Riddick Bowe vs Vitali Klitscho

[mr. magoo]

Who comes out of this one with his hands raised?

[Russell]

Bowe. Those uppercuts on the inside would be coming all night long. It's great that he could take one from Lennox but a few dozen from Bowe and the shows coming to an end.

[Holmes' Jab]

Bowe.

[Beeston Brawler]

Both fighters are pretty enigmatic, in the sense that their primes were relatively short, and we can't really accurately guage how good they actually were.

Bowe's prime was pretty much encapsulated in and around Holyfield I, whilst Vitali's was in a stoppage loss to Lewis - albeit in unfortunate circumstances for him.

If I had to stick my neck out I'd say the Bowe of Holyfield I would have too much for the Klitschko that faced Lewis.

Vitali's jab would cause Bowe a few problems at various points, as would his right hand punches, but he is (and always has been) fairly robotic in his movements rather than the fluid puncher that was Holyfield - Bowe's ability to fight upclose effectively and shoot uppercuts would win the day.

Bowe TKO11 Vitali.

All three cards 97-93 or similar.

[mcvey]

who comes out of this one with his hands raised?
bowe

[mr. magoo]

Well, I guess we have a concensus here..

[junior-soprano]

i agree. i think the bowe from the first bowe-holyfield clashes. is to much for klitschko

[rm36]

Vitali's got that good jab. But Bowe's got better power, technique and is good on the inside. Anyone who can give Evander that much trouble, I'd favor to beat the best version of Vitali.

Bowe wins a decision.

[SpanishArcher]

Bowe by TKO, easy fight.

[mr. magoo]

Bowe by TKO, easy fight.

I don't have a problem with anyone picking Bowe, but seeing this as being an easy fight for either man is well beyond my imaginative capabilites...

[MRBILL]

Who comes out of this one with his hands raised?

Styles make fights, but if Bowe was shot and washed-up by a youthful age 29 in 1996, then he really wasn't all that great, but rather merely good at age 25 to 28 yrs of age.....

No real brain scanner is needed here... Klitschko would be a nightmare for Bowe in the ring....... V.K. has a good jab with awesome power in both hands, along with a sturdy chin and tight defense.....

Vitali Klit would KTFO of Bowe similar to the way the lesser Andy Golota did......... Klitschko is head and shoulders above Golota in every sense of the game, as well............
:deal:bbb:rasta

MR.BILL

[Fighting Weight]

If Byrd can turn VITLAY into a gibbering pile of quittage then I dread to think what Riddick Bowe would do :shock:

Bowe by late round stoppage, it wouldn't be all that competitive either...he'd be up by 5 or 6 rounds on the cards.

[mr. magoo]

Styles make fights, but if Bowe was shot and washed-up by a youthful age 29 in 1996, then he really wasn't all that great, but rather merely good at age 25 to 28 yrs of age.....

No real brain scanner is needed here... Klitschko would be a nightmare for Bowe in the ring....... V.K. has a good jab with awesome power in both hands, along with a sturdy chin and tight defense.....

Vitali Klit would KTFO of Bowe similar to the way the lesser Andy Golota did......... Klitschko is head and shoulders above Golota in every sense of the game, as well............
:deal:bbb:rasta

MR.BILL

Believe it or not, I was sort of thinking the same thing. I mean Bowe afterall, did struggle with guys who had strait solid jabs as well as the physical ability to stand up to his bullying.

[Flea Man]

Bowe; betterjab, faster hands, better infighter, as good chin. Vitali gets stopped in the 10th.

[Beeston Brawler]

Believe it or not, I was sort of thinking the same thing. I mean Bowe afterall, did struggle with guys who had strait solid jabs as well as the physical ability to stand up to his bullying.

I can see this as well.

However - I find it difficult to pick a guy who had his best performance in a stoppage loss to an old, overweight fighter - especially against a guy who defeated a peak Evander Holyfield.

