BoxRec

Washed-up former world heavyweight champion Riddick Bowe is to be trained by Buddy McGirt for his comeback. Bowe, who has not fought since his foul-filled disqualification win over Andrew Golota in 1996, is looking to return to ring action next month. Nobody has licenced him as yet.

Last time i heard Bowe talking he almost sounded as bad as Medrick Taylor, IMO i hope Bowe doesnt come back.

Yeah, he will be back, sadly.

Disappointed in Buddy. He turned down the opportunity to train Mike Tyson for the Clifford Etienne fight because he'd given his word to Etienne he would train him. It cost him a huge amount of money. Maybe the embarrassing one-round loss suffered by Etienne made McGirt think 'sod integrity'.
Incidentally, at a press conference in Memphis to announce the fight between Tyson and Etienne, Iron Mike and Shelly Finkel (Tyson's adviser) walked in about 30 seconds after Les Bonano, Etienne's manager, had been fielding some press questions. The last question Bonano was asked was: 'Who's going to train Etienne?'
'Buddy McGirt,' said Bonano.
The first question Finkel was asked was, 'Who's going to train Tyson?'
'Buddy McGirt,' said Finkel. The place collapsed in laughter.

I also came across this post on a boxing forum a couple of years back. It read:
"I have been frantically searching to find out if a tape of Zale-Graziano 1&2 exsists and I ended up e-mailing Mike Katz at maxboxing.com and he gave me a phone number of a company that has copyrights on almost every pre-90's fight ever filmed. Anyway I called and a guy named Bill Cayton answered the phone. For anyone who doesn't know who Cayton is, he was Tyson's original manager. I asked him if he was glad that Mike fired him and and that old fart hung up on me."

On another related note.

I emailed Mike Katz (who bear in mind is a fellow contributor at maxboxing, so it's not like a totally unsolicited email), to ask him his opinion on an upcoming fight.

The reply.

"I don't do pen-pals or love letters, you want my opinion, read my column"

Curmudgeonly,bitter, jaded, neck brace wearing old bastard.

jamesmcdonnell wrote:I don't do pen-pals or love letters

You gotta love that reply.

If he ever needs a favour, he can 'spin on my column'

I sat behind him at the Marquez v Pacquaio fight, I considered telling him what an asshole he was, but figured there was no point, he's just a jaded bitter old ass.

I believe he only describes De La Hoya, as "Chicken".

sorry but tosser is the word that springs to mind how rude.

It appears sometimes that Mike Katz hates everyone, he's so vitriolic, I mean christ, how can anyone call DLH a chicken, he's faced more champs, future and former champs than any other currently active fighter, Jones Jr included.

may just be me, but if people are ploite and honest i think it is or should be human nature to help, time allowing.

Worrying news, a Bowe comeback could be bad for Boxing and bad for Bowe's health.

I wonder how Buddy will justify training a fighter many think should stay retired for health reasons?

jamesmcdonnell wrote:On another related note.

I emailed Mike Katz (who bear in mind is a fellow contributor at maxboxing, so it's not like a totally unsolicited email), to ask him his opinion on an upcoming fight.

The reply.

"I don't do pen-pals or love letters, you want my opinion, read my column"

Curmudgeonly,bitter, jaded, neck brace wearing old bastard.

I should'nt worry about Mike Katz.That guy is a clown.I think he believes he is more important than he actually is.A lot of what he writes these days over blown guff.I prefer reading your articles becasue they are clear and interesting.

Also, I suspect most of the boxers don't give too hoots about him, where as, if they meet you, they will give you all the time in the world and surely, as a boxing fan and journalist, thats more important.

June 4, 2004 -- LAS VEGAS
The big boxing weekend at the MGM Grand got off to an unexpected start yesterday when two veteran boxing scribes traded blows in the media center for this weekend's double-header featuring Oscar De La Hoya and Bernard Hopkins.
Ron Borges of the Boston Globe and Mike Katz, who is covering the fight for the New York Times, got into an altercation amid a group of reporters interviewing Top Rank promoter Bob Arum. While Katz and Borges went at each other, Arum got caught in the middle of the exchange and was knocked to the floor. He was unhurt as were the two combatants, who had to be separated by several peacemakers.

jamesmcdonnell wrote:On another related note.

I emailed Mike Katz (who bear in mind is a fellow contributor at maxboxing, so it's not like a totally unsolicited email), to ask him his opinion on an upcoming fight.

The reply.

"I don't do pen-pals or love letters, you want my opinion, read my column"

Curmudgeonly,bitter, jaded, neck brace wearing old bastard.

Did you reply back?

That's bad form to reply like that to anyone, even worse against a fellow colleague.

Fuckin arsehole :)

bennie wrote:Ron Borges of the Boston Globe and Mike Katz, who is covering the fight for the New York Times, got into an altercation

Borges is the writer who among other things once wrote a column to the effect that he didn't consider Lance Armstrong to be "an athlete" - I think it was after Armstrong won his 3rd or 4th straight Tour de France.

Too bad they didn't manage to KTFO each other - that would have been two pompous assholes for the price of one.

Eric the Viking wrote:

bennie wrote:Ron Borges of the Boston Globe and Mike Katz, who is covering the fight for the New York Times, got into an altercation

Borges is the writer who among other things once wrote a column to the effect that he didn't consider Lance Armstrong to be "an athlete" - I think it was after Armstrong won his 3rd or 4th straight Tour de France.

Too bad they didn't manage to KTFO each other - that would have been two pompous assholes for the price of one.

And Arum gets dragged to the floor at the same time. The 'peacemakers' blew a golden opportunity to give three pricks a bit of a kicking.

bennie wrote:

Eric the Viking wrote:Too bad they didn't manage to KTFO each other - that would have been two pompous assholes for the price of one.

And Arum gets dragged to the floor at the same time. The 'peacemakers' blew a golden opportunity to give three pricks a bit of a kicking.

Good point - make that two pompous assholes and an arrogant fat bastard of a felonious promoter for the price of one.

I well remember an incident at a weigh-in in Las Vegas where Teddy Atlas got into an altercation (one of many) with a journalist whose name escapes me now. Because Atlas was Michael Moorer's trainer, the Frans Botha entourage (Moorer was fighting Botha the following day) kicked the shit out of Atlas as he was wrestling with his rival on the floor.

Meldrick Taylor looked truly awful when I last saw footage of him. He was a shadow of his former fast combination-punching self, much like the ageing Ali in his last hurrah against Berbick. Taylor's slurring speech alone should have sealed any doubts whether he should still be allowed to fight, but no, he was allowed to carry on.

Bowe has shown signs of brain damage for years now, though I can imagine some of the commissions down in Dixie licensing him no problem. It will be sickening if he is allowed to fight in New York or Vegas.