Riddick Bowe - Why Did He Not Face Lewis?

Hi Fergy - The way I see it is that Bowe would have been quite willing to fight Lennox but Newman was n't that confident in a 'Big Daddy' victory.

 

Bowe got a big deal with HBO to get a whole lot of money facing easy opposition. Lennox was not easy opposition. He was a big puncher who had defeated Riddick in the Olympics.

Bowe got a lot of money to face the likes of an aged Michael Dokes, Jesse Ferguson, and a supposedly shopworn Holyfield in a rematch. Lewis wasn't an easy fight like these opponents were (or were supposed to be). Bowe/Newman wanted to milk it for all it was worth. There was also some beef between Newman and the WBC.

I think eventually they would have fought if they kept winning, but they both ended up losing.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/arch...reement/8baecd6e-582e-48af-95fb-545f566b08ac/

Roy Jones would also get a similar deal with HBO that got criticized years later.

 

Rock Newman said in Dallas, when I asked him why they renaged on the agreement to fight Lennox was " Why take the risk against Lewis when we can make as good $$$$$ fighting Dokes & Ferguson with very little risk. I'd had a few beers & said " Bowe will never be world champ till he fights Lennox & beats him". Newman laughed & held up the belts saying " We must be the champ we got these" !!! Bowe just scowled & walked away never said a word.
Really at the time Bowe was in great shape after beating Vander. That was probably the ONLY time Bowe would have had a chance against Lennox they werent confident enough to risk fighting Lennox & lost the chance of ever beating him

 

I don't know who I disliked more....Rock Newman or Angel Garcia.

 

It's strange...Bowe's manager ducked Lewis during the one time Bowe could have beaten him (right after Holyfield I). The Bowe of even the Dokes fight would have lost imo.

And I thought the Bowe-Lewis Olympics fight was a sham. Bowe was completely clear-eyed during the "stoppage", even the announcers thought it was horrifically early. Watch him dance around, ready to go right before the fight was waved off.

So yeah, Bowe had him after that first Holyfield fight. After that, Lewis reigns.

 

Newman didn't want to deal with King and the WBC, so he threw the WBC belt in the trash as a show of defiance towards the demands of King and the WBC, not because of Lennox Lewis. In fact, I think Lewis was playing along and then snubbed Bowe by dealing with King and the WBC. That's why Bowe got in Lennox's face after Bowe's first fight with Holyfield and said "You're not the man I thought you were!".

Backstage politics that are fairly hidden unless exposed by a real journalist who doesn't have a dog in the fight. Unfortunately most journalists are bought and paid for these days and one needs to get real information from independent sources.

 

I'll take this one step closer to the truth...Bowe knew McCall was destined to beat crack, er Lennox Lewis and expose that chin, just one fight before Bowe could prove it knowing he never had to face someone who couldn't beat Mike Tyson's sparring partner.

 

Bowe didn't look afraid at all when he confronted Lewis after the Holyfield fight. Newman is the one who jumped between them.

Lewis in 1992 wasn't yet professionally good enough to beat Bowe, he would have gotten caught a lot quicker than McCall caught him, and he would have stayed down imo.

That said, I think anytime after 1992 Bowe would have gotten his buttocks handed to him by Lewis, pre or post Steward. He simply wasn't the same fighter post-Dokes.

 

This is how I see it: there’s a point in time when Bowe wins and it’s not terribly close, followed soon after by a turn where Lewis wins and it’s not terribly close. It’s all a matter of when.

 

Had Bowe faced Lewis in 1996 as was the plan instead of Golota and Mercer, I think it would be very close between them. Can't pick a winner for sure.

 

I've read Futch didn't want the fight .. felt Lewis was too strong ... funny, one guy that should know, Holyfield , seems strongly behind Bowe at his best over Lewis.