Earl at 16:30, 10 January 2014

2014-01-10T16:30:43Z

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	Mathis Sr. is his son's trainer. But he was back home in Grand Rapids, Mich. He is on a thrice-weekly dialysis program for his poorly functioning kidneys. He has lost two toes to diabetes. But his weight, which had reached 536 pounds two years ago, is down to 260.		Mathis Sr. is his son's trainer. But he was back home in Grand Rapids, Mich. He is on a thrice-weekly dialysis program for his poorly functioning kidneys. He has lost two toes to diabetes. But his weight, which had reached 536 pounds two years ago, is down to 260.

	The 24-year-old Mathis Jr., a 6-footer, had a blubbery midsection as he came in at 224 1/4 pounds -- 22 3/4 fewer than Bowe. Tonight's $250,000 payday ($1 million less than Bowe's) is more than Mathis Sr. accumulated in his career, where his best night was worth $75,000 against Muhammad Ali. [http://www.nytimes.com/1994/08/14/sports/boxing-bowe-hits-kneeling-mathis-for-no-contest.html}		The 24-year-old Mathis Jr., a 6-footer, had a blubbery midsection as he came in at 224 1/4 pounds -- 22 3/4 fewer than Bowe. Tonight's $250,000 payday ($1 million less than Bowe's) is more than Mathis Sr. accumulated in his career, where his best night was worth $75,000 against Muhammad Ali. [http://www.nytimes.com/1994/08/14/sports/boxing-bowe-hits-kneeling-mathis-for-no-contest.html]

Earl at 16:30, 10 January 2014

2014-01-10T16:30:16Z

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	<fight>14973</fight>		<fight>14973</fight>
	Bowe hit and knocked out Mathis ~~while~~ he was on his ~~knees~~

			'''Bowe Hits Kneeling Mathis for 'No Contest''''<br>
			<small>By Gerald Eskenazi, The New York Times, August 14, 1991</small>

			They needed the wisdom of Solomon tonight. But in boxing, the State Athletic Control Board had to do.

			For Riddick Bowe violated one of boxing's canons: He hit a man when he was down. And while the shot knocked out Buster Mathis Jr., it also led to the board coming up with the unusual, but probably logical, ruling that the fight was "no contest."

			It made the decision after Referee Arthur Mercante told them that, in his opinion, Bowe's hard shot had been deliberate -- but did not believe he should be disqualified because it came "in the heat of battle."

			Bowe, fighting for the first time since losing his heavyweight crown nine months ago, swatted Mathis with a fearful right while Mathis was down on one knee.

			The blow flattened the outclassed Mathis at 2 minutes 11 seconds in the fourth round.

			When Mathis dropped to the kneeling position, he did not seem to do so from any one punch. Rather, it appeared he wanted to rest from the constant barrage of Bowe's blows.

			Throughout the bout, the bobbing and weaving and overmatched Mathis had gone low. Bowe was to say later that he was confused because he thought that Mathis, once again, was trying to duck under his punches.

			"You were down, I didn't know, I'm sorry," a distraught Bowe told Mathis, when he was revived.

			Mercante waved the fight over as soon as he saw Mathis on his back. Then Mercante told the board members he believed the blow was deliberate. To that point Bowe was the clear winner of every round.

			"We felt we could not allow Bowe to win the fight even if it had gone five rounds, half the scheduled distance," said Larry Hazzard, the commissioner, in a confused news conference.

			Another board member, Gary Shaw, said, "We did what we thought was the right thing to do, without regard to anyone's career or record."

			Many ringside reporters disagreed whether Bowe threw the punch intentionally. The instant replay showed that Mathis was clearly down, but the punch came before the 74-year-old Mercante could wave Bowe away.

			It was odd to see Mathis on one knee in the first place. No one punch sent him there. When he was asked if he was knocked to the canvas or simply wanted a breather, Mathis declined to answer.

			Of course, in the chaos in and out of the ring that preceded and followed the decision, both sides made their usual charges of conspiracy: One of Mathis's handlers claimed he saw the commission chairman, Gerald Gormley, wearing a Riddick Bowe T-shirt on Friday and also hug Bowe's manager, Rock Newman.

			Newman claimed that rival promoter Dan Duva was attempting to give Mathis's promoter, Cedric Kushner, advice on how to get the decision overturned in Mathis's favor.

			In any event, what happened tonight is not expected to change a meeting between Bowe and Lennox Lewis, the World Boxing Council champion, probably in March.

			Tonight's fight had some odd symmetry and was redolent of another era in boxing.

			Mercante was also in the ring in 1968, when Mathis Sr. and Joe Frazier helped open the new Madison Square Garden to boxing. That night, Mercante counted out Mathis.

			And Bowe was coached in his corner by Eddie Futch, who celebrated his 83d birthday last week, and has now trained against father and son. For Futch was in Frazier's corner that night when the future champion stopped Mathis to win the vacant New York State title.

			Bowe defended his world title in that Garden 25 years later against Michael Dokes -- there hasn't been another championship fight in the building since the bout last year. Thus, Futch worked in the first and last Garden bouts.

			Even tonight's fight wasn't on the main floor of the Convention Center. Instead, it was held upstairs in the Art Deco-style ballroom, which holds about 3,000 people.

			In these modest surroundings, Mathis (whose middle name is D'Amato) brought in his 14-0 record, and a style of side-to-side movement-against Bowe (34-1). Neither fighter's record changes.

			But Mathis's unbeaten record showed only 3 knockouts, against Bowe's 29. It is unknowable, of course, but Mathis seemed a certain loser tonight, especially after going down from no punch before the controversial blow really landed.

			Mathis Sr. is his son's trainer. But he was back home in Grand Rapids, Mich. He is on a thrice-weekly dialysis program for his poorly functioning kidneys. He has lost two toes to diabetes. But his weight, which had reached 536 pounds two years ago, is down to 260.

			The 24-year-old Mathis Jr., a 6-footer, had a blubbery midsection as he came in at 224 1/4 pounds -- 22 3/4 fewer than Bowe. Tonight's $250,000 payday ($1 million less than Bowe's) is more than Mathis Sr. accumulated in his career, where his best night was worth $75,000 against Muhammad Ali. [http://www.nytimes.com/1994/08/14/sports/boxing-bowe-hits-kneeling-mathis-for-no-contest.html}

Emaster: Fight:14973 moved to Riddick Bowe vs. Buster Mathis Jr.

2007-08-25T14:44:40Z

Fight:14973 moved to Riddick Bowe vs. Buster Mathis Jr.

← Older revision

Revision as of 14:44, 25 August 2007

Medic at 18:28, 25 May 2005

2005-05-25T18:28:15Z

New page

<fight>14973</fight>
Bowe hit and knocked out Mathis while he was on his knees

Riddick Bowe vs. Buster Mathis Jr. - Revision history

Earl at 16:30, 10 January 2014

Earl at 16:30, 10 January 2014

Emaster: Fight:14973 moved to Riddick Bowe vs. Buster Mathis Jr.

Medic at 18:28, 25 May 2005