i'm not old enough to remember but someone once told me that Andy Golota was marquee name in the 90s on the same level as heavyweight legends Tyson, Holyfield & lewis; was this true at any point in the 90s (after Bowe I/II)?
In Poland , yes. In Chicago...with its large Polish population , yes. Had he not nutted Bowe and legitimately beat him twice he could have been marquee but since he was mental he was nothing more than a sideshow freak .
He was a good fighter but was his own worst enemy. Aside from the DQ's he was wildly inconsistent. Would look really good in one fight and then Sh-t the bed in the next. Had the tools to be so much more then what he was.
Bowe was awful against Golota and came in out of shape for their first bout, for the second bout Futch have resigned as Bowe`s trainer because of his lack of discipline while training for fights, it was a running question among pundits, can Bowe get back in shape, he wss over weight in his second and third fights vs Holy, this was the thinking here in Britain, when Golota went on to meet Lewis, he was considered a dangerous opponent but Lewis was the favourite to win, in America I think they started to rate Golota above Lewis because he beat Bowe, but then Lewis exposed Golota`s defense, he hit him a lot harder than Bowe did, Golota was wide open, so any heavy puncher would have beaten him, he was very overrated, I feel.
I grew up in a small town and despite a huge love of boxing when I was younger (somewhat dissipated in the last couple of decades, but I do enjoy reading the classic section here), I haven't been to many live fights. But on October 6, 2007, I happened to be in New York City, in Manhattan, when I remembered that there was a heavyweight fight card at Madison Square Garden that night. I'd never been in the Garden before, so on a whim I decided to go and experience it. Once inside I even called my dad to tell him I was in the very building where so many fights we'd watched together on TV had happened. Anyway, Andrew Golota fought Kevin McBride on that card. I'd wondered by Don King was still promoting Golota at this point. It seemed his career was close to being done. Once inside I saw why King was still working with him. LOADS of rabid Polish fans came to root for their hero that night. When Golota won his bout it was like he won the title. Guys were running up and down the stands, carrying big Polish flags. Riding the subway back to Brooklyn, where I was staying with a friend, they were still celebrating in a big way. These guys loved Golota and came out to support him. So, to them at least, Andrew Golota was a marquee name in the mid-2000's. That's why Don King promoted him. He brought people out. (No, this doesn't really address the OP's question, but it was an eye-opening experience for me.)
After Bowe I and II he was looked upon as the next big thing. Ring and KO magazines had him beating everyone at the time. But he had a big layoff and then the dismantling at the hands of Lennox Lewis and Golota fell back down to earth.