By Steve Bunce
IT IS a pity that Riddick Bowe was not lively and simply coming to the tip of his profession now. I’m not kidding.
If Bowe was, say, 40 now, he might get in on a number of carnivals and make the cash he spent, misplaced or was ordered to pay out for his silly acts. His troubled days would have a contented ending on some ridiculous circuit. Mike Tyson, Roy Jones and Evander Holyfield have all been in horrible ‘fights’ within the final three or 4 years. Bowe would have match proper in; outdated, sluggish, however with the occasional little step and feint.
A couple of weeks in the past, I used to be in Toronto with Lennox Lewis and Bowe’s title got here up. He’s not a fan and by no means has been. Bowe, in all equity, did give Lewis plenty of stick. He was cruel after he had stopped Evander Holyfield of their third battle. Lewis was within the entrance row on the press convention and Bowe by no means stopped abusing him. Bowe nonetheless desires Lewis; within the 1988 Olympic last, Lewis beat Bowe. Their failure to fulfill as professionals will solely be equalled if Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua by no means meet. Bowe and Lewis have been at their peak on the identical time; Bowe simply light faster and earlier, and the window was small.
Today, Bowe might put himself on the entrance of the queue for the veteran’s tour. He might deal with Big Joe Egan, who as soon as fought Lewis, and Gypsy John Fury, who as soon as fought Henry Akinwande. I might somewhat nice fighters, who’re down on their luck, made just a few quid in one in every of boxing’s distasteful freakshows. Egan and Fury gained a mixed 11 instances in 17 fights as skilled boxers and are celebrities now.
In 2013, Bowe limped onto the BoxNation set for an look on the Boxing Hour. Barry Jones and I couldn’t take our eyes off him. He was enormous, near about 24 stone and he was limping as a result of he had simply come from a muay Thai world super-heavyweight title battle on a seashore in Thailand. He was 45 that day and he appeared rather a lot older. I don’t know how we obtained him, however it could not have been for more than 300 quid. We solely gave Roy Jones 200 quid and the day earlier than he had been within the Kremlin with Vladimir Putin getting his Russian passport.
In Pattaya, Bowe had been barefoot and uncovered within the ring. A crowd of 20,000 was anticipated, however about 1,000 got here. His opponent was a Ukrainian known as Levgen Golovin. It was like a circus occasion and not using a clown in make-up.
A world title of some description was one of many prizes within the three spherical muay Thai battle. It completed within the second spherical and Bowe by no means related with a single kick or punch. Golovin used his sense and moved and solely kicked Bowe within the shins. I say solely, he was a lump of about 16 stone. Bowe crumpled a complete of 5 instances to the canvas from the kicks. The last time was simply too much, and he sat out the depend, rubbing his shins and making faces of ache. That is a reminiscence I’m glad I missed: Bowe barefoot, fats, almost in tears, rubbing his shins and shaking his head.
“That pain is terrible,” Bowe advised us. “I’ve been hurt in the boxing ring, but that was far worse. It’s much harder than boxing. I know that now.”
He was in Thailand for that battle as a result of the Thai authorities needed to boost the profile of their nationwide sport. He was promised 150,000 {dollars} and I hope he obtained each single cent. He actually earned each single cent. The man on my couch subsequent to Barry Jones was completed. It was not our proudest second asking him about being kicked within the shins.
There was a transfer to wrestling deliberate for Big Daddy Bowe in 2014. It was the oddest of bulletins. He was going to affix Preston City Wrestling. Yep, that Preston. Anyway, that fantasy, fell off the bed. The subsequent PCW present, by the best way, is subsequent month on the Evoque Nightclub within the metropolis centre and options Toni Storm and Lionheart. Tickets from £16.50 can be found. I’m wondering if they’ve room for Egan and Gypsy John in a particular smackdown?
During the previous few years, a few celebrities or outdated basketball gamers have talked about combating Bowe. He is best than that and deserves to be a statesman like Lewis or Holyfield and even Tyson. At the primary Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder battle in 2018, there was a gathering of heavyweights on the open-air weigh-in. It was a superb gang, plenty of giants. Instead of sitting again and taking the applause, Bowe was up issuing challenges. “What’s wrong with him,” Lewis requested.
I clearly by no means wish to see Bowe wherever close to a boxing ring ever once more. The man is 56 and I’ve seen him over time when he has been requested to attend a battle or a operate. It’s not nice. The others, let ‘em battle, why not? They by no means made the sacrifices of males like Bowe.
I used to be going to put in writing a couple of girl known as The Female Ali on this column, and the way she knocked out a person known as Larry Rodania one evening in 1975 at Madison Square Garden. Rodania was topless and an enormous geezer and The Female Ali, whose actual title was Jackie Tonawanda, had on a white t-shirt. It was an in depth name between Bowe’s battered shins and Larry happening and out from a phantom punch, however ultimately, I ditched it – I don’t need anyone to get any loopy concepts.
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