He was beating Bowe both times. Golota was highly skilled, talented boxer and in the right state of mind beats Wlad.
He lost both times despite being ahead. he quit twice. Soon as wlad caught him, as every hard hitting hw did, he'd quit again.
He didn't have what it takes to beat bowe. He twice proved that. He had the physical gifts but he couldn't put it all together at the top level.
i didn't flee and Golota did beat Bowe twice ... prime Bowe too .. Bowe was never the same after those fights with him ... he wasn't in the best shape for the first Golota fight but the second he was and Golota just beat him like a drum. Golota was a super heavyweight and knew how to use his size ... also had an excellent jab and out jabbed Bowe ... threw beautiful combinations as well and had a decent chin ... very good counter puncher and decent defensively. Dude is a H2H monster and one of the most talented guys I've ever seen ... the fight with Lewis would've been much different if it wasn't for that lidocaine injection he got. The difference between Bowe and Wlad is that Bowe could take a sustained amount of punishment and still stay on his feet, Wlad can't. Wlad has never fought an opponent as skilled as Golota who could jab with him.
Im not sure how anyone can think golota beat bowe. It isn't debatable, he quit twice. Bowe showed great heart and did what he needed to win (fight back).
1. Golota lost to Bowe 2. Bowe was not in his prime in 1996. He was slurring his speech and had brain damage, he was washed up. I'm speechless. Name me one good fighter Golota ever beat? Just one.
1. Golota destroyed Bowe and effectively retired him, but was DQ'ed in the process. He dominated him both fights, nearly every single round. Even Bowe said that he was winning both times "hands down" before he got DQed. 2. No he wasn't. Bowe was fine at that time ... he was coming of 4 straight wins an a TKO of Holyfield. Dude its the truth ... Watch some Golota fights, especially the Bowe fights ... far more skilled than Wladimir who can only throw 3 punches and only has 1 combo. Bowe twice ... was robbed against Byrd and Ruiz ... was beating the hell out of Grant before he quit ... Golota was for real. Waldo hasn't beaten anyone that special either and is usually criticized for that fact, so why the hate on Golota? Golota only spazzed out when the fight went into the late rounds ... he'd have Wlad out of there early so no problem.
Golota is a stud. With a decent brain and the heart of a champion like Lennox Lewis or Muhammad Ali, he'd be in with a great shot, here. Big, talented, skillful, and aggressive. It'd be a nightmare fight for Wlad. But, he was weak. He just was. Andrew Golota finds ways to fold in fights. I can see Wlad disposing of him in the first or second round, after the first big right hand. If he doesn't, the holding and the clawing(Wlad's trick where he extends his left and pulls down on your head when you try to come under it) would drive Golota, literally, crazy. Wlad KO 1-4, or by DQ no later then 7. Either his right hands cause Golota to freeze, like Lennox Lewis and Lamon Brewster and Mike Tyson, or his spoiling causes him to go insane.
Golota had by far a more respectable skill set than Wlad, its undeniable. Good reflexes, great body attack and a very decent inside game. He beat Byrd, no question about that. Even got a KD that wasn't scored. Wlad throws one punch in an attempt to win. If that fails he has nothing. Pulling down on Golotas head when he gets close will result in brutal body pain and Wlad panic's worse than Golota under pain. If Golota can get inside and work its his fight to win.
When he pulls his head down, those shots would be going low, which proves my point. Hard to get enough leverage to bring the pain when a forearm is on your neck. Trust me.
Golota walks in at angles and stands tall. How is Wlad going to reach up and drag his head down? He isn't.
Golota v Byrd was a fair draw. He got robbed against Ruiz though. He's just never held it together at the top level. Bowe, grant, Tyson he implodes mentally. Plus his chin is weaker than wlads in my opinion. Wlad destroys him.