[mr. magoo]

I can see this as well.

However - I find it difficult to pick a guy who had his best performance in a stoppage loss to an old, overweight fighter - especially against a guy who defeated a peak Evander Holyfield.


Point well taken,

But I think stylistic traits could prove to be Bowe's undoing in this particular matchup, though I could be wrong.

[Beeston Brawler]

Point well taken,

But I think stylistic traits could prove to be Bowe's undoing in this particular matchup, though I could be wrong.

Yes... course they could.

Bowe wasn't the toughest mentally either, even though he had a big heart - Klitschko's mental strength can't be questioned.

[JudgeDredd]

Bowe

[Xplosive]

Lets be honest about Vitali. He couldnt beat an OUTTA SHAPE, over the hill, unmotivated Lewis. How in the hell would he beat a prime Bowe?

Bowe TKO 8. The Klit sisters are criminally overrated.

[Xplosive]

Yes... course they could.

Bowe wasn't the toughest mentally either, even though he had a big heart - Klitschko's mental strength can't be questioned.

Bowe would never quit on his stool from a bum shoulder.

Larry Holmes fought Ken Norton ferociously with a extremely bad shoulder injury, yet the pussy Quitali quit vs light hitting Byrd in a fight he was WINNING.

So please dont sit up here and tell me that Quitali is mentally tough. Its easy to look mentally tough when your beating the Danny Williams's, and Sam Peter's of the world.

[MRBILL]

Point well taken,

But I think stylistic traits could prove to be Bowe's undoing in this particular matchup, though I could be wrong.

Bowe really only looked good when he clobbered small guys like Holy who was 205 pounds in 1992, and Herbert Hide who was beefed up to around 210 pounds in 1995....... Or Bowe looked good when hammering bigger guys with poor power and very little skills like Pierre Coetzer, Larry Donald and Jorge L. Gonzalez..... When the time came to fight a fresh fighter of size and strength in 1996 by the name of Golota, Riddick Bowe took an ass-whipping like he never felt from his daddy before......

I gotta assume that V.K. is above all of that and would likely administer a terrible clobbering of "Big Fatty" Bowe.....
:bbb

SR.BILLARDO:rasta

[mr. magoo]

Lets be honest about Vitali. He couldnt beat an OUTTA SHAPE, over the hill, unmotivated Lewis. How in the hell would he beat a prime Bowe?

Bowe TKO 8. The Klit sisters are criminally overrated.

You can't just simplify things that way though, or else we could just as easily turn around and say that Bowe received a boxing lesson from an aging deconditioned Tony Tubbs. It works both ways..

[Chris Warren]

Man I can't believe most of you people picked Bowe to beat the highly overrated Vitali. I love you guys.

[mcvey]

Yes... course they could.

Bowe wasn't the toughest mentally either, even though he had a big heart - Klitschko's mental strength can't be questioned.
Actually, I think it can because he has quit.

[mcvey]

Bowe really only looked good when he clobbered small guys like Holy who was 205 pounds in 1992, and Herbert Hide who was beefed up to around 210 pounds in 1995....... Or Bowe looked good when hammering bigger guys with poor power and very little skills like Pierre Coetzer, Larry Donald and Jorge L. Gonzalez..... When the time came to fight a fresh fighter of size and strength in 1996 by the name of Golota, Riddick Bowe took an ass-whipping like he never felt from his daddy before......

I gotta assume that V.K. is above all of that and would likely administer a terrible clobbering of "Big Fatty" Bowe.....
:bbb

SR.BILLARDO:rasta
Gonzalez had very good power,and he got a one sided beating.

[Xplosive]

You can't just simplify things that way though, or else we could just as easily turn around and say that Bowe received a boxing lesson from an aging deconditioned Tony Tubbs. It works both ways..

How in hell has Vitali beaten remotely CLOSE to the level of Bowe?

