I've always thought the same thing. I think the American public got sold early on what a great boxer he could of been and overlooked the fact that he never panned out. Then it was like he got a free pass for being great based on what he "could" of accomplished if he wasn't so unfocused and lazy.
The Golota fights by themselves don't as Bowe was not at his best for either fight. But when you combine these fights with his performances against Tubbs, Biggs, Hide and the 2nd Holyfield fight, it's clear Bowe had serious flaws. He had slow feet, couldn't or wouldn't control range, his jab was overrated and he was far too easy to hit. Whenever an opponent boxed him using movement, he looked ordinary and struggled. Tubbs gave him a competitive fight, Biggs prior to being stopped was only a round down and had staggered Bowe twice, Hide had Bowe hurt on more than one occasion and Bowe said he was at one point out on his feet and Holyfield when he did introduce more movement gave Bowe his sole loss. Bowe was built up to be something he wasn't after winning the title. The hyperbole went overboard and some fans fell for the hype. He was a young, big, exciting heavyweight and people glossed over his flaws. I remember seeing Bowe fight for the first time against Mathis Jr and was shocked. I had been told Bowe was something special, all I saw was a big, out of shape guy with the slowest feet I had ever seen, I couldn't believe how slow he was.
I followed Bowe`s career as he was coming along as a prospect and then a contender. I believe he was the goods. His talent was obvious. His size and ability to fight inside or outside. He could jab an he hit hard. I just believe Bowe lost that edge and desire once he won the Heavyweight Championship of the World. He couldn`t control himself at the table really. That was his downfall he loved food too much. By the time Golota came into the picture Bowe had already slipped pretty far. It has nothing to do with age. Boxing is different a fighter can be shot at 25. If your judging Bowe at this peak though I think he could hold his own with just about anybody. JMO
"Enlisted " doesn't exactly make you know about boxing,the little nit pickings to TRY and sound smart is utter failure time and again for you..leave the boxing talk to the big boys,you are on the wrong site if all you can do play the word games on here. :deal
The fact you thought Bowe was in the army and that Vits was an Olympic champion, that you would tell someone else to chech their facts is all anyone needs to know about you. You talk about fantasy fights as if you have proved the unprovable, yet you cant even get the provable facts correct. Standing next to you I look like a boxing genius.
I don't really care if he was in the marines or what he did after he retired from boxing,someone made the excuse it interfered with the Golota fights. You can try and confuse the thread all you like you are still one of the biggest fools on here that's for sure , dino is one of the few who actually makes you look like you know what you are talking about half the time ! :good
Most Champions don`t behave the way Rid**** did. Bowe was an extreme case of falling off the cliff. His lack of discipline was uncommon especially for a champion.
You have a case when you say that Bowe was a particularly bad example of this, but the reality is that most champions went to ruin after they won the title. Take Liston for example, he was drinking late into the night before his title defences.
How many guys did a lazy attitude prevent from having great careers? A few i'd say. Douglas could have been a lot more than he was. He had the full package minus the will to keep winning.
A motivated Bowe was scary. He could be outboxed, so could many heavies though. Interesting fight. Who controls the distance? Liston was no cupcake on the inside. I think if Bowe gets outboxed he takes his licks on the inside and overwhelms Sonny.
Most if not all Champions eventually lose yes but they don`t necessarily lose their discipline immediately after winning the crown the way Bowe did. I can see a case for a guy like Liston who dominated the division for quite some time and was older letting up on his training. Most champions realize how hard it was to climb to the top and they want to stay there. Winning the title makes a fighter better in most cases.
If Rid****'s chin is as excellent as Golota made it out to be, he has a very solid chance of outpointing Liston to a decision. I think Sonny's head movement spares him from heavier punishment, and allow him to beat Bowe to the jab. The difference for me would be Bowe's greater handspeed in combination. It might be close as Liston was known to dig to the body too, especially when people try to tie him up.