very entertaining scrap while it lasts.

 

The 1995 version of Bowe was no different to the one who showed up in the Golata fights. You don't trade with Tyson to win. If Mike knows he can hit and hurt you, he will get you out of there.

Bowe lacked the discipline that Holyfield had which was key to his two wins against Tyson

 

It took Tyson a few flurries of combos to get the job done. I doubt Bowe could take the combination which finished Bruno in 1996

 

I'm not sure that was any harder than what Golota hit him with. And, though he performed terribly, he was still standing at the end of the fight.

 

Lacked discipline? In 1995 Bowe knocked out TWO undefeated fighters in a row (Hide and Gonzales) before knocking out Holyfield in their 3rd fight. He then took on ANOTHER undefeated fighter in Golota the following year. People can say what they want about the result and what shape he was in, but you go ahead and try to fight a skilled 6'4 boxer while getting punched in the nuts over.

Point being, the idea Bowe was slacking off and not challenging himself in 1995 couldn't be further from the truth. His resume certainly looked better than Mathis jr and Peter ****ing McNeely.

I already acknowledged Tyson could pull it off, but it's unlikely. Bowe has the advantage in chin, size, and raw power so aside from hand speed, he would undoubtedly be the one in control in a slug fest. Tyson can't fight backing up and was manhandled by a shopworn and much smaller Holyfield so I don't get why you think he'd have an easy time with the goliath sized Bowe.

 

I certainly cannot give Bowe any checkmarks on his chin, he avoided a lot of punchers in his career and he always got wobbled when getting hit.

Holyfield fought a very disciplined fight against Tyson where he tied Tyson on the inside and counter punched the crap out of him and took charge in the later rounds of the fight when Tyson started tiring.

Bowe was a banger who liked to trade but he was not someone content with tieing people up. I agree Tyson has to get the ko early but then again Tyson always got the ko early. You cannot be defensively sloppy like Bowe was against Tyson. Bowe also was not the most daring fighter either as his blatant duck of Lewis showed.

 

Tyson was a different animal compared to Golata, a much faded Tyson in 2000 made Golata quit in two rounds whereas Golata went a good 12-14 rounds against Bowe

 

It could be argued that the Golota-Bowe fights ruined both of those fighters. Golota never did much else except lose and quite spectacularly, and Bowe was just plain done.

It could thus be asserted that Tyson's stoned victory over a quitter several years shot and badly beaten by others wasn't such a great victory.

I have to give it to @Glass City Cobra here, great post. Bowe DID do some excellent things in 95...I think the reason I underestimate him some is because a couple of years earlier he had looked SO good, just like Futch said: as a potential ATG. But hey, Hide was an underrated fighter, and Gonzales certainly had his moments. He bowled them over (the shot he gave Gonzalez at the end would have sent Iron Mike to the infirmary).

I still think, if Gonzales lasted as long as he did, Mike would last at least another round. But yeah, Mike gets ktfo in 95, quicker than Holy did it.

 

It took a Lennox Lewis at the peak of his powers and definitely a harder puncher than Bowe almost 9 rounds of sustained non stop destruction to stop an absolute shot to **** Tyson in 2002 but Riddick Bowe is knocking a Tyson of 1995 early ?

Bowe will try to fight like a big guy and Tyson will get inside a produce a replica of the Bruno 1996 combinations to get Bowe out of there

 

Agree with a lot of points but Foreman level uppercuts ahahahaha