[Beeston Brawler]

His shoulder was hanging off :nut

He could have always ran for three rounds - and people will always draw comparison with Danny Williams knocking out Mark Potter with a busted shoulder.

But even a light hitting Chris Byrd was more of a threat to Vitali than Potter was for Williams.

To be honest, I cannot be 100% sure what I would have done in his position either - it could have been a career threatening injury, after all.

Also - read my pick, Bowe TKO 10.

[mr. magoo]

I think some people make a tad too much of Vitali's corner retirement against Chris Byrd. We have no idea exactly how much pain he was in, nor how it was hindering his abilities, and besides, we're talking about ONE FIGHT in a career stretching over 40 pro bouts. Did Vitali look like he wanted to quit after the ringside doctor stopped his fight against Lewis? Hell, he went nuts and believe me, there are probably a lot of guys who wouldn't have argued with their corner about stopping a fight with that kind of a cut.

[mcvey]

Styles make fights, but if Bowe was shot and washed-up by a youthful age 29 in 1996, then he really wasn't all that great, but rather merely good at age 25 to 28 yrs of age.....

No real brain scanner is needed here... Klitschko would be a nightmare for Bowe in the ring....... V.K. has a good jab with awesome power in both hands, along with a sturdy chin and tight defense.....

Vitali Klit would KTFO of Bowe similar to the way the lesser Andy Golota did......... Klitschko is head and shoulders above Golota in every sense of the game, as well............
:deal:bbb:rasta

MR.BILL
Joe Frazier was shot and washed up at 29 too.
Riddick Bowe was as good an inside fighter as I have seen for a big man,Vitali is shit inside, he flails his arms about like a fucking albatross once you have invaded his space ,check out him wind milling about against part time golfer Sanders.
Bowe also possessed a great uppercut inside ,he can match Vitali at long range and master him in close thats why he wins, imo.

[MRBILL]

Gonzalez had very good power,and he got a one sided beating.

Gonzalez had power and NO SKILLS to apply his power to a skilled opponent........... Bowe was indeed lazy as all hell but, he had skills..... But Bowe's lack of desire and poor training habits ruined him, along with the beatings he sustained against Golota in '96.......
:bbb

MR.BILL

[mr. magoo]

How in hell has Vitali beaten remotely CLOSE to the level of Bowe?


In all honesty, I don't think Klitschko can claim to having beaten a fighter of Bowe's quality, but at the same time, how many fighters has Bowe beaten that resemble Vitali's style and physical attributes? Surely, Evander Holyfield was a better fighter than Klitschko was, but in all fairness, what did Holy and Vitali have in common?

Styles are what makes fights, and frankly I think Bowes performance against Golata gives us a bit more insite than Klitschko's stoppage on cuts against Lewis. For one thing, Lewis even at 38, was a better technician than Bowe was at any point in his career, and had the ability to penetrate Klit's defense. He also had a pretty good defense himself, whereas Bowe's defense is very poor. It should also be noted that both Vitali and Lennox were pretty much even at the time of the stoppage, whereas Bowe was getting battered from pillar to post against Golata who's boxing abilities, power, jab, and chin were not on Vitali's level.

[MRBILL]

Frazier was NOT shot at age 29......... Frazier had a lot left in 1975 at age 31 against Ali in Manila........ If anything, Frazier had just whupped ass on Jimmy Ellis earlier in '75 and looked fine in doing so........ Styles make fights.......... "Ali & Foreman" simply had Frazier's number........ Even in 1976 at age 32 and 224 pounds with a bald head, Frazier could've whupped ass on many contenders at that juncture; just not Ali or Foreman... Perhaps Frazier would also lose to a '76 version of Kenny Norton too, but Frazier was still top-10........ I'd guess by mid 1976, Frazier would be well ranked at about # 5 in the top-10......... That's fair........ Peace....

