There's not one fighter on Vitali Klitschko's resume that a decent version of Riddick Bowe wouldn't have beaten. I'd favor Bowe of '92 to stop the Lewis that showed up in '03. Riddick Bowe had a tremendous heart. People go on about Holyfield and his will, and rightfully so, but the punishment Riddick had to take against Golota was inhuman. Lesser fighters would have gone down and stayed down, but he always got up. I have huge admiration for Bowe.
Bowe of '90-'95 would easily defeat all the opposition that Vitali beat & Byrd, however it might require the best Bowe to beat the Lewis of '03.
But Bowes failing was that he was only good for a couple of fights - He has the worst longevity of any supposedly mooted ATG. And in Bowes case it was due who he avoided and not just circumstance
Why do you keep saying this? He lost one close fight to another ATG in his entire 40 something fight career. Are you that clueless?
He missed out all the other major players of that era - He proved incapable of beating Buster Mathis - was lucky that Golota beat himself and got a gift against Tubbs and threw the same belt Ali and Frazier nearly died fighting for in the garbage rather than face a credible opponent.
:? Holyfield was the biggest player of the time. He fought him three times. Golota beat himself? How did he do that? Bowe had nothing to do with Golota quitting? Have you even seen the Tubbs fight?
Holy is the only name on his resume - See what Tyson and Lewis did to Golota?? He proved he could beat a peak Holy when Holy fought the wrong fight - when Holy adjusted he won in the rematch. If Bowe fought the same resume as Holyfield - Lewis or Tyson he would do so badly that he would be thought no more than Michael Moorer level or less