Who knows, LOK? He only beat Holyfield, he never beat anybody else of high caliber. He had the size and style to beat Holyfield who was giving up like 30lbs, huge reach and 3" in height to Bowe. He looked pretty awful against a guy his own size like young Golota who could jab and move. Bowe wasn't destined for greatness, he was too lazy and unmotivated. How many guys out there do we always say "this guy had incredible potential if he'd stay focused"? Bunch of them I think. Imagine if all the heavyweights in history had the drive to succeed like a young Holyfield? They'd all be in the gyms training hard instead of just lazing around which is what most of them do after they start making big money.
Well... Bowe looked awesome in many fights.. Golota was very underrated and suprising and I think that Bowe thought he was a bum and didn't prepare much... I think you could think maybe a lot of guys could be great but Bowe.. IMO really showed it.. he was a Big guy that moved great, great jab, right hand and suprisingly good in fighting.. not typical for big guys, he was not ugly and clumsy like Lemmon or other big slobs.. Bowe looked like a real boxer. but.. you are right, Bowe was lazy.. that's why it pisses me off.. I mean if Grant was lazy.. who cares? He didnt have talent anyway.. Bowe and Toney get lazy and they are both excellent boxers! The Bowe that fought Jose Luis Gonzalas would have decapitated Golota.. he felt threatened in that fight cuz he lost to him in the AMs and Gonzalas talked a LOT of trash.. a LOT of trash! It made Bowe want to get him with Golata, I think everyone thought he was a Euro bum but he actually had skills!
If you're critizing the first Ali -Frazier fight because Frazier dominated it (which he DID NOT) then I must mention the first Bowe-Holyfield fight in the same vain...Bowe won that fight 9 rounds to 3!!
I'm not saying it for the hell of it...it is a FACT!! Just look at the fight and tell me that Evander was right.
I'm not criticizing Ali-Frazier I. I'm just saying the aura of the event far exceeded the fight itself. People too often combine the two and claim an otherwise good fight to be a great one.
Bowe was athletic for a big man, no doubt. He had all the qualities physically for being a top heavyweight if he'd remained in shape and hungry.
I've NEVER seen people confuse the two!! Have you? Let's see the big events: Lewis - Tyson.....NO ONE claimed this to be a great fight Tyson - Spinks......NO ONE claimed this to be a great fight Tyson - Holyfield 2.....NO ONE claimed this to be a great fight De La Hoya - Trinidad.....NO ONE claimed this to be a great fight De La Hoya - Mayweather......NO ONE claimed this to be a great fight Trinidad - Hopkins....NO ONE claimed this to be a great fight Leonard - Hagler.....IT WAS a great fight Leonard - Hearns 1.....IT WAS a great fight I've never seen a case where a fight was overrated because of the hype of the event! Please enlighten me. If anything...a fight tends to be UNDERRATED because of the hype of the event (De La Hoya - Mayweather....for example)
Sly, there's no way in hell Floyd-DLH was UNDERRATED. Reporters actually claimed it came close to living up to the hype. If that isn't getting caught up in the moment, I don't know what is. It was an OK fight, with minimal rewatchability. Perfect example of the event far exceeding the fight. As for an example - why should I search for another fight? I already named Frazier-Ali I, which was not a GREAT fight. It was a great, historic night. But not a great fight. People claim it was a great fight. You claimed it shits on the Bowe-Holy series. That would be overrating the fight itself. Leonard-Hearns I would be another example, though. It was a great ending - that and the permanent shift in momentum made it a good fight, but overall, no it wasn't a great fight. The ending and its participants made it a memorable EVENT, thus making the FIGHT seem bigger than it really was.
Jake, you're talking nonsense here (still my boy though). You know as well as I...as does ANYONE with the slightest intelligence..than when a fight is greatly HYPED...it's almost BOUND to fall short of expectations. So if after the event, people are saying that it was a great fight...then it HAD to have been. As for De La Hoya-Mayweather...you've got to be kidding me. Most people are saying it didn't in anyway live up to the hype...and are labelling Floyd as a boring fighter as a result. Oh and Leonard Hearns was a GREAT fight. It may not have had the consistent action of a Corrales-Castillo or Gatti-Ward...but the tactical struggle, drama, role reversal and comeback knockout made it a classic!!
Leonard-Hearns II was a much better action fight than the first. The first gets more recognition (and rightly so) because it was two undefeated champions in a unification match.
floyd-DLH is a great fight. I could watch it 100 times.. Floyd really was never in any danger and basically dominated the golden bitch
Holyfield-Tyson I. Do you remember The Ring calling Holyfield-Tyson I (not even a top 5 fight of 1996) the Fight of the Year?