MR.BILL

[mcvey]

Gonzalez had power and NO SKILLS to apply his power to a skilled opponent........... Bowe was indeed lazy as all hell but, he had skills..... But Bowe's lack of desire and poor training habits ruined him, along with the beatings he sustained against Golota in '96.......
:bbb

MR.BILL

If Bowe,s defence was that bad how come Gonzalez couldnt penetrate it?
I think Bowe squandered his talent ,by lack of self restraint,whereas Vitali has acheived wonders with a very wooden stance and overated power ,one is an over acheiver the other a nearly man ,a what if he had stayed in shape guy?

[SuzieQ49]

If Byrd can turn VITLAY into a gibbering pile of quittage then I dread to think what Riddick Bowe would do :shock:

Bowe by late round stoppage, it wouldn't be all that competitive either...he'd be up by 5 or 6 rounds on the cards.


Agreed. Riddick Bowe is simply way too technical and skillful of a boxer for Vitali to beat. We are talking about a monument difference in natural talent. Wlads a much better matchup vs bowe, because Wlad has skills and technique his brother does not have.

Bowe TKO 11 or wide decision

[SuzieQ49]

Yes... course they could.

Bowe wasn't the toughest mentally either, even though he had a big heart - Klitschko's mental strength can't be questioned.


:lol::lol::shock::shock: Fighting Weight, That quote right there should go in your "KLitschko fan quote of the week".


A champion who FORFEITS his title on the stool with 2 rounds to go while ahead on all 3 cards vs a harmless featherfisted cruiserweight, cannot be questioned??? :shock:

[Fighting Weight]

Did Vitali look like he wanted to quit after the ringside doctor stopped his fight against Lewis? Hell, he went nuts and believe me, there are probably a lot of guys who wouldn't have argued with their corner about stopping a fight with that kind of a cut.

There's no doubt in my mind that VITLAY wanted to quit in that fight, no doubt whatsoever. He didn't object when his corner were stuffing his eyegina up with cotton wool after round 6, that was a clear indication that the fight was over.

The hissy fit that came afterwards was just a face-saving (lol) exercise that's all - he knew perfectly well the fight was being stopped long before he started flapping his arms around. Reminded me of a schoolkid that gets a good beating then throws a couple of token punches just as the teacher breaks up the fight.

[Shake]

I rate Vitali H2H, but Bowe is the better fighter.

[Fighting Weight]

:lol::lol::shock::shock: Fighting Weight, That quote right there should go in your "KLitschko fan quote of the week".


A champion who FORFEITS his title on the stool with 2 rounds to go while ahead on all 3 cards vs a harmless featherfisted cruiserweight, cannot be questioned??? :shock:

I've got to admit it's a good one.....I expect to get much better once the weeks out :lol:

I'm not sure whether I'll get better quotes if VITLAY wins or loses though. If he wins we'll have the usual "VITLAY is a top 2 ATG HW, and so is WALDO" bullshit, but if he loses we might just a few more excuse gems like we got after the Lewis fight :happy:happy:happy

Besides which I can't start any more quote of the week threads, Mendoza might retaliate with another "player hater quote of the week" thread, and I'm scared :D

[Beeston Brawler]

Is it hell a good one.

I expected better from you anyway.... the amount of times I have backed you up in the usual ''Klitschko would have KO'd Lewis in the 7th'' threads.

All I was doing was seeing the sense in the thoughts of another poster, who IMO raised a valid point.

Read my prediction on the first page :yep

[MRBILL]

FUCK NO!!!! Klit was more than WILLING to carry on against Lewis in 2003......... Klit did not quit against Lewis... Not at all........ Klit had TWO wicked cuts above and below his eye....... The doc and corner sorta' tossed in the towel based on the cuts; not the fight itself......... And, at any rate, most scoring fans at ringside had Klit up 4 to 2 against Lewis over the 6 rds fought...... In the end, due to the cuts, Lewis won the fight, but Klit won the night...... Nuff said.......

