COLORADO SPRINGS, Αγκαλιά. (Μάρτιος 9, 2020) – By any standards, Η.Π.Α.. Olympian and former unified World heavyweight champion Riddick “Big Daddy” Bowe is inarguably one of the all-time greatest boxers, ερασιτέχνες και επαγγελματίες.
Born and raised in the infamous Brownsville section of Brooklyn, New York, which also produced fellow World heavyweight championsMike Tyson καιShannon Briggs, Bowe started boxing at 13 in the Bedford-Stuyvesant Boxing Association Gym.
“I wanted to do everythingMuhammad Ali did,” Bowe explained why he got into boxing. “He was my idol. I wanted to join the Marines, but I fell in love with boxing and stayed with it. I forgot about the Marines.”
Bowe developed his craft and became an outstanding boxer, Χτίσιμο ενός 104-18 ερασιτέχνης ρεκόρ, highlighted by his controversial silver-medal winning performance at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, Νότια Κορέα.
A four-time New York Golden Gloves champion, Bowe also captured top honors at the 1986 Junior World Championships, along with a bronze medal at the 1987 Pan American Αγώνες, despite fighting in his final match with a fractured hand he hid from his coaches.
Bowe had a rivalry withRobert Salters, with whom he split four matches, but he defeated Salters, 3-2, στο Η.Π.Α.. Box-Offs to qualify for the 1988 USA Boxing Olympic Team. His Olympic teammates includedRoy Jones, Jr., Ray Mercer, Kennedy McKinney καιAndrew Maynard.
Controversary surrounded his Olympic championship fight against future World heavyweight champion, Canadian super heavyweight Lennox Lewis, who returned home with the Olympic gold medal. During his fight with Lewis, Bowe was deducted a point for a “ghost” head butt that never happened, and the referee gave Bowe a pair of disputed standing-eight counts, the last of which resulted in the stoppage of the fight in Lewis’ favor.
“That fight never should have been stopped,” Bowe commented. “I’m still happy about winning a silver medal. I still have it. And then I turned pro. My mother had 13 kids and I wanted to make my mother happy. I wanted to buy her a house. That’s what inspired me to box.”
“Bowe’s success as an amateur and professional has made him a household name amongst USA Boxing Alumni,"ΕίπεΚρις Κούλιαρι, USA Boxing Alumni Association Director. “His combination of power and skill, along with his legendary battles with other USA Boxing Alumni at the pro ranks, establishes him as one of the greatest fighters that USA Boxing has ever produced.”
Ένωση Αποφοίτων Πυγμαχίας ΗΠΑ
Δημιουργήθηκε για να πρωταγωνιστεί δια βίου, αμοιβαία επωφελείς σχέσεις μεταξύ του USA Boxing και των αποφοίτων του, –μπόξερ, αξιωματούχοι, προπονητές και λάτρεις της πυγμαχίας — Ο Σύλλογος Αποφοίτων συνδέει γενιές πρωταθλητών, εμπνέει και δίνει πίσω στους μελλοντικούς πρωταθλητές πυγμαχίας της USA Boxing, μέσα και έξω από το δακτύλιο.
Η Ένωση Αποφοίτων Πυγμαχίας των ΗΠΑ είναι ανοιχτή σε οποιονδήποτε έχει αγάπη για την πυγμαχία και θέλει να παραμείνει συνδεδεμένος με την ερασιτεχνική πυγμαχία. Τα μέλη έχουν πρόσβαση σε μια μεγάλη ποικιλία ειδικών εκδηλώσεων που φιλοξενούνται από την Ένωση Αποφοίτων, συμπεριλαμβανομένης της ετήσιας δεξίωσης στο Hall of Fame της Ένωσης Αποφοίτων Πυγμαχίας των ΗΠΑ.
Για ένταξη στον Σύλλογο Αποφοίτων, απλά εγγραφείτε στοalumni@usaboxing.org για ένα $40.00 ετησίως συνδρομή μέλους. Τα νέα μέλη θα λάβουν ένα μπλουζάκι, μπρελόκ και ηλεκτρονικό πορτοφόλι.
With legendary trainerEddie Futch στη γωνία του, Bowe became the first truly unified World heavyweight champion, winning the title belt for all four recognized major sanctioning bodies: WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO.
Bowe retired with an amazing 43-1 (33 KOs) pro record. He had a 5-1 (4 KOs) mark in world title fights, 7-1 (5 KOs) versus past world heavyweight champions such asEvander Holyfield (δυο φορές), Pinklon Thomas, Τόνι Ταμπς, Bruce Seldon, Michael Dokes καιHerbie Hyde.
Bowe later avenged his lone pro loss to Holyfield, winning two of three fights with the “Real Deal.”
“I’m very happy with my pro career,” Bowe added. “I beat Holyfield two times and I think it should have been three. I’m not a sore loser, but I was the World heavyweight champion. How did he win that fight? The challenger needs to take the belt from the champion, and he didn’t do that. I thought I won by a point, at worst, maybe it should have been a draw, but I shouldn’t have lost the fight. I did become the first to ever knockout Holyfield. My pro career wasn’t too bad. I kept working hard and became two-time World heavyweight champion.”
Τώρα 51 and living in Maryland, Bowe has some advice for the American boxers trying to qualify for the 2020 Team USA Boxing Olympic Team.
“Just don’t think about it,” stressed Bowe, sounding like a Nike commercial. “Just do it! It worked for me. I showed up and didn’t think about it. And always finish strong.”
Riddick “Big Daddy” Bowe, who was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2015, left his mark in amateur and pro boxing. Nobody can ever take that away from the big guy from Brownsville.
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ΠΕΡΙ Η.Π.Α: Η αποστολή του USA Boxing θα είναι να επιτρέψει στους αθλητές και τους προπονητές των Ηνωμένων Πολιτειών να επιτύχουν διαρκή ανταγωνιστική αριστεία, αναπτύξουν χαρακτήρα, υποστηρίζει το άθλημα της πυγμαχίας, και να προωθήσουν και να αναπτύξουν την πυγμαχία Ολυμπιακού στυλ στις Ηνωμένες Πολιτείες. Η ευθύνη της USA Boxing δεν είναι μόνο να παράγει ολυμπιακό χρυσό, αλλά και να επιβλέπει και να διοικεί κάθε πτυχή της ερασιτεχνικής πυγμαχίας στις Ηνωμένες Πολιτείες.