mugabi wrote:Yeah if he didnt suffer panic attacks, act nutty, or quit for no apparent reason.............if Golota had steel cojones 100% of the time this guy would have been the dominant heavyweight of the 2000's I beleive.
As it is he had a good career and made some money. Im very careful about criticising a fighter on something like heart. Its clear Golota had huge heart but something in him caused him to panic for no reason.
It's MMA and not boxing, but there was recently an article written on the fighter Karo Parisyan about how he'd have panic attacks before/during fights and that the anticipation of fights was brutal for him, causing him to drop out of several fights he had scheduled. I imagine Gołota probably had a similar thing too, some people just suffer from anxiety, put them in a situation like a boxing match and no matter how skilled they are (and for my money Gołota was remarkably skilled, he really could have been something) they're going to start doing irrational things. Also from everything I've heard he's supposed to be a very good guy. I've never met him myself, but many of my friends have since he lived in and might still live in the area.
Yes you're very correct. Fighting a tough sport and every man has to deal with what we call "the inner game".
Danny Williams was another fighter who suffered inner demons before a fight and like Golota was unpredictable, courageous but unpredicatable.
Re: andrew golota
Posted: 20 Sep 2010, 07:28
by Brutu
The story goes Golata had insisted that a shot of novacaine or cortizone begiven into his knee about less then hour before he got into
the ring with Lennox Lewis.
Also Golata was known to be a notorius chain smoker when he was active,caught smoking a pack after excusing himself while training.
Re: andrew golota
Posted: 22 Sep 2010, 10:56
by Duran Fan
He had great handspeed a very good jab...
But he was an arsehole!
Re: andrew golota
Posted: 11 Oct 2010, 11:51
by Seamus
As hugely disappointing as Golota was, he at least deserved to be IBF HW Champion back in 2004. I re-watched Golota vs Byrd last week, and thought he was robbed. Byrd at best won 4 rds, and while he was the more accurate puncher, he simply didn't do enough to win.
Re: andrew golota
Posted: 11 Oct 2010, 22:28
by Diamond WEAPON
mugabi wrote:
Diamond WEAPON wrote:
mugabi wrote:Yeah if he didnt suffer panic attacks, act nutty, or quit for no apparent reason.............if Golota had steel cojones 100% of the time this guy would have been the dominant heavyweight of the 2000's I beleive.
As it is he had a good career and made some money. Im very careful about criticising a fighter on something like heart. Its clear Golota had huge heart but something in him caused him to panic for no reason.
Getting hit by Tyson, Lewis, Brewster, and Grant may have something to do with it, after all, those guys could probably KO your average joe with a slap.
Oversimplistic.
The Grant fight he had had Michael on the floor twice and had taken all his shots for 9 rounds. He quit in the 10th without taking any real punches of substance and the final bell loomed. It was like he just shrugged and said enough.
The Lewis fight he had lost before the first bell even rang. He as frozen. My question to you is , was Lewis at that stage any more intimidating than Bowe, any better a HW or any harder hitting than Bowe?
Against Tyson , same thing, he had taken Tysons best, and even his best headbutt and came back gamely in the second round.........than he just flat out quit in the corner just as it seemed he was coming back into it. Danny williams and Kevin mcbride took far worse punishment from a similar Tyson and hung in there and won and Golota was a better HW than them and had been in bigger fights where he did well.
The Brewster fight was a legit blow out by a big puncher.Golota just got caught and he did try and come back hard but couldnt Brewster was for a short time in the mid 2000's a rare light of excitement and hope for american HW's.
What I'm saying is Golota has a history of being unsteady and dry early in fights, so if you can catch him you can hurt him badly. Bowe was well-faded by their rematch but he repeatedly rocked Golota even while he himself was completely unsteady. Brewster knew this and fought the way he did because of that weakness, and blew him out as a result. Others like McBride and Mollo tried it to, and they too rocked his ass early, but simply didn't have the power and accuracy to make any more of it than they did, eventually being battered by Golota.
Re: andrew golota
Posted: 12 Oct 2010, 07:01
by dberry
I recall Galota getting hit hard mid-late first round against Tyson, he got dropped, got up on shaky legs, yet finished the round. If he hadn't got dropped, I believe he would have won that round and I believe he won the next two before leaving the ring. I don't think the issue was anything other than a weak mind as tyson hit him with a huge punch to floor him in the first, yet Golota managed to fight on ,and out boxed Tyson prior to it and in the following rounds.
He got stopped by Lewis, he did get caught cold and any one would have been stop by those barrages, but against Micheal Grant, he is leading on points, gets caught and dropped, then, like the Tyson fight, quits.
The guy had so much going for him, but didn't seam to be mentally strong.
I never watched any of his fights after the Tyson fight.
