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Bowe Bell + Howell, Clinical Data Exchange, Patient Data, EMR - MedPlus medplus.com | Bowe Whitney, MD acmd-derm-hawaii.com | | Lose Weight | Tone Up | Megan... exercisesolutions.co.uk |
Riddick Lamont Bowe (born August 10, 1967, Brooklyn, New York City) is an American boxer and former undisputed heavyweight champion. He is best remembered for his trilogy of fights with Evander Holyfield and two brutal bouts with Andrew Golota. Bowe's only professional defeat came by a majority decision loss to Holyfield, whom he beat twice.
[edit] Early yearsThe 12th of 13 children birthed by his mother Dorothy[1], Riddick was born and raised in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn, which at the time was one of New York City's most infamous slums. The poverty was crushing which made growing up there tough, and no easier considering the prevalent violence and gang activity in the area. However, unlike fellow Brownsville product Mike Tyson, who became infamous for a violent temper, Bowe was known for a very genial and winning personality. This, along with his skill in handling the media, would help speed along his career as an adult. Even as a young man his weight was a problem, he would eventually suffer weight swings of up to seventy pounds. Riddick's family would also suffer personal tragedy, as one of Riddick's brothers died of AIDS,[2] and one of his sisters was stabbed to death in a robbery attempt by a drug addict.[3] [edit] Amateur boxing careerBowe had a successful amateur career, which included winning the prestigious New York Golden Gloves championship among other tournaments, (in 1984 at the age of 17 he knocked out opponent James Smith in just 4 seconds) and in the 1985 National Golden Gloves championship he lost to Ft. Worth Lt. Hvy. wt. Donald Stephens, and he also won the silver medal in the 1988 Seoul Olympics, stopped in 2 rounds by Lennox Lewis. [edit] Amateur HighlightsAmateur Record: 104-18
[edit] New York Golden Gloves ChampionRiddick Bowe won four New York Golden Gloves Championships. Bowe won the 1985 178lb Novice Championship, 1986 178lb Open Championship and the 1987 and 1988 Super Heavyweight Open Championship. Bowe trained at the Bed-Stuy BA. [edit] Professional careerBowe turned pro after his Olympic loss however his heart and dedication were brought into question. However highly regarded trainer Eddie Futch took on the job of developing Bowe as he saw the talent. Bowe turned pro in March 1989, knocking out novice (but future #1 contender) Lionel Butler. His manager Rock Newman kept Bowe active, fighting 13 times in 1989, beating journeymen, the most notable being Garing Lane, whom he beat twice. In September 1990 he made his first step up in class, fighting faded ex-champ Pinklon Thomas, who he dominated until Thomas was pulled out after 8 rounds. The following month he knocked out the dangerous Smokin' Bert Cooper in two rounds, which added to his reputation and high ranking. By the end of 1990 he had fought 8 times. In March 1991 he overcame some rocky opening rounds to knock out the 1984 Olympic Super-Heavyweight Gold medallist Tyrell Biggs, however his image suffered when in his next fight, slick boxing ex-champ Tony Tubbs, whose own career had suffered with drugs and weight issues, appeared to outbox and outsmart Bowe, only to have the judges award Bowe with a unanimous decision that was jeered loudly by the crowd. In August 1991 he knocked out future champ Bruce Seldon in one round, and in July 1992 fought Pierre Coetzer in an eliminator, knocking out the durable South African in 7 rounds. [edit] Fights against Elijah TilleryBowe fought a duo of interesting bouts against journeyman Elijah Tillery in 1991. Their first fight is known for its bizarre conclusion. Bowe dominated the first round and dropped Tillery. After the round ended, Tillery walked toward Bowe and taunted him, and Bowe responded by punching Tillery. Tillery then landed several kicks on Bowe, and Bowe then unleashed a flurry of punches on Tillery as Tillery lay on the ropes. Bowe's trainer, Rock Newman, then grabbed Tillery and pulled him over the ropes as Bowe continued to throw punches. Tillery somersaulted over the ropes and was quickly detained by security.