The ESB British Forum Encyclopedia

The Macias footage doesn't even come to an accumulated 20 minutes I don't think.

Anyone watched it? Any thoughts. He was class you'll enjoy it I swear!

 

Really GREAT post Flea !! Macias is a very interesting fighter......

 

:good He is, shame a good few Bantams of that time didn't stickadound for too long.

Carruthers was very good as well.

 

Riddick "Big Daddy" Bowe
Undisputed & 2 time world heavyweight champion
1988 Olympic silver medalist​

Full name: Riddick Lamont Bowe
Born: 10/8/67 Brooklyn, New York.
Height: 6'5
Reach: 81"
Professional Record: 43 (33) - 1 - 1(NC)

Part 1/2: The Rise.

Riddick "Big Daddy" Bowe is one of the greatest modern heavyweights, a talented & gifted fighter who was involved in some of the most famous & infamous encounters of the last 20 years.

Born into a large family in the notorious Brownsville section of Brooklyn life was tough for young Riddick, but like other famous residents from that area he found a path away from the ghetto through boxing. A talented amateur he won the World youth amateur title in 1985, in the same year he also won the 1st of 4 consecutive New York golden glove titles. In 1988 he reached the Olympic super-heavyweight final where he faced Lennox Lewis. Following a close 1st round the referee stopped the bout after Bowe was rocked by several right hands in the 2nd.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K39AbwNl3QU[/ame]

Riddick turned pro in 1989, he signed for manager Rock Newman & was trained by the legendary Eddie Futch. In his debut he knocked out the novice Lionel Butler (who would go on to be a ranked contender & fight Lewis, McCall, Byrd & Micheal Grant) & would fight 12 more times in his 1st year, winning them all inside the distance. In 1990 his 1st "big" opponent was the fading former world champion Pinklon Thomas whom he beat soundly until his corner finally retired him after the 8th round, 6 weeks later he dispatched the exciting Bert Cooper in impressive fashion via 2nd round KO.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRdzOHy3ZMg[/ame]

His next big stepping stone was the 1984 gold medalist Tyrell Biggs, a talented fighter who had overcome drug & alcohol addictions to stage a comeback after losing several fights in a row. Biggs & Bowe were the same height, weight & had near identical reach but Bowe hurt Biggs with a right hand inside the opening seconds of the fight. However a left hook from Biggs stopped his younger opponent in his tracks & the bout remained competitive until Bowe finally overpowered the game Biggs in the 8th, despite being rocked by another left hook in the 6th.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FEj0ciToY4[/ame]

Bowe's next fight in 1991 was against another former world champion, Tony Tubbs, who was 34 & had a 29-2 record with his only losses coming against Tim Witherspoon & Mike Tyson. Bowe again hurt his opponent early in the 1st round but he struggled to consistently land against the wily & slick old pro. Although behind in the fight Tubbs rallied well in the final 2 rounds but Bowe prevailed by UD, going 10 rounds for the 1st time in his career. After racking up 2 more quick stoppage wins Bowe faced the rated prospect & future world champion Bruce Seldon (18-1) in his hometown of Atlantic City. Bowe was in impressive form again & dispatched Seldon in the 1st round, improving his record to 26 (24) - 0.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9_gZ_u-Rqw[/ame]

His next bout was a controversial affair against Elijah Tillery (23-4). At the end of the 1st round Tillery blew a kiss at Bowe who reacted with a jab to the head. Tilley responded with a kick & the pair started brawling, as Bowe forced Tillery into the ropes Riddick's manager Rock Newman lept onto the apron & dragged Tillery over the ropes & into the crowd. General mayhem followed & when calm was eventually restored Tillery was disqualified for a kick.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20jk-0iWna4[/ame]

In a rematch 6 weeks later Bowe won by TKO in the 4th, handing Tillery his first stoppage loss.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMkMNp9knhQ[/ame]

Bowe was now a highly ranked contender & after beating a couple of journeymen he faced the tough South African Pierre Coetzer (39-2) in an eliminator for the WBA title. In a wild & entertaining fight both guys landed heavy shots but Bowe retained the upper hand with his uppercut repeatedly rocking back Coezter's head. In the 6th Bowe landed a low-blow which made Coezter double up in pain, Bowe then knocked him down with a right hand & recieved a warning. In the 7th Bowe landed another low-blow & as Coezter turned away to protest Bowe landed several heavy shots & the ref Mills Lane stepped in & controversially stopped the bout.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEIGGFEMdPE[/ame]

This victory earned Bowe a shot at the undisputed heavyweight champion & former cruiserweight king Evander Holyfield (28-0). Their 1992 fight is widely regarded as one of the greatest ever heavyweight fights & the 10th round is especially memorable. After 12 brutal & breathtaking rounds Bowe was awarded a unanimous decision (117-110 x2, 115-112) & became the new, undisputed heavyweight champion.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mCJhSJli1c[/ame]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcRvHfocX2Y[/ame]

To be continued...

