Riddick Bowe vs. Wladimir Klitschko

I make Bowe the favorite, but not with the utmost confidence. A slight favorite.

Bowe who would eat Wlad alive on the inside, but how much of the fight will take place there? Wlad is good at controlling the distance the fight is fought at. Another question is how much fighting in and out of the clinch the referee would allow.

Bowe had a lot of tools: good power, excellent in-fighter, nice jab, terrific uppercut, hard overhand right. However, his defense SUCKED for a world class fighter. He'd slip a shot here and there on the inside but was a total sucker for straight right hands and jabs. Coetzer hit him with consistency, so did Holyfield, of course later on so did Golota with frightening ease. While I think he'd slipped by the Golota fights, it isn't as if he was a good defender before then. He seemed to have a good chin, but didn't exactly face a lot of big punchers. When he did, he was often hurt because of how frequently and cleanly he got tagged. Holyfield (not a huge puncher but he's hurt many tough guys due to timing and accuracy) rocked him in the 10th round of the first fight, in the 5th in the rematch, and nearly took him out in the rubber match. Hide hurt Bowe everytime he hit him clean. If Golota wasn't such a shitty finisher, he would've stopped Bowe.

I just wonder how many clean right hands Bowe would be able to take from Wladimir, or if he could stop him before Wlad stops him. Bowe of course had his own booming right hand, he could throw a straight one but seemed to prefer an overhand one, sort of like the one Tim Witherspoon liked to use. In this case due to Wladimir's height, it might be ideal for him to throw it at that angle.

In no small part due to his right hand I favor Bowe, but again, not with that much confidence. I'd call it like a 60/40 fight.

 

Bowe would blast that crystal chinned softie.

 

IF Klitschko beat Bowe, it damn sure wouldnt be inside the distance. Thats flat lunacy. Though a gifted puncher, Klitschko is psychologically incapable of taking risks, even against fairly innocuous opposition. There is NO CHANCE he would try to subdue Bowe, and I dont think that bodes well for him.

Either Bowe finds that chin early and its a wash, or it develops into an awkward, almost cagey affair, with Bowe respecting the Klitschko jab, and Klitschko refusing to take advantage of the openings his left would create against Bowe's pourous D.

Either way, Bowe is likely to knock him out at some point. Like the late Frazier said of Tyson, "You have to hit him back," Bowe was a bully, and required just that approach.

 

Bowe knocks Wlad out.

 

Bowe.
Wlad is not enough of a fighter to beat Bowe.

 

Bowe completely routs him

 

The difference between Bowe and most other HVYs who have faced Wlad (or Vitali, for that matter) is that he wouldn't shut down the moment he gets hit, even if it means getting put on his ass.

You can call Bowe a lot of things - underachiever, lazy, fat-ass, whatever. One thing he never lacked was heart.

Not saying that alone is all that's needed to beat the Klitschkos. But his fighting heart gets him to where he'll need to be in order to get to Wlad. THAT will be enough.

Bowe by KO, but tasting the canvas before getting there.

 

Good analysis, Jake.

 

Wlad by KO. As Jake said, Bowe would keep coming even though he gets hit, and that would be his undoing here. Bowe was very easy to hit and he loses the battle of jabs here (as he did against Golota). Thus Bowe comes forwards and walks to a right cross after another before he crumbles. Of course, Bowe has a good chance too but Wlad is clearly the favorite

 

Bowe brutalizes him

Wlad wouldn't be able to just hold him inside the way he does everyone else. First big blow that Big Daddy lands Wlad will go into a shell and from there on, Bowe would just beat him down. I would have enjoyed it.

Bowe TKO 6

 

I'm on the fence. It's a KO either way..early or late.

In 10 fights between them there would be 10 KOs..I think Wlad would win 6-4.

 

Klitschko wouldnt KO Bowe in a THOUSAND fights. Guaranteed the thought wouldnt cross his mind.

 

Why? It is not like Wlad had to take any risk to KO Bowe, Bowe would walk right in for his right cross (or to score the KO first)

 

Wlad is a crystal-chinned princess who exists solely because the game is shit right now

His brother is tough, his brother is a fighter, he contends any time

Wlad dies because he fights someone who goes after him

 

Even a crystal-chinned princess is difficult to KO if (s)he keeps his gloves up all the time

 

I think Bowe gets to him sooner or later

 

Because Klitschko is invulnerable to Bowe's punches? ::

 

No, because Bowe walks right in all the time and Wlad has the power to hurt him :dunno:

 

Bowe by middle rounds KO. Bowe would force Wlad to actually fight...and eventually get KOed.

 

:atu:

 

I think Bowe is one of the most overrated heavies ever. I still thinks he stops Wlad.

 

Wouldn't matter. Bowe would keep the fight inside and beat Wlad to the body, neutralizing Klits' jab completely, along with every other element of his game.

This is a mismatch, really

 

Disagreed. Wlad has not shown weakness of body (in fact, his roided torso seems like that he can take a punch there) and these days he can also clinch and lean inside, which he couldn't when he fought Peter. Bowe's rabbit punches might chop him down eventually, but this is not a mismatch in any way. Or if it is, more likely it will be a repeat of Golota-Bowe

 

If we're going off the Bowe that fought Golota, I'm matching him with the Brewster Wlad.

Or we can be reasonable and compare them at their best.

 

Yeah he's never faced a fighter who can hit him as hard on the inside as Bowe.

First big shot Bowe lands Klitschko would go into a shell. Wlad just doesn't like getting hit and he doesn't respond well to it. The few punches that David Haye landed had Wlad tentative himself.

Against a big, powerful, and skillful heavyweight like Bowe who takes a good shot and wouldn't be afraid of Wlad, Klitschko would just try to keep him outside with the jab but as soon as Bowe sees this guy is not trying to fight, he'd lose all respect for him and waste no time beating him down.

I don't see this as competitive at all.

 

I never said I spoke about Bowe of the Golota fights though. I sad this fight might look like that, meaning that a big guy with a better jab who can hurt Bowe with his punches might make things difficult for Big Daddy. Bowe was not at his best in those fights, but then again Wlad is better than Golota

 

And Bowe is better than Brewster.

Riddick was 17 pounds of flab heavier vs. Golota 1 than he was for his finest performance against Holyfield. That bout doesn't tell me much.

 

Or, as soon as Bowe tastes Wlad's jab, he gets hurt by it (the way he did against Golota) and goes for an attack, walking to Wlad's right hand bombs that chop him down.

I was a Bowe fan and this is 50:50 fight. Sometimes the more pleasing, manly style doesn't win fights over pussy faggotry

 

Wlad falls from the first hard punch (as he did against Sanders)

 

Bowe wins because Bowe is a fighter and Wlad is a professional boxer. Wlad is too fragile mentally to beat Bowe. Bowe KO 4