Yes. Tyson lost the title by ugly knockout, then came back and won it again. Joe was mostly done after FOTC. Keep in mind I love Joe a million times more than Mike. But Mike I think went a bit above (certainly not in terms of heart, but the two championship belts...)
Good post , I agree with all that... I think the issue with Bowe was that he was the easiest to hit of all the very good / great boxers. He really did take alot of shots, even on the way up. Plus he didnt look after himself and he had family issues , a melting pot of issues really. It's a well worn tale that sadly alot of these guys never cope well with the fame and money they work so hard to achieve. Bowe's fall from grace was just quick and sudden whereas some others are more gradual. I admire Lennox and one or 2 others who have lived well and enjoyed the fruits of their efforts.
True, he never looked as good as he did against Holy 1 again. But the man did come back to beat an underrated fighter (Herbie Hide) for the title....making him a two-time title holder. That said, Bowe mysteriously got even worse soon after his first WBO defense. Even more strange is how, even with Futch, he didn't walk right through Golota. In fact, the Golota fights might remain as the biggest pair of uglies on Bowe's record. Tyson and Lewis walked through Golota, pretty much, and Bowe "won" twice...completely undeserved and those two fights should have been losses (and should have put Big Daddy away from fighting, period...even the ring announcers were warning of the aftereffects of Bowe taking so many punches).
To me, Bowe is one of boxing's great tragedies. The things he was capable of...holding the title for years on end (I don't see pre-Steward Lewis, Tyson, or Foreman beating the Holy I Bowe), busting his ass to get in shape (mandatory to be a great champ), etc. he didn't do. But hey, I can sympathize with him when he says all he wanted to do was win the title. I just don't understand why he didn't just leave the sport then...unless Newman and co. were pushing him to make more money.
Your right, I remember when he first came along along with Lewis. I actually expected Bowe to be the top dog and out last Lennox. Just shows in Boxing, you just never can tell till a boxers finished how truly good they are /were.
Yes. Show me 20 who were better. Not the most accomplished champion for sure, but at his best he was something else. Spots 12-16 seem about right.
Sad...but hell, I love watching Bowe and Holyfield bantering about as best friends now on TruSchool. Doesn't look to me like either man is depressed or anything like that. They have plenty of friends and admirers. There are times in those videos where Bowe looks anything BUT sad or unhappy, and it makes me happy seeing that.