As for Klit quitting against Byrd on HBO back in 2000, well, at that time V.K. was a nobody and nobody really cared what Vitali did back then....... That was a totally different Klitschko, in a mental and financial state of mind and being...... Cheers...

MR.BILL

[mr. magoo]

FUCK NO!!!! Klit was more than WILLING to carry on against Lewis in 2003......... Klit did not quit against Lewis... Not at all........ Klit had TWO wicked cuts above and below his eye....... The doc and corner sorta' tossed in the towel based on the cuts; not the fight itself......... And, at any rate, most scoring fans at ringside had Klit up 4 to 2 against Lewis over the 6 rds fought...... In the end, due to the cuts, Lewis won the fight, but Klit won the night...... Nuff said.......

As for Klit quitting against Byrd on HBO back in 2000, well, at that time V.K. was a nobody and nobody really cared what Vitali did back then....... That was a totally different Klitschko, in a mental and financial state of mind and being...... Cheers...

MR.BILL

I agree.

[Muchmoore]

Golota against Bowe keeps playing in my head.

But Vitali's struggles against possibly the worst Lennox Lewis that ever fought is playing in my mind as well. I hold the opinion that Vitali was on his way to getting stopped by Lennox before it was stopped on cuts. I think that Bowe is in trouble against skilled SHW's with his style, that's why Lennox was such a bad matchup for him. Lennox is in my opinion the worst matchup for him imaginable, and he knew it as well, just bad luck they came along at the same time.

But Bowe was SO hard to get out of there. Golota has solid power and was hitting Bowe with everything he had and Bowe was still fighting on. The idiot just didn't know when to quit :lol: Bowe is the more well rounded fighter and the much better inside fighter, but Vitali has the sturdier chin and the style to beat Bowe.

I'll call this a tossup.

[Muchmoore]

As for Klit quitting against Byrd on HBO back in 2000, well, at that time V.K. was a nobody and nobody really cared what Vitali did back then....... That was a totally different Klitschko, in a mental and financial state of mind and being...... Cheers...

MR.BILL

I think people are too rough on Vitali for the Byrd fight. It's easy to sit here behind a computer and say 'Fight to the end! Joe Louis never would of quit!". Which is perhaps true, but this IS a sport, and you see people in other sports getting injured and sitting out with lesser injuries than what Vitali suffered.
It's not like Vitali was starting to get beat up a little bit and threw in the towel, he was dominating and injured himself. If it was for the HW title, yes he deserves to be slammed, but it wasn't, it was a fight in which he wasn't known yet and really didn't have major consequences. The Lewis fight should of erased any doubts about his heart, you don't take those bombs without being tough.

[Fighting Weight]

Is it hell a good one.

I expected better from you anyway.... the amount of times I have backed you up in the usual ''Klitschko would have KO'd Lewis in the 7th'' threads.

All I was doing was seeing the sense in the thoughts of another poster, who IMO raised a valid point.

Read my prediction on the first page :yep

Relax, I haven't made a quote of the week out of it have I?

I do disagree though. Fighters with mental strength don't quit in the circumstances VITLAY quit in. If it was an early fight of his and quite meaningless he'd get a bit of leeway like WALDO does for getting his chin shattered by Purrity but quitting in a title fight like he did was a major black mark against him.

It amused me no end to see the Klitschko fans abusing Peter after they fought, the hypocrisy was stunning.

[Fighting Weight]

The Lewis fight should of erased any doubts about his heart, you don't take those bombs without being tough.

A few other fighters went the distance with Lewis, taking those bombs for 12 rounds. Why is VITLAY considered so tough for taking them for half a fight :huh

[Beeston Brawler]

Relax, I haven't made a quote of the week out of it have I?

I do disagree though. Fighters with mental strength don't quit in the circumstances VITLAY quit in. If it was an early fight of his and quite meaningless he'd get a bit of leeway like WALDO does for getting his chin shattered by Purrity but quitting in a title fight like he did was a major black mark against him.

