Bowe in the fight of his life!

[Rocky Balboa]

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/14/sports/14bowe.html

[quote]EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Amid all the items to be discovered at the Meadowlands Flea Market on Saturday, past the kettle corn and between the $2 leather belts and the $1 bottles of shampoo, was a two-time heavyweight boxing champion of the world.

Riddick Bowe at a New Jersey flea market. He last boxed in December in Germany, but he has no bouts planned.

Riddick Bowe sat on a folding chair behind a card table that straddled two parking spaces, labeled in chalk as Nos. 264 and 265. Most people sauntered past, holding bargains in a bag or grilled meat on a stick, not recognizing the large man who waited for someone to come see him.

“The champ is here!” Darren Antola, who set up the autograph session, called out, like a carnival barker. “He beat Evander Holyfield two out of three times!”

Two women approached. Bowe always was boxing’s approachable heavyweight, the anti-Mike Tyson, witty and disarming. He called each of the women “sweetheart.”

One asked if he was still fighting. Bowe said he was, a reply based more in hope than reality. He beat a “crash dummy” named Gene Pukall in Germany last December, and has no other fights planned. He weighs about 300 pounds.

“Guess who I’m going to fight next?” he asked, excitedly. “You’ll never believe it.”

“Who?” the woman asked in return.

“Somebody I can whoop,” Bowe said. He smiled. She laughed. Then she bought an autographed picture for $35 that she intended to frame for someone named Pete. And Bowe, who said he had $15 million when he retired in 1996, thanked her.

A man working a stall behind Bowe watched.

“All those millions of dollars, and they’re gone,” the man said, and it was not in the form of a question, but a fact, readily apparent. “It’s a sad story.”

Bowe does not argue that. He is 41 (according to public records and news reports, although he insisted Saturday that he was born on Aug. 10, 1968, not 1967) and signed autographs because he has little money. He wants to fight again because he knows little else.

“What would I do without boxing? That’s the question, isn’t it?” he asked during a quiet moment under the canopy where he sat. He searched for the answer inside his head, which his own lawyers once argued was damaged from all the blows it absorbed.

“Boxing’s all I know,” he said finally. “At 40, what else am I going to do?”

Bowe’s version of the now-clichéd story of a heavyweight champion going from riches to rags — count Holyfield and Tyson among contemporaries with similar tales — is layered with bizarre episodes.

Bowe beat Holyfield twice, the loss in the middle of their trilogy coming after a parachutist landed beside the ring at Caesar’s Palace in 1993. Bowe had two strange 1996 victories over Andrew Golota, who was disqualified both times for low blows. The first, at Madison Square Garden, set off a riot in the ring.

Bowe retired. Things got stranger.

He joined the Marine Corps Reserves and quit a few days into basic training. He spent 18 months in prison for interstate domestic violence after going to North Carolina to haul his now-former wife and their five children back home with him to Maryland. He filed for bankruptcy.

But Bowe was relentlessly optimistic as afternoon rain washed out the flea market and ended the signing early. His cellphone displayed a photo of his wife, Terri (they married in 2000) and their daughter, Morgan, who will be 4 in August. And his mind saw a rainbow with more paydays at the end.

Some people called out “Champ!” as they walked past Bowe on Saturday, and Bowe greeted them as if they were old friends passing on the street. Others stared from a distance, as if at the zoo. Some shook his hand but did not buy an autographed photo or boxing glove ($65), which Bowe signed, “Riddick ‘Big Daddy’ Bowe.” Twice someone said something about Muhammad Ali, and Bowe said that Ali was the greatest, “but I am the latest.”

Most of the time, there was no one talking to Bowe. But whenever a few people gathered, they multiplied in a hurry. Bowe, the magnet in the middle, charmed them all, and a man collected their cash.

A signing in Manhattan last week earned Bowe “$2,000 or $3,000,” he said. The take on Saturday was far less.

“Now you see why I’ve got to fight,” Bowe said. “Put the word out that Big Daddy’s got to do what he do.”

Bowe said he made $30,000 for December’s fight, when he weighed 271 pounds. A few offers followed, all for less money. Bowe found them insulting. Calls stopped coming, and Bowe stopped training.

Now he dreams of a string of 10 fights, in quick succession, against more crash dummies to bolster his record (43-1, with 33 knockouts) and rebuild his reputation. Then he envisions a title bout. George Foreman, after all, was 45 when he won a heavyweight championship, and Bowe considers himself both “younger” and “prettier.”

The more Bowe thought about it, the more he decided that the best approach may be to get in shape now so that people see that he is serious. He said he might start training Monday.
A man told Bowe that he felt sorry for Tyson, having had so much potential, so much money, only to piddle it away. It was an awkward few moments. The man did not realize he was describing the person in front of him. Bowe did.

“No matter what, God is on my side,” Bowe said later. “I’m not perfect, but I’m not the worst, either. God brought me this far. He’s not done with me yet.”

Before leaving, Bowe wanted something else to be known. He loves his wife and their little girl more than anything, he said. And he said thank you.

Thirty minutes later, Bowe was on the phone. One more thing.

“Any promoter who wants to put me on their card, I’m willing to fight,” Bowe said.

He said thank you. And he was gone, again./quote]

Its a sad but all too familiar story when it comes to fighters ending up broke! When is it going to change?

[Jon Saxon]

Grim..trully grim.

[Jeff Thomas]

Get him and Holy here for a prizefighter

[Deno1986]

That's a really sad story but as Rocky said Bowe isn't the only former boxer in this situation and some are far worse off.

[kevo]

Amazing. $2 for a leather belt?

