July 11, 1996 was the day Riddick Bowe fought Andrew Golota. Fight was famous for Bowe getting beaten up but also on the receiving end of constant low blows by Golota which led to Bowe winning via DQ followed by a crazy riot right after the fight ended. A wild HW event that was.
Crazy to think Bowe is 10 years younger than Usyk here. Something about the fights in the 90s was better. It's not just nostalgia talking either. It felt like the lightning was better the colors.. the action crisper. Commentary better. Even the gloves were always red which should be THE color. Fuck that gold or black or green or rainbow shit. Great fight too. Golota just didn't have the mental toughness or stamina to go full blast for 10 rounds with Bowe caliber fighter. Also why was this fight 12 rounds anyway? Non title. Weird.
I remember thinking this was just a freak occurrence, that Golota was awesome and that he'd go on to be a dominant champion. He just showed so much in that fight.....I didn't pick up on the fact that the low blows were a coping mechanism. But this became clear in the second fight. And even after that, at that point, I expected Golota to beat Lewis. After that, it seemed like disappointment after disappointment. But it's worth noting I thought he beat both Byrd and Ruiz and that those two, not Golota, were to blame for how tedious those fights were. Also, Golota was the original biter.....not Tyson. It got less publicity obviously, but Golota bit Sampson Pouha before Tyson ever thought to bite Holyfield. Finally, Golota was obviously a very dirtu fighter, especially when he got desperate. But Bowe was throwing egregious rabbit punches himself and clearly on purpose.
It's funny but back in the day I was so pissed off with Golota for blowing those 2 fights with Bowe but now looking back who gives a shit about wins and loses wtf
The Golota that fought Bowe, hell even the one that got khtfko against Michael Grant definitely khtfko's the fat Usyk that needed 11 rounds to beat the kickboxer
I thought Golota was quite skilled and very talented, but then he melted down under pressure and got himself dq'd. He was a great frontrunner, but when he was scared, he looked for a way to either get out or get an advantage, like biting.
Prime Golota had a great jab and left hook. Head and foot movement too for a big boy. Too bad the shoulder injury and mental state went the way it did. Turned him into a completely different fighter. Sloppy scared and slapping with his punches. This right here was as close to confident and bully like as he would get.
Yeah. Its incredible how much better and sharper he looked then than in later fights. As you said, he could throw a good left hook back then, and afterward his left hook was a slap and completely ineffective