 

Nice :good Don't make us wait for part two! :twisted:

 

Cheers, i'll try to finish it off tonight. :bbb

 

Good man, I'm gonna' do George Benton next. Then, as promised, will get round to Lennox. Benton is nearly done so he might as well go up next.

Lennox, will probably be big. Has Ali been done yet? I might do a 3-parter on him :think

Might do a fair few more 'mainstream' guys. Don't think De La Hoya, Mosley, Cotto, Pacquiao (that's one I'd be interested in tackling) Floyd (that as well :yep) Foreman (and that :tong) Jack Johnson, Ricardo Lopez, Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns, and many more.

I'm gonna' post my 'agenda' here. If anyone is interested in any of these guys, all who I've contemplated a few times and have a mental outline on, please ask me first so as it blunt the disappointment a little In no order.

-Ayub Kalule
-Shozo Saijo
-Pone Kingpetch
-Lennox Lewis
-Dick Tiger
-Alfonso Zamora
-Bob Foster
-Kid Gavilan
-Benny Lynch
-Masao Ohba
-Re-do Jose Napoles from top to bottom, was ridiculously rushed going on 2 year old recollections, terrible effort
-Tony Canzoneri

Will be fun.

 

i'd be interested in a Kid Gavilan if you fancy doing him pal:good

 

Well there's one that's a deffo' then, and I will gladly provide you with one Pike, one of my favourite fighters.

WTF!!!!??!?!??! :fire JOE ****ING LOUIS hasn't been done?!

 

I'm looking forward to this Benton piece, Flea.

 

Lennox would be cool as that would complete the 90's heavyweight fab 4 (once I finish off Bowe (no homo) & Sportsleader finishes his excellent Tyson post)

Benton is someone I'm interested in learning more about, should be good as always :good

 

It's an interesting one IMO. Have to upload one of his fights to the tube, and tweak a few bits of the entry. As there's four fights available of Benton, I'm implementing quotes from newspapers of his fights with Mims and Giardello (and a few others)

Just a contender, but oh, my what a talented and skilled man Georgie Benton was.

Now there's an entry that needs finishing off (no homo) and, as per my response to Wallet's post, hope you guys enjoy him as much as I do, he's lovely.

 

id like to see some pieces on the forgotten heavyweight champs of the mid 80's, Dokes, Page, Witherspoon, tucker, tubbs and Coetzee. Many had plenty of talent and potential but were held back in some way or another. their careers are fairly unknown to non hadcore fans but they are interesting none the less. I would do it myself but id only make a balls of it:yep

 

Riddick "Big Daddy" Bowe
Undisputed & 2 time world heavyweight champion
1988 Olympic silver medalist​

Full name: Riddick Lamont Bowe
Born: 10/8/67 Brooklyn, New York.
Height: 6'5
Reach: 81"
Professional Record: 43 (33) - 1 - 1(NC)

Part 2/2: The fall.

In 1992 just 3 years after turning pro Bowe had become the undisputed (WBA, WBC & IBF) heavyweight champion, however getting to the top & staying there are 2 very different things. He began gaining 50-60lbs between bouts & this eventually took its toll. From his early amatuer days people had been questioning his dedication to training & after achieving his life's goals Bowe began the slow decline towards the tragic figure he is today.

Shortly after his win against Holyfield Bowe's old rival Lennox Lewis knocked out the formidable Razor Ruddock in 2 rounds to become the #1 mandatory challenger for Bowe's WBC title. Lewis was offered $3m, a career high payday but that amount represented a 90/10 split in Bowe's favour (Bowe had accepted a similar split when he challenged Holyfield). Lewis refused & at an infamous press conference Bowe vacated (threw into a trash can) his WBC strap & instead signed to fight former champion Micheal Dokes, who he destroyed in the 1st round.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCCv5HQJ9nc[/ame]

On the undercard that night the 1992 gold medalist Ray Mercer, who was being lined up as Bowe's 2nd defence was soundly beaten by perennial sparring partner Jesse Ferguson & so Bowe fought Ferguson (19-9) instead. The IBF refused to sanction the bout so only the WBA title was on the line. Bowe knocked Ferguson down at the end of the 1st & then knocked him out at the start of the 2nd.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtIyRKQa4Zg[/ame]