[Nightmare Roy]

Amazing. $2 for a leather belt?

[Quixall]

I would love to know how you end up blowing 15 million dollars.........

It can't all be bad advice or rip off merchants ?

No-one ever really knows why and it's never explained exactly how and when the money was lost

[Old bones Ian]

As he said 'Boxing is all i know' . He earned all that money , but without an education to help him do the right thing it soon goes.

[bennie]

Forget Fan man, the first Bowe-Holyfield war is probably the greatest heavyweight fight since Foreman-Lyle.

[dondada]

I'm sure I read two or three years ago was the blessing behind Bowe was that he still had quite a few quid.

Another bloody tragedy then.

[bigjack]

Forget Fan man, the first Bowe-Holyfield war is probably the greatest heavyweight fight since Foreman-Lyle.

I thought 'fan man' was in the second fight,may be wrong.

[Bricks]

I would love to know how you end up blowing 15 million dollars.........

It can't all be bad advice or rip off merchants ?

No-one ever really knows why and it's never explained exactly how and when the money was lost

Yes in Bowes case it isnt fully explained how the money was lost. I know his first wife , the one with the glasses, leeched him terribly and had him arrested etc.

My own opinion is Bowe is at heart a nice guy. Even in a comeback fight with Billy Zumbrun he displayed terrific heart and grit.

He has a shot at achieving his goal in the HW division but he is his own worse enemy if he cant get down to 240lbs. He probably should base himself in Germany full time and knock up 7-8 quick fights and he may be able to earn $300,000-$400,000 net with a decent match up down the line.

[Nightmare Roy]

I would love to know how you end up blowing 15 million dollars.........

It can't all be bad advice or rip off merchants ?

No-one ever really knows why and it's never explained exactly how and when the money was lost

Seems easy in this business Holy and Tyson earned the best part of half a BILLION $'s between them and they are both bankrupt.

[Captain Hook]

A shame, but he can only blame himself...

[whicker]

I would love to know how you end up blowing 15 million dollars.........

It can't all be bad advice or rip off merchants ?

No-one ever really knows why and it's never explained exactly how and when the money was lost

I think its on big purchases, then unexpected bills, tax bills and the like come. It's possible too that people take out ridiculous mortgages, even with money in the bank. Michael Jacksons Neverland Ranch being a good example.

Think how someone can blow ANY ammount of money, but just on a larger scale. Basically, people seem able to spend more money than they have, REGARDLESS of how much they have.

[chinny]

So, Bowe and Rock Newman avoided the Lewis fight so they could make megabucks on a couple of easy defences...and it all ends like this.

How sad.

[Chris W 1982]

Truly sad story about one of my all time favourites.

Although volatile and unpredictable, Bowe was a superb talent.

Him tarnishing the WBC strap will always leave a sour taste as him and Lewis could have been something else but he remains one of the most underrated Heavies of all time. He would have been a contender in any era.

[Quixall]

Forget Fan man, the first Bowe-Holyfield war is probably the greatest heavyweight fight since Foreman-Lyle.

Foreman-Lyle.........

What a fantastic fight that was

If anyone doesn't know the result or hasn't seen that fight.............Get on you tube NOW

Glad you brought that up

[Quixall]

I would love to know how you end up blowing 15 million dollars.........

It can't all be bad advice or rip off merchants ?

No-one ever really knows why and it's never explained exactly how and when the money was lost

Seems easy in this business Holy and Tyson earned the best part of half a BILLION $'s between them and they are both bankrupt.

It must be taxes that aren't paid, expensive divorces and paternity cases and too many spending sprees !!

[Quixall]

I would love to know how you end up blowing 15 million dollars.........

It can't all be bad advice or rip off merchants ?

No-one ever really knows why and it's never explained exactly how and when the money was lost

I think its on big purchases, then unexpected bills, tax bills and the like come. It's possible too that people take out ridiculous mortgages, even with money in the bank. Michael Jacksons Neverland Ranch being a good example.

Think how someone can blow ANY ammount of money, but just on a larger scale. Basically, people seem able to spend more money than they have, REGARDLESS of how much they have.

Very True,

It would seem that all you need is some impartial advice and plenty of common sense. Lennox Lewis seems to have done the right things with his money, but lets face it, you really have to be a fornicating moron to lose the amounts of money that Tyson, Bowe and Holyfield earned.

[chinny]

but lets face it, you really have to be a effing moron to lose the amounts of money that Tyson, Bowe and Holyfield earned.

I agree, but I can appreciate how the last thing on the agenda of a young, uneducated, wealthy, babe-magnet athelete is a sit down with a financial advisor to discuss taxes, investment in pensions and so on.

They must think it will last forever

[Quixall]

but lets face it, you really have to be a effing moron to lose the amounts of money that Tyson, Bowe and Holyfield earned.

I agree, but I can appreciate how the last thing on the agenda of a young, uneducated, wealthy, babe-magnet athelete is a sit down with a financial advisor to discuss taxes, investment in pensions and so on.

They must think it will last forever

Yes, i agree with you.......

I think a lot of them don't know the difference between Gross income and net income

Still, it's going some to lose a multi million dollar fortune !!

[Bomber 1]

It really does hurt to see this, I idolised Bowe growing up and find it very sad that he's now broke!! I really hope he get's himself in some kind of shape I really do, If Foreman could do it then there ain't no reason why big daddy can't do it too!! I love watching Bowe when in his prime, The guy was a special heavyweight but just had no longevity.. So sad.. :(

Good luck Big Daddy I truly hope your story has a happy ending I really do...