Over time? Or was it his mindset and will that eroded that left him more vulnerable? Neither? I think the two Bowe matches might of damaged him almost as much as Bowe. Golota also took some of the hardest shots I've ever seen landed at heavyweight against the power punching Samson Po'uha. Danell Nicholson, Jesse Shelby, Jeff Lampkin, Bobby Crabtree... All extremely hard hitting heavies, respectable power at the very least. None of them made a serious dent in Golota as far as I know. Thoughts?
I think Golota's chin was good but not great, really only when he fought the genuine punchers in Tyson, Lewis and Brewster did it look bad.
Nonsense. He had a very good chin. The wars that Bowe and Golota had essentially ended the careers of both fighters. Sure, Golota's career moved on, and he was near the top level during most of that time, but he was not even close to the fighter who twice battered Bowe. Golota's chin definitely degraded in recent years, but he's an old man now. Brewster was the only fighter to actually drop Golota with a single flush shot aside from Tyson, and the shot Tyson hit him with would have stopped most heavyweights. He was dropped by Bowe in addition to taking many good flush shots from him throughout two contests. He was leveled by a BARRAGE of Lewis power shots, the likes of which not too many would survive. He got caught by Grant who, despite his shortcomings, could hit. After Grant initially stunned Golota, he unleashed a flury, and Golota stood there stupidly covering up. Then, of course, there was the monster shot from Tyson before he was ultimately leveled by Brewster, at which point, his chin was no longer what it was. Golota never had the greatest chin, but he had a very good chin. He was never really knocked out cold, and it usually took a barrage of punches to put him on his ass. His chin (and his skill level) are grossly underrated by many. That said, the shame in all of this is, he finally has the mental fortitute to become champion. Too bad it came years after his physical peak. He could have been a very good fighter. In the end, he was a A-level talent who never amounted to anything more than a B-level fighter.
As far as I remember... 1 time against Bowe 2 times against Lewis 1 time against Grant 1 time against Tyson 3 times against Brewster So 8 sounds right by my recollection.
Co-sign. Chin is one of the most overrated terms used on ESB. There are so many different factors going into "chin" that each has to be assessed individually. And Rumsfeld just summed up the status of Golota.
Thanks. Incidentally, I don't think I ever saw Lewis look more fluid and full of vigor than how he looked in his bout with Golota. His jab was snapping brilliantly, and seemed to be floating about the ring. Then, he nailed Golota with that flush straight right and followed it up with what might well have been the greatest left hook I ever saw Lewis land. He was on fire that night.
At his best Golota had a solid, but far from great chin. A crude fighter named Samson Pouha nearly dropped Golota, but Golota clinched, and then bite down hard on the back of Pohha’s neck. This bought him some time, and after some exchanges, Goltoa won.