It amused me no end to see the Klitschko fans abusing Peter after they fought, the hypocrisy was stunning.

:lol:

I don't recognise the WBO anyway, so he gets a free pass from me ;)

















Not. :good

[mr. magoo]

A few other fighters went the distance with Lewis, taking those bombs for 12 rounds. Why is VITLAY considered so tough for taking them for half a fight :huh


I don't think anyone mentioned those " few other fighters " as not being tough. In fact, most of them all had good chins and were stopped on very few occasions in their careers, or never at all.....

A man has no control over what his skin is going to do. He gets, hit, head butted, or whatever and if a cut forms, it forms. Klit did the best he could with what he had and that's all that you can ask a fighter. Yes, he lost to a past prime champion in the last fight of his career, but that doesn't make the man a pussy either...

[SuzieQ49]

As for Klit quitting against Byrd on HBO back in 2000, well, at that time V.K. was a nobody and nobody really cared what Vitali did back then.......



If Vitali was a "nobody" like you claim, how come he was WBO Heavyweight champion of the world? How come the bryd-vitali fight was aired on HBO? How come Larry Merchant and other experts crucified vitali right after the fight for quitting?


"Vitali does not have the mentallity of a champion"- Larry Merchant

[Fighting Weight]

If Vitali was a "nobody" like you claim, how come he was WBO Heavyweight champion of the world? How come the bryd-vitali fight was aired on HBO? How come Larry Merchant and other experts crucified vitali right after the fight for quitting?


"Vitali does not have the mentallity of a champion"- Larry Merchant

Exactly. He'd beaten Herbie Hide to win that belt (despite Hide winning the 'event') The WBO champion always will be seen as being weaker than the holder of the big belts but it hardly qualifies you as a nobody.

[time lost]

bowe lost to tubbs; he would get smacked by vitali!

[djanders]

My money would be riding on Bowe.

[MRBILL]

I never paid attention to the WBO until Lamon "The Lemon" Brewster KO'd Wlad Klit in 2004....... As much as I now respect Wladdy Klit as a solid champion, I will agree his WBO days were meaningless in terms of championship material........... As for Brewster in 2009, he's shot to hell like a block of Swiss cheese......

MR.BILL:hat

[dabox]

i like vitali but bowe would murder him.....

good fight while it lasts but in the end, bowe wins

[Ezzard]

Vitali is a much better fighter than given credit for. I think this is a 50-50 match up.

[DamonD]

"Vitali does not have the mentallity of a champion"- Larry Merchant
Yeah, but didn't Larry also say that Dominick Guinn was the best American heavyweight since Riddick Bowe too?

People can be wrong.

[mcvey]

Bowe really only looked good when he clobbered small guys like Holy who was 205 pounds in 1992, and Herbert Hide who was beefed up to around 210 pounds in 1995....... Or Bowe looked good when hammering bigger guys with poor power and very little skills like Pierre Coetzer, Larry Donald and Jorge L. Gonzalez..... When the time came to fight a fresh fighter of size and strength in 1996 by the name of Golota, Riddick Bowe took an ass-whipping like he never felt from his daddy before......

I gotta assume that V.K. is above all of that and would likely administer a terrible clobbering of "Big Fatty" Bowe.....
:bbb

SR.BILLARDO:rasta
I actually think Golota had better fundamentals than Vitali ,his problems were mental not physical.

[Mordechai]

bowe is the biggest hype job in history, only cause he is black and american. he had 3 good fights and thats all. vitali would knock him out before the 8th round

[Fighting Weight]

bowe is the biggest hype job in history, only cause he is black and american. he had 3 good fights and thats all. vitali would knock him out before the 8th round

Good try, that one will certainly be in the running for quote of the week but I suspect after Saturday someone will beat it regardless of the result. Keep up the good work though :good

[he grant]

The Bowe that fought the first fight w Evander was exceptional. He would have only lost to a fast starting huge puncher, possibly Lewis. I simply do not know how good Vitali was as I never really saw him prior to Lewis and that fight is inconclusive. We don't know what shape he was in going into the bout ... I'd lean to Bowe but not sure. Vitali is much smarter and more dedicated and has the power to hurt him ..

