Why did Bowe struggle with Golata?

Golota was VERY good when zoned in and focused.

 

Bowe was a punching bag with poor ring IQ and couldn't cope with a well-skilled boxer his size.

 

1) Golota was underrated
2) Bowe was overrated
3) Golota was prepared to dish out some of the same dirty tactics Bowe liked to dish out
4) Bowe wasn't used to facing a guy his size with skills
5) Golota came in very confident for both fights and wasn't scared of Bowe at all

To some extent I give credence to the theory that Golota wasn't the same after these two fights. I think his feeling of invulnerability was shattered and he was much more fragile mentally. I also don't buy the "Bowe was shot" theory. That Bowe seemed as good as the other versions of Bowe going into the two fights. He was finished after the fights though.

 

Bowe was passed his best despite only being 28 but even in his prime he would of struggled against Golota.

Bowe was a rarity a big man who could fight on the inside very well. Smaller men who would usually look to close the distance and get inside on the bigger, rangier man, found when they did this against Bowe they were faced with someone who was not only bigger and stronger but more skilled as well inside. This made Bowe very effective against smaller men who took the fight to him.

But for all his skill on the inside, from range he was less impressive. Too easy to hit, slow feet, inability control distance well made him vulnerable at range. We saw that in fights like Biggs, Tubbs and the rematch with Evander.

Golota unlike Biggs, Tubbs and Evander not only had the skills on the outside, he had the size to go with it as well. We've seen Bowe out jabbed before and against Golota who had a faster, more versatile jab as well as good reach he really struggled.

Prime Bowe may have been able to grind out a more convincing win against Golota but would of still struggled badly with the size, jab, movement and combinations of Golota. Only thing Golota really lacked was the mental fortitude and one shot power to put Bowe away, he had all the other tools to give Bowe, even at his best all kinds of problems.

 

Bowe was undisciplined and the foul pool took advantage of it.

 

Golota was a pretty damn good boxer when he wasn't going mental. They both took a lot out of each other those fights... neither was ever the same.

 

golota from the bowe fights would beat both klitschkos, one mean motherfuker with a very good skill set

too bad he ran into big daddy who ruined him mentally

 

Bowe struggled against fighters with a good jab.

 

Bowe didn't age well. I think it has to do with a few things including his sedentary lifestyle between fights.

In his prime, he was a helluva fighter, great offensive abilities and he had a mean streak to him.

I forgot what year him and Golota first fought in (I think 96?) but at that juncture in Riddick's career, he was outside of his prime. I always though his best years were from around 1991 to 1993, pretty much around the same time James Toney, Holyfield and Chavez Sr. were dominating.

 

He also had poor defense.

 

This. He had a great jab and hand speed for a man of his size. The only problem is most of the time he was mentally off.

 

Golota threw some of the best combination punching of any heavyweight. Short, compact punches that would find most of their targets. Bowe looked past his prime in both fights, tbh. In the 1rst fight, had Golota kept it clean, he'd had won for sure. In the 2nd, Bowe came better prepared, but there were instances where Bowe was taking too much punishment and if he weren't champ, the ref would had stopped the fight. Golota was on his way to dethroning Bowe, but he screwed himself by hitting too low. Golota would have been the 1rst modern, east European heavyweight superstar, not the Klitschko's. Both fights, fouling aside, are underrated and really good action fights.

 

Because he was crude AF and had no idea that Golota had a glass jaw and simply allowed himself to be bullied.

 

Good post,
Golota was a better boxer, fighter than the klitschkos... more variety, better all around skills