Do i underrate Bowe?

It's hard to rank someone who had so much potential but didn't come close to fulfilling it. Eddie Futch said Bowe had the potential to be his best heavyweight, which is obviously saying something, and it's probably true. On paper, he is better than Frazier, but didn't have anything like the desire or heart which took razier to the top. I think, on his best day, he would of beaten Holyfield, Tyson and Lewis. However, we never really saw his best day, even his best fight against Holyfield probably wasn't it.

I think he'd do pretty good against the usual Top 10. I think he would have beaten the smaller heavies, such as Dempsey and Marciano, and has the tools to give the Lewis' and Holmes' a run for their money.

Bowe always gets a mixed reception from fans. You either choose to judge him on his potential and the rare good showings, or you look at his weak resume and lethargic attitude.

I tend to think he gets underrated, especially head to head.

 

You have a high regard for Eddie Futch. Futch believed that Bowe was going to be great, but after that carnival huckster Rock Newman took him overseas Futch left, beleiving that no one was listening. I look at Bowe as a near-great who is a serious threat to any HW head-to-head. Had he listened to Papa Smurf, he would have been great -and I think that he, or shall I say, Futch, would eventually have beaten Lennox.

 

yeah Bowe was one of those potentials that was never realized

 

Bowe is one of my top five heayweights. Got the size and fights like no other big man.

 

Great post Jack.

I have always contended that H2H Bowe was an absolute beast (I find it harder to make arguements against him vs the usual top ten HWs as I do for him). Problem with him was always mental....he never put it all together, as he truely had ALL of the tools to be one of the best ever.

Sad really.

 

I know pretty much jack **** about most heavyweights, so this will probably be a naive post at best, but shouldn't there be a question mark over how Bowe would react when being hit by a big hard hitting heavyweight who is good enough to repeatedly tag him?

As far as I know, Bowe didn't face one. From the handful of fights I've seen he did have very good skills, but the way Evander was hurting him, you'd have to wonder.

I've seen the Golota fights as well and that didn't look to be Bowe in top form, so I don't know what to make of it. He looked rather average there.

A fighter with question marks left on him as far as I'm concerned. Though like I said, I don't know much about him.

 

I don't think you underrated him. I think a lot of people overrated him. This was a guy who was really beaten by Tubbs (Controversial Decision. Riddick Bowe had alot of difficulty landing any punches in this fight while Tubbs outboxed him for most of the fight. The commentators lambasted the decision and the crowd booed when the scorecards were annnounced.) and defended his title against Dokes and Ferguson before fighting a guy he had already beaten in Holyfield. Meanwhile the world was crying out for him to fight Lewis.

Physically talented and gutless.

Look at his record, other than one fighter, Holyfield, it really isn't anything worth mentioning. Beating one fighter doesn't make a great, ask Douglas.

He could have, should have but ultimately he didn't. That's what matters.

OVERRATED.

 

It's up to you regarding a ranking. You certainly know more than enough about boxing to form an opinion I'll appreciate!

In my own little realm, I still have some reservations about an Evander rank at HW. I like the guy, but wonder about his overall importance at HW.

In any event, I've never been huge on him (Bowe) either.

When you come out with a ranking for Bowe that is agreeable to you, I'll read it and use it as a basis for forming my own

 

Beating Holyfield was the only thing he did in the second best HW era.

I have him at 15 because he won the Holyfield trilogy (barely) If he does not win the Holyfield trilogy i would have him no higher then 20 .

 

Ridiculous Bowe has done NOTHING to even be ranked in the top 10.

Other then beating a Holyfield fighting with the wrong strategy he acomplished NOTHING.

O yeah he was also getting his ass kicked twice by Golota before winning by divine intervention.

Every elite HW that Golota fought but him in his place relativelly easy its only that one guy who was beaten across the ring twice only to luck out and get a DQ win because of Golota's stupidity.

 

I can't fight anyone on that, which is why I qualified the position. He showed me an awful lot of promise and I always beleived that he had better skills and natural athleticism than Lewis. Lewis had better heart and power and strength.

 

Watch some of the early Bowe fights. He was impressive. In truth Bowe was moved very quickly and fought some guys who could punch in Hide and Gonzalez.

Holyfield had enough power to TKO Tyson, rock Foreman, floor Ray Mercer ( Mercer was hurt from a hook ), and take Buster Douglas our with one punch. Holy was a solid hitter. He tested Bowe's chin plenty.

Bowe's main problem was focus. He needed a levelheaded manager, and Rock Newman was anything but.