[Bummy Davis]

Vitali would do to Bowe what Golota could not finish...Vitali had all the tools to stop Bowe

[SuzieQ49]

The talent disparity in this matchup is extremley wide. Bowe is just so much the better more proven fighter.

[ChrisPontius]

Vitali would do to Bowe what Golota could not finish...Vitali had all the tools to stop Bowe

I think so too. Bowe was excellent on offense (outside of the jab which is consider to be average, especially for his size), but his defence was mediocre at best and Riddick's prime lasted for a grant total of one fight... I think the early rounds will be give-and-take, but VK manages to avoid more and more shots while landing at a steady rate, to a late stoppage or a decision win.

Then again, seeing the humongous amount of attrition punishment Bowe can take (Golota I & II), and given that Vitali is very heavy handed but not a big single punch hitter, i'm guessing this bout goes the distance. Which is a bad thing: the Golota II fight should've been stopped in the 5nd round and Vitali would probably wreck Bowe if again there is no corner/ref stoppage. Everyone who lost to Vitali Klitschko didn't just lose, but got beat up BAD.

[mr. magoo]

I think so too. Bowe was excellent on offense (outside of the jab which is consider to be average, especially for his size), but his defence was mediocre at best and Riddick's prime lasted for a grant total of one fight... I think the early rounds will be give-and-take, but VK manages to avoid more and more shots while landing at a steady rate, to a late stoppage or a decision win.


The more I think about it, this is the conclusion that I am starting to arrive at as well. In addition to styles, another key factor for me is that Bowe often relied on having a physical advantage over most of his opponents, and used it to bully them into submission. This is obviously not going to be an option against Vitali Klitschko...

[ChrisPontius]

Yes, that is why i think the Golota fight is somewhat indicative - even if Bowe was past his best there. He never fought a skilled big man before that.


I may be selling Bowe a bit short though. His combination of size, offensive tools and durability give him a chance against anyone.


p.s. what did you think of the Golota-Bowe fight during the 90's, Magoo? Chicago has a large Polish fanbase, right?

[teeto]

I'm thinking this would be a great fight.

[PowerPuncher]

Vitali would do to Bowe what Golota could not finish...Vitali had all the tools to stop Bowe

Hardly a Prime Bowe, which I assume this fight is about, Vitali hasnt fought anyone nearly as good as a Prime Bowe, 37yo Lennox Lewis included

[PowerPuncher]

In the end, due to the cuts, Lewis won the fight, but Klit won the night MR.BILL

How do you 'win the night' by having your neck snapped back time and again with power shots while holding on for dear life without being able to particularly bother your opponent with your own weaker shots? Nevermind the fact your face is ripped to shreds

[mr. magoo]

Yes, that is why i think the Golota fight is somewhat indicative - even if Bowe was past his best there. He never fought a skilled big man before that.


I may be selling Bowe a bit short though. His combination of size, offensive tools and durability give him a chance against anyone.


p.s. what did you think of the Golota-Bowe fight during the 90's, Magoo? Chicago has a large Polish fanbase, right?


Golata has actually lived and trained in Chicago at various points in the past. I had some friends in those days, who were of polish decent, and some of them were pulling for Golata to eventually emerge as the division's best ( :lol: ).

Everyone I knew thought that both DQ's were fair though, and in fact it put a bad taste in most people's mouth towards Golata. At the same time however, it also diminished a lot of opinions regarding Riddick Bowe, and most people, including myself, felt that he was finished....