Re: andrew golota
Posted: 16 Mar 2018, 14:19
by DrDuke
I have a good opinion about Golota despite the common ambiguous talk about him. Golota was a solid heavyweight competitor of 90s and early 00s. He had size, power and ability to box.
His main problem wasn't questionable chin, but motivation problems and a lack of ability to deal with mental pressure. He had battered Bowe and would have won both fights, if he could stop punching below the belt. He was winning Grant and he just had to finish the fight. However, I don't blame him for Tyson-fight, he was dropped early, his jaw was broken, his game plan was ruined before been established.
He was unlucky in some sense, yes. Byrd and Ruiz both have very arguable victories over Andrew. And, by the way, Golota should be given a credit for the comeback after Tyson and challenging the champions and performing pretty good in general (not to count Brewster-fight). Byrd-fight was especially good effort, Golota was finally motivated and was pressuring the whole fight.
All in all, Golota was a good heavyweight and interesting to watch.
Re: andrew golota
Posted: 16 Mar 2018, 14:26
by acehudkins
He was a good Heavyweight and could have been a great one , I don't know the reasons but he was very talented and was his own worst enemy
Re: andrew golota
Posted: 16 Mar 2018, 15:56
by oogiebe
tennesseeboy wrote: ↑14 Sep 2010, 21:43
how good could golota have been if he wasnt bordering on mental retardation? i mean the guy in his prime was extremely skillfull i thought.. opinions?
LMAO!!!! He was the most frustrating imbecile ever to enter the ring. I cannot believe what a waste of talent (to your point).
gilgamesh wrote:He had a good jab, good boxing fundamentals, without all the fouls, he would've definitely gone much further without question, and he'd have 2 wins over Bowe on his record.
Maybe so, but he'd have still had to deal with this:
BRAVO!!!! .... Best argument I've seen.... Golota had NO defense.... He was getting knocked out in a minute or 2 by ANY ATG Heavyweight Champion... Lewis, Tyson, and Brewster did him in like he was NOTHING!!!
The injuries he suffered against the dynamite fists of Iron Mike were SUBSTANTIAL!!!! .... A broken neck and a shattered cheekbone... You can't fight with injuries like that so he was RIGHT to quit... Lou Duva worsened the neck injury by repeatedly trying to shove Golota's mouth piece back into his mouth when he kept refusing it and screaming at him.
His corner would have listened to Golota if they respected him... NOBODY should treat ANY boxer like that... Part of that was because AG quit against Michael Grant after being knocked down hard... Many fighters would have stayed on the canvas... That's the SMART thing to do if you want to quit... Golota got up first and then quit... He was honest about it.
Re: andrew golota
Posted: 17 Mar 2018, 11:24
by SenorPipino
Golota was a total whack job.
Intentional low blows, biting, quitting.
He doesn't deserve any plaudits or excuses.
Re: andrew golota
Posted: 17 Mar 2018, 13:46
by Kalan
SenorPipino wrote: ↑17 Mar 2018, 11:24
Golota was a total whack job.
Intentional low blows, biting, quitting.
He doesn't deserve any plaudits or excuses.
He doesn't deserve any plaudits.... A jerk for committing low blows and fouls and I never liked him... But even whack jobs are human beings... I felt sorry for Golota... No need to treat your boxer like Duva did when he wants out of the fight...
This is Boxing... You can get hurt very seriously and it could change the rest of your life.. You should have the option to quit.. Not every person is the most competitive or will fight through serious injuries.. I admire the courage of those who do -- but I don't think those who make a decision to quit because of an injury are cowards.. Cowards are those who won't accept a even match-up where there's a lot of doubt who the winner will be.
Re: andrew golota
Posted: 17 Mar 2018, 13:48
by Caractacus
there was an entire thread of his known recorded fights chronicogially.
I will try and bump it up.
SenorPipino wrote: ↑17 Mar 2018, 11:24
Golota was a total whack job.
Intentional low blows, biting, quitting.
He doesn't deserve any plaudits or excuses.
He doesn't deserve any plaudits.... A jerk for committing low blows and fouls and I never liked him... But even whack jobs are human beings... I felt sorry for Golota... No need to treat your boxer like Duva did when he wants out of the fight...
This is Boxing... You can get hurt very seriously and it could change the rest of your life.. You should have the option to quit.. Not every person is the most competitive or will fight through serious injuries.. I admire the courage of those who do -- but I don't think those who make a decision to quit because of an injury are cowards.. Cowards are those who won't accept a even match-up where there's a lot of doubt who the winner will be.
Kalan...I have to admit you make great points here. I saw that fight, and it was disgraceful how the corner handled Golota. I believe the Pole had a herniated disc, which most of us know is extremely painful.