Next up in 1993 was a massive rematch against Holyfield which proved to be as memorable as their 1st. A bulked up Holy fought with different tactics, staying outside more using his superior footwork & not slugging it out like their 1st fight. However the fight was close until it was interupted by James "Fan Man" Miller gliding into the arena on a parachute & crashing into the overhead lighting rig. The fight eventually resumed & was a close & entertaining affair which Holy won by a razor thin MD (115-113, 115-114 & 114-114). This is the only fight Bowe lost in his whole career.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDbp_mE2NIk[/ame]

After losing his titles Bowe's next fight was against the unbeaten prospect (14-0) Buster Mathis Jr. After struggling to land against his shorter, crouching opponent Bowe landed a right hand after Mathis was on one knee which knocked Mathis out. Instead of being DQ'd the fight was controversially ruled a no contest. In 1994 terms were agreed to fight Lewis for his WBC title but he was sensationally knocked out by Oliver McCall. Instead Bowe fought another unbeaten prospect Larry Donald (16-0) who Bowe punched at the press confernce & then cruised to a very wide UD over 12 rounds.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5LxagKJ1PA[/ame]

Then in 1995 Bowe fought the British WBO heavyweight champion Herbie Hide (26-0). A former cruiserweight Hide was a colourful & eccentric character who had won the newly formed WBO heavweight title in his previous fight against Micheal Bentt. Hide started in a lively fashion but Bowe knocked him down multiple times before the fight eventually ended in the 6th.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIfmOyl31DQ[/ame]

Having become a champion for the 2nd time Bowe fought the 6'7 Cuban Jorge Luis Gonzales (23-0), who had beaten both Lewis & Bowe as an amatuer & never been knocked down as a pro. Gonzales had upset a series of trainers by refusing to do anything new, arguing that in Cuba he had already learnt all he needed to know. Sporting a bizarre haircut Gonzales was dominated & ktfo in the 6th in one of Bowe's best performances.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wJGaUO1sQg[/ame]

Bowe refused to face his mandatory challenger & was stripped of his WBO title, instead he faced Holyfield for a lucrative rubber match. Despite both men being in decline, especially Holy who had had numerous health problems they still produced an entertaining fight. Despite taking a lot of punishment Holy displayed his trademark tenacity & with a left hook he knocked down a fleshly looking Bowe for the 1st time in his career. However Bowe rose up & showing a lot of heart himself survived the round & came back to knock Holy down twice in the 8th to win via TKO, Evander's 1st stoppage loss.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y73YNWFJVkU[/ame]

In 1996 Bowe fought the unbeaten American-based Polish heavyweight Andrew Golata (28-0) who had won a bronze medal in 1988 & had a reputation of being a rough & dirty fighter. Coming in at a career high weight of 252lbs Bowe looked awful & was being outboxed & beaten up by Golata, only by showing tremendous heart was he able to hang in & survive. However Golata seemed unable to stop himself hitting Bowe low & after being deducted points twice he was eventually disqualified after dropping Bowe with another low blow in the 7th. As soon as the fight finished members of Bowe's team stormed into the ring to attack Golata & a riot ensued which took a considerable time to be brought under control.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVAkFViJKB0[/ame]

An immediate rematch was scheduled for 5 months later & Bowe trained hard weighed in at 235, his lowest weight in years. However he was showing worrying signs of wear & tear, in particular his speech was sounding increasingly slurred. Once the fight started Bowe looked awful & took a sustained beating until being dropped in the 2nd. Again he showed tremendous heart a fought back, knocking Golata down for the 1st time in his career in the 4th, Golata responded with repeated lowblows & had a point deducted. In the 5th Golata landed a series of power shots to knock down Bowe again but Bowe rose up & refused to quit. Surviving on will alone for the next 4 brutal rounds Bowe was dropped by a combination of low blows & Golata was disqualified again.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aq359LQVacg&feature=related[/ame]

The 2 brutal fights with Golata, added to all the blows he had taken had caught up Bowe, who was displaying clear symptoms of chronic brain injury. Following the bout he joined the US marines but only lasted 3 days at boot camp. 3 months later he was accused of assaulting his siser. His wife & 5 kids left him & he was later convicted of kidnapping his wife & kids after threatening them with a knife, pepper spray, handcuffs & duct tape. He served 17 months in a federal prison. In 2001 he was arrested after another domestic dispute.

In 2004 he made an ill advised comeback, knocking out a tomato can in 2 rounds & then barely beating a jouneyman, during the fight he took several heavy blows. Riddick declared bankruptcy in 2005. In 2008 he fought & won his final fight in Germany on a Klitschko undercard. Boxing saved Bowe from the Brooklyn slums & it made him a millionaire & worldwide celebrity. I recently saw a picture of Bowe sitting alone at a country fair in America, signing autographs for a few dollars. His speech sounds awful & he is clearly unwell but is broke & not ruling out a return to the ring. :-(

 

He's making a comeback mate.