A Discplined Riddick Bowe...

1. No he didn't Lennox in 1991 was beating a top5 HW in Mason while Bowe was facing fringe past it fighters. Lennox took 3rounds on Biggs, where Bowe took 8. In 1992 Lennox destroyed many people's no1 HW in Rudduck while Bowe was going life and death with the 205lb Holyfield. Both lost in the next 2 years but Lennox would never come close to losing to Holyfield like Bowe did

2. Bowe ducked/avoided/didn't face Lennox/Mercer/Rudduck/Bruno/Morrison/ Foreman/Holmes/McCall/ he faced pure dross and avoided punchers outside of Holyfield who he had a number for in a way

3. Woulda/coulda/shoulda, he was out of shape but being in shape is part of being a top boxer, he wasn't that far removed from a year earlier

4. Based on the fact Bowe ducked Lewis, lost to him in the amateurs, Bowe avoided punchers, Bowe had a leaky defense and Lennox was a superior boxer, much faster, more proven chin and more athletic I see how you'd go with Bowe on that 1

5. Vitali, Golota, Tyson, Rudduck, Tua, Rahman, McCall, Bruno, Briggs, Akiwande, Grant are all better than Bowe's second best none gifted win.

6. At least a bit of perspective

7. Early Lennox was exciting and he was in some brawls and scored spectacular KOs but he did become cautious/calculated at times. At least Lennox fought big punchers, Bowe didn't. But fair play we all have out favourates

 

That was way down the line and close to when Lewis was knocked out by Mcall. Both fighters were in rebuilding stages at that time. The fight would have happened down the line for sure had Bowes career not been cut short.
I would still like to know what champion in recent history didnt try and make a few extra bucks with easier defenses once winning the title? Can you really blame Bowe for taking a couple easier fights. Holy fought Foreman Cooper and Holmes for big paydays. Tyson, went for Seldon and Holyfield, and even Lewis avoided Byrd to fight Kirk Johnson in Canada, not to mention he went to Wembley for a big payday against Bruno after beating Tucker for his first title, and then fought Phil Jackson. They all did it. Had Lewis not gotten knocked out by Mcall, HBO would have made the fight into a huge payday for both fighters, remember Lewis was not that well known in the states at that time.

 

Yes you can blame Bowe because of the fact those 'easy defenses' you listed like Bruno, Old Foreman, Old Holmes are all better than anyone Bowe beat Holyfield aside, and you even listed Holyfield as an easy defense :nut

Your right Bowe-Lewis would have happened if Golota hadn't retired Bowe. Then again Bowe may have opted for the more lucrative Tyson/Holyfield fights and Lewis would have been left out in the cold longer

 

If you remember Holyfield was coming off the knockout loss to Bowe and had his hands full with Bobby Czyz in the Garden, same card as Lewis Mercer. Holy was put up to be cannon fodder for Tyson, so yes it was supposed to be an easy huge payday defense for Tyson. My point was that they were not top contenders in the class of Lewis, they were name opponents for big paydays. Besides another Holyfield fight which happened two fights later, there was no big names for Bowe to fight. Foreman clearly stated on HBO he wanted no part of Bowe or Lewis for that matter.

 

I can't believe this thread is still in progress..

 

Bowe is not one of the few I think could hang with Prime Tyson, but if he'd stayed in shape and therefore shipped less shots, and it would've been HE fighting Tyson instead of Evander in '96, then yes, I think he would've won.

A lot of if's though.

 

And to those who say Evander fought the wrong fight the first time round, that is what Holyfield did, he liked to fight.

Bowe himself is a H2H nightmare for many, a ramrod jab and a good insight fighter, strength and chin, I can't see any ATG heavyweights blowing away the version of Bowe that fought Holyfield the first time.