[ChrisPontius]

Golata has actually lived and trained in Chicago at various points in the past. I had some friends in those days, who were of polish decent, and some of them were pulling for Golata to eventually emerge as the division's best ( :lol: ).

Everyone I knew thought that both DQ's were fair though, and in fact it put a bad taste in most people's mouth towards Golata. At the same time however, it also diminished a lot of opinions regarding Riddick Bowe, and most people, including myself, felt that he was finished....

To be fair, outside of the fouls, Golota showed tremendous skill combined with a big (super)heavyweight frame and workrate. If his head was screwed on right and with a better chin, he could've been the division's best for a at least a brief moment, or be in the top3 anyway.. from the devastating Lewis loss, it all went downhill. He was somewhat unlucky to run into perhaps the best version of Lennox ever.

[mr. magoo]

To be fair, outside of the fouls, Golota showed tremendous skill combined with a big (super)heavyweight frame and workrate. If his head was screwed on right and with a better chin, he could've been the division's best for a at least a brief moment, or be in the top3 anyway.. from the devastating Lewis loss, it all went downhill. He was somewhat unlucky to run into perhaps the best version of Lennox ever.

I agree,

The low blows do not errase the fact that he was otherwise beating Bowe pillar to post, and for the most part, controlling the action with little more than a strait jab. Now granted, Bowe no longer had Eddie Futch in his corner, and his skills were beginning to diminish. I can't however believe that Bowe was SO MUCH better at age 25, than he was at 29, to the extent that he would have completely reversed the outcome of that match. Remember, he was arguably outboxed by an aging Tubbs, and lost the rematch to Holyfield, as soon as Evander elected to box and use straiter punches. Bowe was not very complete as a fighter. Sure, he had lots of physical tools and decent offense, but his short cummings might become rather apparent against either of the Klitschko Brothers...

Some are using Vitali's losses to Chris Byrd and Lennox Lewis as a gauge for picking Bowe.. That's all well and good, but if you ask me, Klitschko has a lot more in common with the men who gave Bowe Problems than vice versa. I will also say that predictions need to be made on the basis of a certain amount of probability.... Which would you choose? The likelyhood that a fighter is going to struggle against a big puncher with a good strait jab, or the probability that he's going to tear a rotator cuff and quit for maybe the second time in many fights? For me, its a no brainer. Bowe having problems with physically strong men who could penetrate his defense with strait accurate shots is no secret. In fact, it was a career pattern for him.. Vitali was stopped once on cuts and quit once due to a torn rotator cuff. These things HARDLY establish any sort of a pattern..

[Fighting Weight]

The talent disparity in this matchup is extremley wide. Bowe is just so much the better more proven fighter.

Yep, Bowe had the amateur pedigree too, his silver medal at the Olympics was a fine achievement considering his age at the time. VITLAY on the other hand has a massive black mark on his amateur career due to his steroid abuse - something that his fanboys conveniently forget when they're mocking the likes of Jones and Toney for allegedly doing the same :patsch

[The Kurgan]

Who comes out of this one with his hands raised?

Neither. I don't think either has ever been good at keeping his hands up.

[Bummy Davis]

Yes, that is why i think the Golota fight is somewhat indicative - even if Bowe was past his best there. He never fought a skilled big man before that.


I may be selling Bowe a bit short though. His combination of size, offensive tools and durability give him a chance against anyone.


p.s. what did you think of the Golota-Bowe fight during the 90's, Magoo? Chicago has a large Polish fanbase, right?


Bowe was durable but he got hit often and like you said he enjoyed size over a lot of opponents and Bowe had good skills but durable or not I think he would have taken a beating from Vitali and Lewis but he gave up the crown not to fight Lennox...think he knew something

[PetethePrince]

Ill go with Vitali, but with little certainty. I just think Bowe is too open. Bowe is superior in many ways but I think Vitali could make him pay. It's a closer fight than most make out...