If both retired today who is ranked higher Riddick Bowe or Vitali K?

I say Bowe. I think you can make an argument that Bowe never lost as a pro: I have scored Bowe-Holyfield II and sometimes scored it for Bowe, and I'm definitely NOT a fan.

As for the Bowe-Golota fights, there is no doubt in my mind that Bowe would have knocked Golota out in their second fight had it not been for the low blows. Bowe had Golota ready to go in the 3rd round, before Golota got a rest due to repeated low blows. He also had Golota hurt in the 9th round before Golota fouled his way out. Bowe was all but invulnerable in that fight, taking one of the biggest beatings ever and still coming back time and time again. The first fight is different, but nevertheless we have no idea how well Bowe would have fought if he hadn't been getting punched in the nuts repeatedly. We certainly know that the fight would have been more even if Bowe hadn't been weakened by low-blows.

They have similar resumes, I think, EXCEPT for the Holyfield fights. The key difference, one could say, is that when Vitali faced an ATG he lost, while when Bowe faced an ATG he won 2/3. If Vitali had beaten Lewis, there would be a more even argument (even though Lewis was old and out of shape) but as it happened Vitali just couldn't do it.

History has been unkind to Bowe, mainly because he never fought Lewis or Tyson, but I think history will be kind to Vitali. Bowe got outshone historically by Holyfield, Lewis and Tyson, while Vitali has been arguably the best heavyweight since Lewis- though I'd give that award to Wladimir.

 

I agree. What I disagreed with was your quote where you said Bowe battered him around the ring.

 

I have Bowe's stinker with Donald from 1994 on tape..... I never replay the goddamn thing..... That fight sucked so bad..... Donald had no power or confidence against Bowe.... Donald boxed merely to last 12 rds.......

I never liked Larry "The Fraud" Donald.... His biggest wins are over Jeremy Williams and and an ancient Holyfield....... YAWN!

MR.BILL

 

Yes, of course Bowe didn't face much younger versions of both fighters, right?

How old was Donald when Vitali finally stopped him ultra late in the fight? Nearing 40 as I recall.

Hide and Donald were both undefeated when they fought Bowe.

Honestly, can I give you the benefit of the doubt of not being flat out biased, or seemingly uneducated about the common facts here? Is there some logic you can apply to "durr, donald was stopped by Vitali", conveniently
leaving out that Donald A)Fought a ultra negative fight against Bowe B)He was extremely past it against Vitali... So on and so forth.

How about we make a great big collective effort not to look like simpletons brushing aside the obvious facts just because we have a chubby for our faovrites.

 

Herbert Hide was a fish outta water against Bowe in 1995....... Bowe in at 242 and Hide around a blown-up 212 pounds was simply out-gunned and had no chance at winning that fight..... Hide looked foolish staggering all around the ring and getting dropped by any real punch Bowe would land for 5 or 6 rds........ A SUCK FIGHT!

MR.BILL

 

good discussions guys. seems like most are giving it to bowe but there a few points to be made for vitali. personally i think reading these posts that i've drastically underrated bowe's resume over the years. the holyfield fights were the peak but he had some solid wins aside

 

I don't think that there's that much between them personally. I have already selected by virtue of having some better wins as well as having less devastating losses, but the margin is till razor thin.

On a sidenote - Vitali's career is still in progress, and there is a slight chance that he can pick up a few more meaningful wins, but nothing major. The only truly huge scalp left out there is his brother, and we all know that fight is never going to happen.. I know it's a long shot, but if something drastic were to happen, like Chambers upsetting Wlad, then Vitali steps in and beats Chambers, then it would definately boost Klitschko past Bowe on a list, or at least for me it would....

 

That was the first fight, since the latter days of Muhammad Ali, that the press conference was more entertaining than the fight itself!

 

I think Hide would have won that fight decisively had he either (a) a better defence or (b) a chin that wasn't made out of finest China. When he wasn't getting bounced off the canvas by glancing blows, he was boxing Bowe's ears off. It was a matter of styles making fights: Hide's lateral movement and handspeed made him look far better than someone of his class should against a world champion.

 

Bowe impresses me more as a fighter...He is one of the few heavies I have liked in the last 30 years outside of Tyson.

But Vitali probably got him for resume and achievements by now.

 

My beef with Bowe is, he was a lazy ******* who had to be watched and seriously coached in order to work / perform his duties in the gym and ring........ Once the money started rolling in, Bowe lost interest and became slobbish and heavy......

Bowe was basically shot by age 29 for Christ sake....... But it was NOT due to his epic trio with Holyfield... Had Bowe trained more seriously and maintained a true fighting weight target of say 235 to 242 pounds, he prolly would've had more gas in the tank by 1996........... This crap of Bowe going up to 275 to 285 pounds after each fight since winning the title in 1992, is what ruined him physically.......

As for Bowe slurring his words and mumbling these days / nights, well, I thought he did that 20 yrs ago.... Bowe was always a jive talker with a street type ramble / babble..... Bowe was never destined to be a news-caster......

Bowe: "Reporting live from New York City, I'm Riddick Bowe. Goodnight all."

Ain't gonna happen.......

MR.BILL

 

understand what youre saying but you could also look at it as who does vitali have to fight he is kinda victim of the present heavyweight era or lack there of both very good fighters just bowe came up in a thick hw time an in all fairness didnt fight everyone lewis,an tyson