Riddick Bowe vs Vitali Klitschko

Oh yes, I'd love to see Vitali lean back against Tyson, what with his explosiveness, sharpness and speed.

 

V.K. is an all-time badass mother****er with conditioning and skill................ He is head and shoulders (Literally) over dudes like "Tyson & Bowe." Both Tyson and Bowe finished up in an ugly manner........ But while Tyson is a sure bet to make the H.O.F. next year, I cannot say the same about Bowe.....

Right now I am anxious to see "Klit vs. Johnson" in December on HBO... GO KLIT!!

MR.BILL

 

Tyson only threw lotsa' punches when he wasn't threatened or in NO fear of his opponent......... Christ, prime or not, Tyson was slowing down well BEFORE a mere age of 30.... How old was Tyson when he fought Ruddock in 1991? Tyson was just SHY of age 25.......... I clearly saw that a ripped like Tyson at 216 pounds for his rematch with Ruddock was clearly slowing and slipping by 1991....... Tyson was indeed overrated....

MR.BILL

 

I never felt Bowe was overrated because I felt Bowe still had things to prove by the time he was washing up in 1996 at age 29......... Bowe never came close to living up to his full potential.......

MR.BILL

 

Vitali not lacking what Golota was.....Bowe had skill but he was an easy target...Vitali late 8-12th

 

Agreed. A 1987 Tyson beats Vitali in similar fashion to the way he beat Tucker. Maybe 9 rounds to 3 in a 12 round decision. A 1991 Tyson vs Klitschko is a toss up. Tyson from 1995 onward is a good candidate to lose to Vitali.

 

Hmmm... Tony "The ****er" Tucker is not even a pimple on V.K.'s ass in terms of toughness, durability & skills....... Tucker was a jabber who'd only throw the right with conviction against lesser opponents............. Tucker always FAILED in his fights against "A" grade fighters....... I was never sold on Tucker..........

I cannot see V.K. being as tentative and timid against the much smaller Mike Tyson in a ring like Tucker of '87 was...... I see Tyson eating lotsa' leather from long range against Vitali Klit............. V.K. just is too big and strong for Tyson......... Tyson gets battered for a late round TKO loss...........

MR.BILL

 

i like vitali but

bowe beats him and stops

tyson gets under him and distroys him.....

 

Jesus, why don't you tell us how you really feel Bill...

 

Was gonna post the same thing. People forget all too often just how amazing a fighter that a prime Bowe was for such a short, short time period. Which is the reason they forget in the first place.

 

It's all true, though......... Back in the 80s, I recall how KO and World Boxing mags were hailing Tony Tucker as a hot prospect with size, talent and finess......... And, to a large degree, he lived up to a lot of the hype.... BUT! That was only against the "D" and "C" competition he was being pitted against........

Tony Tucker WAS LOSING to Buster Douglas before Douglas ran outta gas and haired out in 1987......... Lucky win.......

Tucker looked good in round 1 against Tyson, but then jabbed, held and waltzed around the ring for 12 rds........ YAWN!!

Tucker stunk with Ollie McCall for a lackluster draw or something on Showtime in 1992..... Boring........

Tucker came to fight Lenny Lewis on PPV in 1993, but once against faded late and lost a decision.....

Tucker totally stunk against Bruce Seldon on PPV in 1995 and whined like a bee-yatch afterward...... I never saw Tucker again......

MR.BILL:deal

 

Riddick Bowe was indeed a very good fighter who was never stopped and was truly only beaten once by a fighter whom he defeated twice. The problem I have with giving him an automatic "W" against a man like Vitali Klitschko, was that as many good attributes that Bowe had as a fighter, he also had a fair number of weaknesses that I think could have been exposed by such a man.

Riddick's tendency to get tagged repeatedly by a strait left jab is often over stated by people here, but it is a valid observation to make. Tony Tubbs found a home for that jab, and fought Bowe to a virtual standstill. Evander Holyfield fired Lou Duva after his first defeat to Bowe, hired Steward for the rematch, and used the jab to box his way to a victory. And finally, Andrew Golata was able to beat him from pillar to post, and at one point left me wondering if Bowe was even going to leave that ring alive.

Unfortunately, Riddick Bowe's durable chin and desire to brawl in close, had the tendency to over compensate for his poor defense and pattern for getting hit with certain kinds of punches. Against Vitali Klitschko, I could see this as being problematic for a variety of reasons. First, Klitschko may have very conceivably been the largest foe Bowe ever faced, along with being one of the hardest hitting. For a man who was well accustomed to facing smaller foes, as well as a number who were past prime, this would be a different paradigm. On top of that, Klit had every bit as good of an effective strait jab as Golata and Tubbs, only with more power to back it. In addition, despite what anyone says of Vitali's durability issues, his chin was still well tested, and unless he succumbs to the unlikely event of a freak torn rotator cuff twice in one career, or a huge gash over his eye, his ability to take Bowe's best has my full confidence. Lastly, these two men had a very different approach to fight preparation when contrasted to one another. One of them was not exactly a glutant for hard training and dietary awareness, while the other basically treated his body like a temple even well into middle age. In the sport of boxing, such differences can always have a huge impact.....

I say this with no real conviction, but I think I'll favor Vitali Klitschko by late stoppage or a decision, in a war that would could potentially ruin both fighters.

 

The Bowe of 1992 has a great chance.