[4] After order was restored and the fighters returned to the ring, Tillery and Bowe continued a war of words, and there continued to be minor incidents as the ring was cleared. Tillery was disqualified for the fracas with Bowe getting the win, much to the surprise of the television announcers. The fighters rematched two months later, with Bowe dominating and TKO'ing Tillery, dealing Tillery his first TKO loss. [edit] World titleIn November 1992 he fought reigning champ Evander Holyfield for the Undisputed title. With his heart and dedication still in question, Bowe punched out a unanimous decision in an entertaining fight, even flooring Holyfield in the 11th. However, it was the 10th round that most boxing fans will remember. The epic and brutal back and forth exchanges helped make it Ring Magazine's "Round of the Year". Commentator Al Bernstein went even further by exclaiming, "That was one of the best Heavyweight Rounds Ever!" Only a couple of weeks earlier in London, Bowe's old Olympic rival Lennox Lewis knocked out the feared Canadian Donovan "Razor" Ruddock in 2 rounds, establishing himself as the WBC's #1 contender. In a move that would hurt Bowe's image, having lost to Lewis at the Olympics he then ducked him in the pros and held a press conference in which he dumped the WBC belt in a bin rather than fight Lewis.[5] In February 1993 Bowe defended the title against 34 year old ex-champ Michael Dokes, who he bombed out in 1 round. On the undercard Olympic heavyweight gold medallist Ray Mercer blew his proposed world title challenge to Bowe as ex-contender Jesse Ferguson outpointed him. In May 1993 Ferguson was granted Mercer's shot, however was knocked out in 2 rounds. In the rematch with Holyfield, Bowe looked overweight. He had entered training camp at a shocking 286 lbs, and weighed in at 246 lbs, eleven pounds heavier than in the first fight with Holyfield. He was not in top shape, as evidenced by his crash diet and blubbery appearance, a result of the less-than-adequate diet.[6] Even so, Bowe and Holyfield exchanged Earth shattering punches, but Bowe ended up losing the belt to Holyfield by a majority decision. This fight was also known for a bizarre stunt in which parachutist James "Fan Man" Miller dropped into the open air arena, landing in the ropes by Bowe's corner. This surreal scene delayed the fight in the 7th round. [edit] After title lossIn 1994 Bowe's overeating was getting out of control. Two comeback fights were not overly impressive, in August he faced the much smaller Buster Mathis Jr, and after struggling to connect with his bobbing and weaving target, hit him illegally while he was down, knocking him out yet escaping with a 'No Contest' verdict thanks to referee Arthur Mercante Sr, whereas the crowd, commentators, and boxing press felt a disqualification was necessary. In December 1994 he punched Larry Donald at a press conference, however the fight was less exciting as Bowe outpointed the 1992 Olympian in a dull fight serving the 16-0 Donald his first loss. [edit] WBO title and Holyfield RubbermatchIn March 1995 Bowe picked up the less regarded WBO belt by knocking down England's Herbie Hide some 6 times en route to a 6th round KO. In June 1995, after a heated build up, he defended the title against his hated arch rival in the amateurs, Jorge Luis Gonzales in Las Vegas. The build-up contained bizarre trash-talk which included Gonzalez declaring a desire to eat Bowe's heart and liking himself to a lion to Bowe's hyena.[7] Bowe exposed Gonzalez for his limitations and lack of development, savagely pounding the Cuban before knocking him clean out in the 6th round. Bowe vacated the WBO title, soon after. After the Gonzales fight, Bowe had his highly anticipated rubbermatch against Evander Holyfield. Holyfield knocked Bowe down with a single left hook but Bowe prevailed, by a knockout in eight. Holyfield would later claim that contracting Hepatitis A weakened him in the ring. [edit] Bowe vs. GolotaAfter his rubbermatch with Holyfield, Bowe was matched up against the undefeated yet unproven heavyweight contender Andrew Golota at the Madison Square Garden, on an HBO Boxing event. Bowe's complacency and weight problem again resurfaced, as the 10-1 favorite entered the ring looking flabby at a career high of 252 lbs.