Tucker would be a difficult opponent for Bowe, and for pretty much anyone for that matter. He had enough left to give to (the raw version of) Lennox plenty of trouble around this time, even though Tucker faded away quickly in the next couple of years. As for the bout, Tucker's right hand was crisp and accurate and it would certainly land a lot against Bowe whose defense was porous to say the least. However Tucker wasn't big enough of a banger to stop Bowe, and Bowe as the better inside fighter would pound out a close hard-fought decision
I don't have much faith in Bowe to pull out a really tough fight like this. Maybe he'd be (the right kind of) hungry enough to do so in 1992 as he worked up to a title shot but I can just as easily see Tucker, slightly diminished as he was, out toughing him. Ability, skill, slickness wise i dont see much between them - certainly not enough for bowe to front run
I don't think Bowe ever showed lack of fighter spirit inside the ropes. He lost his hunger in the training and skittered away from Lennox, but inside the ring, even in his poorest performances he kept trying. The rematch against Holy is a perfect example of this: Bowe lost the bout in his training camp, inside the ring he closed the fight stronger and nearly pulled it off in the end. In a fight this close, I usually pick the guy who has the clearer advantage in some area. To me, that is Bowe and his combination punching. Tucker had no obvious weakness, but he wasn't astonishingly good in any, either. Bowe has the clearer weakness too, his defense, but as I said before, Tucker doesn't punch hard enough to exploit it
i think in my mind Tucker wouldn't dance as much as Tubbs did when I thought he beat Bowe a year earlier
