Why didn't Bowe fight Lewis?

Bowe and Lennox couldn't agree on money and terms. Lennox wouldn't budge on the minimum number he wanted to get after all expenses and taxes were deducted and Bowe wouldn't budge on his condition that Lennox drop the WBC belt, since Bowe owed a lot of money to the WBC, so the fight was never going to happen.

 

Bowe got a tummy ache.

 

Lol! After a joint of chicken,three cream cakes washed down with ice cream.

 

I don't doubt that Bowe wanted the fight but I've always suspected that his manager,Rock Newman,was a tad apprehensive.

 

Wonder if Rock Newman rubbed his belly afterwards, Stevie?
Lol

 

Hard to come up with a greater duck than Bowe avoiding Lewis. Why? I suspect His management thought he'd lose.

 

Yeah both Rock Newman and Eddie Futch thought he couldn't beat Lewis and that the olympic loss affected Bowe mentally.

 

People forget that the offer Bowe gave Lennox in which Lennox rejected was actually the same offer that Holyfield gave Bowe in their first fight. Also Bowe V Lewis was actually signed a few years later in 1995 but Lennox lost to McCall which cancelled those plans. But, Bowe throwing the belt in the bin was a really stupid look in which it was intended to be a publicly stunt to make a statement.

Also, Bowe's management was a total shambles. I do believe Bowe really wanted the fight, but their management's ego could not contend with the fact that when they signed to fight Holyfield first fight in 1992, they agreed that a portion of every money Bowe got in any of his future fights would go to Holyfield's team. What kind of short-term thinking is that?

 

The biggest punchers of the 90-96 era were Lewis, Morrison, Ruddock, Foreman, Mercer, etc.

Bowe never fought a big puncher. The biggest punchers he fought were Holyfield and Golota, both of whom were good but not great punchers.

I suspect Bowe's team did not want him to fight big punchers.

 

He was afraid because Lewis stopped him in the Olympics.

 

Did you watch that fight? Bowe dominated in the first round and was actually closer to finishing Lewis in the first than Lewis was in the second

 

This is some revisionism, right here.

"I did not see any protest from Bowe's corner..."

And neither did I.

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Possibly. I think ducking him sent Bowe into a depression and he unraveled pretty fast.

Looking back over the years of fights that should've happened and didn't this is the one that stings the most. It was a perfect matchup from Central Casting.

Both guys prime, 6-5 in height. 235-45lbs both had exceptional power and top notch boxing skills. You have Eddie Futch down in the dungeon sculpting the mother of all gameplans. Lewis drinking tea and playing chess.

The fans were robbed.

 

Great post.
They gave up 3 options on future Bowe's fights, and knowing that Holyfield's promoters (Main Event) were also Lewis' co-promoters, that just add to the whackiness of the situation.
This indicates to me that the " mini-tourney " situation wasn't as clear-cut as it was said to be.