Why did Bowe refuse to defend his strap against Lewis?

That is an excellent summation of the debate over this issue, the best I have ever seen. You should publish that as an article on the front page.

 

Excellent analysis, good work :good

 

I think The Wanderer pretty much hit it on the head. It was Rock Newman outthinking himself. Something he had a habit of doing.

 

Yeah, that's the angle I would've gone for.

* Play up the the Olympics, and indeed the amateur pedigree of both
* Both young, both photogenic, both undefeated, both very large 'true' heavyweights
* USA vs UK would sell too
* Plus that old classic - "repeat or revenge?"

It really wouldn't have been a difficult sell. Both were HBO fighters too, so no problem with television networks.

It didn't happen, and the division was poorer for it.

 

Lennox was better than Bowe. I am not saying Bowe was not good, but he was not the caliber of Lennox Lewis.

 

I just see it as Bowe's managment being scared of losing their cash cow....didn't wanna risk Lewis derailing that for nothing. The fight was very marketable...would have been very easy to sell. They saw Lewis smash Ruddock with ease and wanted none of that. Going on into their futures you have a clear idea how was the better man...longevity! Lewis had it and Bowe didnt...even Bowe himself said in one interview that he saw a great champion in Lewis...though this was late coming - only as Lewis career was coming to a close and he was trying to get back into fighting shape to relaunch his career. Bowe later on also saw what Lennox did to Golota!! Though of course this was when Bowe was out of the game then and living in Burger King....I reckon Lewis Bowe would've only gone one way...Lewis KO. And I think his handlers knew this and thought better of it!

 

Awesome post Wanderer, the Lewis/Bowe had several intangebles to get through to make it happen & most of them went the wrong way. I still think that Lewis could of
KOed Bowe within 5 rds. At least we got to see Lewis/Mercer, that was a great heavyweight fight that should get a mention more when Lewis is concerned. He just scrapped a win in there on my scorecards.

 

I don't think Bowe was mentally tough enough to take on, let alone beat Lewis.

You just have to look at his resume - it is very threadbare for a guy as good as he was. This can mean one of several things of course....

1. He was scared of fighting the best (unlikely)
2. His management didn't like taking risks
3. Money was preferred over glory
4. Others were scared of fighting him

For me..... there was definitely a fear factor with the Lewis fight. I just look in his eyes in the video where Lewis is commentating and Bowe talks but without any conviction in his voice whatsoever.... though I don't think he intended to carry out the stupid trashcan thing - who ever set that up needed shooting, 'cos it made him look like a ***** of Cintron-esque proportion.

I don't think he was worried about anybody else though.... he took on a peak Holyfield three times, Herbie Hide who was unbeaten and had a 100% KO ratio at the time - granted Hide was never that much, but his chin issue and mental fragilities were secrets at that point.... and a few others, such as Golota.

Perhaps with better management or people around him he could have been much greater, who knows?

It is just something I don't understand, irrational behaviour and throwing glasses at your opponent during the press conference. Did he not think his mother would be watching, or siblings, kids, friends?

 

think bowe realised he was a level below lewis...:good

 

People forget that Lewis was all set to defend the WBC belt against Bowe (Bowe even had to apologise to Jose) in the next defence after Mccall

It was on

Whoops

 

Man Julian Jackson had an epic flat top. Patrick Ewing-esque.

I guess this is just one of those fights that were never meant to be on the pro level.

 

Sum it up short and simple: Bowe and Newman knew, not thought might, KNEW Lewis would destroy Bowe and sought to avoid taking that tragic direction with Bowe's career.

 

why fight lewis when you can make millions fighting the likes of washed up dokes and the ferguson's of the world?

lewis was just plain better. newman knew it, and bowe knew it.

this fight could have come off for reasons already stated but bowes team didnt want the fight.

 

i will have to agree.......
but i never thought a heavyweight boxer who just won the legitimate championship...would fear another guy......but this is one case where i think he didnt personally like Lewis...and he really didnt think he could beat him....... and it was also a power trip to string him along....

 

The flat top on Evander looks like it was photoshopped on in iceman's avatar, (this isn't meant to cause offence, I just noticed the earlier post and saw your avatar).

I dobn't think I saw enough of Bowe to comment on how he would have fared against Lewis but I often hear of it referred to as one of the great diappointments in boxing that the fight never happened.