[8] Though ahead on points, Golota was disqualified in the seventh round after Bowe went down following the last in a series of low blows.[9] What ensued was a dramatic riot that left a large number of spectators and policemen injured, including Golota himself, who was hit by a Bowe entourage man's two-way radio and required 11 stitches to close a cut on his head. Golota's trainer, Lou Duva, who has a heart condition, was taken to a doctor as a precaution. The fight made all the sports shows, including SportsCenter, and the public immediately wanted to see Bowe and Golota go at it again. The rematch was on Pay Per View and Golota, after dropping Bowe in the 2nd round and being dropped himself later, was leading on the scorecards only to be disqualified in the ninth round, once again for repeated low blows.[9] Despite not having another riot, this fight also proved to be controversial and a protest was filed by Golota's camp to try to overturn the fight's result. The two Bowe fights earned Golota the derisive nickname Foul Pole. The Golota fights proved to many that Bowe had declined heavily as a fighter, both due to his wars with Holyfield and his weight problems. Even at a young age, boxing had already taken its toll on Riddick. This fight was featured on HBO's documentary Legendary Nights The Tale of Bowe Golota [edit] Joining the Marine CorpsAfter the Golota fights, Bowe retired from boxing and, although married with children, attempted to join the United States Marine Corps. He made the decision to join the Corps to both make his mother proud and re-dedicate himself to training, with the intention of returning to boxing shortly after.[10] On his first day of Boot Camp, Bowe discussed leaving the Corps with Marine commanders, and left after 11 days of Basic Training at the recruit depot at Parris Island, South Carolina. The Marine Corps has been criticized for compromising their traditional recruiting measures and accommodating Bowe's request.[11] [edit] Legal TroublesFollowing Bowe's failure to become a Marine, his life was marred with legal incidents. Three months after leaving Marine Boot Camp he was accused of battering his sister. Three months after that, assault and battery on his wife.[12] Bowe then was convicted of kidnapping his wife and children after Bowe went to his wife's Charlotte, North Carolina home and threatened her with a knife, handcuffs, duct tape and pepper spray. He forced her and their children into a vehicle and set out for his Fort Washington, Maryland, home.[13] Bowe was initially sentenced to only 30 days as a result of a lenient sentence due to brain damage claimed by Bowe's defense. Indeed, tapes of Bowe talking before and after his brutal fights with Golota show a man with very slurred speech.[13] This sentence was later overturned and Bowe served 17 months in federal prison.[14] In 2001, Bowe was arrested in Long Island after a domestic dispute with his wife. Bowe allegedly dragged his wife and left her with cuts on her knees and elbows.[15] [edit] Return to BoxingOn September 25, 2004, after seven and a half years away from boxing, Bowe returned with a second round knockout over Marcus Rhode. In a second comeback fight, in April 2005, Bowe narrowly defeated journeyman Billy Zumbrun, in a fight in which Bowe was badly overweight and absorbed many heavy blows from Zumbrun. The truth behind Bowe's rationale for returning to the ring despite his brain injuries was revealed late in 2005 when he declared bankruptcy, punctuating his personal and financial demise.[16] In July 2008, Boxrec.com reported that Bowe might return to the ring after three years on September 12 2008 in Győr, Hungary against Hungarian journeyman Zoltán Petrányi. But he didn't show up for the fight.[17] On December 13, 2008, 41-year old Bowe returned to the ring for the first time in over three and a half years on the undercard of the Wladimir Klitschko-Hasim Rahman heavyweight title bout in Mannheim, Germany. He won eight round decision over challenger Gene Pukall. His current boxing record stands at 43-1 with 33 wins by way of knock-out. [edit] Professional Record[edit] Riddick Bowe timeline
[edit] See also[edit] External links[edit] References
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