One fighter who wouldn't die after he lost the title: Michael Dokes

would have been interesting if dokes got into great shape for bowe. you know, I think those guys in the 80's got rich too quick to keep their motivation up. One big win and they were millianairs

 

I really thought Michael Dokes was a cut above all of the others. I have been hearing about him very early on and was surprised he wasn’t on the 76 Olympic team! Check out this October 1975 article about him from sports illustrated, apparently the cracks were visible early on:https://vault.si.com/vault/1975/10/20/the-pace-is-familiar.

 

Great piece! Thanks for sharing man. I knew he was hyped from a young age but this article exposes his narcissism. Maybe some cocky confidence is good but Dokes sounded like a dick.

 

I think it came from a place that everyone was looking for the next Muhammad Ali. Fighters wanted to be Muhammad Ali and fans wanted to see the brash c0ckiness without understanding what was really behind it!

 

Interesting article. Here was a guy who was gifted with so much, yet ultimately he blew it. Cocaine is a helluva drug.

 

After 1985, Dokes wasn't the same fighter, probably a little earlier. And his power, or lack of it, was quite evident post-Coetzee.