For Those That Say Bowe Had No Heart...

I think Bowe showed more heart in the ring against Golota in two brutal wars (especially the second one) than any heavyweight on any night EVER. Next closest for me would be Ali against Frazier I. That Bowe-Golota II fight is so painful to watch, you can litterally feel the brain damage setting in as the fight went on. And did you hear how punchy Bowe sounded in the interviews afterwards? Man, that's pure sadness. If Bowe was not game to the core, he would not have won those fights. His gameness frustrated the living hell out of Golota so much that it mentally broke Andrew and he fouled.

Now, did Bowe and Rock Newman have big caution in making matches? Well, yes, but only to a certain degree. Lennox was a big threat, perhaps more so or at least as much so as Evander, and they realized they could make as much money or more money by fighting Evander, so they did. Remember, all those who are so high on Lennox NOW - back THEN, many folks had a lot of criticism for Lewis, were not big fans, and even less so after he got starched by McCall.

Moorer did not have the chin or conditioning to handle Bowe's punches and would have been an easy knockout victim.

Dokes was past it, admittedly, but he was still a former champ who had given Evander a great fight.

Bowe was going to fight Mercer, but Ray blew it by getting beat by Ferguson, who Bowe then fought.

Herbie Hide was undefeated at the time, had knocked out most of his opponents, and was coming off a brutal KO over Benntt, who I thought KO'd Morrison. Maybe I'm wrong there, but I remember Hide ended some guy's career.

Larry Donald was an undefeated former Olympian.

J.L. Gonzalez was an undefeated Cuban who had amateur wins over both Lewis and Bowe. Bowe not only beat him, but impressively dismantled him in a total beat down.

This guy didn't have a bad career. He only lost the belt on a razor thin decision in a fight that I thought should have been a draw when watching it live, or a no contest. Other than the close Holy loss, he never lost. And he beat Evander the first time and the third time, last time by KO, coming off the floor from a perfectly thrown and timed hook, showing heart in that one too after being on the verge of being KO'd.

 

Bowe has more heart than he gets credit for.

People often confuse a lack of work ethic with a lack of heart. While Bowe lacked the ability to maintain a proper training and conditioning regimen, he definitely had more heart than he gets props for.