The Greats That Got Away Dos: Lewis v Bowe

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Another one about great fights that didn't happen, which means technically this might count as a series. However I don't want it to go the same way as the rowley and tuna threads: Well written, informative, insightful, largely ignored. That's why this time, instead of comparing the modern politicing of Mayweather and Pacquiao to the old day skullduggery of Burley and Sugar Ray Robinson, we're keeping it new school with some 90's big men.

You never know, this one might even coax azania out of whichever tight gap it is that someone told him was too narrow to fit a human through, prompting him to throw himself into it.

Last time the story of the fight not happening was down to colour, the mob, money and a refusal of one fighter to risk his ethics. This time I honestly don't know how or why this fight never happened.

Let's get this straight: Two big, powerful, undefeated heavyweights. Both English speakers as their first language (well, sort of in Bowe's case) one of them American. Bowe coming off a fight of the year performance in clobbering Holyfield's title away from him. Lewis mowing down Razor Ruddock in violent fashion in the previous month. There was spite, too. Lewis beat Bowe to the gold medal. But Bowe thought the stoppage was premature! This fight really did sell itself. No doubt it would've been huge. After his brilliant first encounter with Holyfield the two went face to face. Lewis as a ringside guest in a suit, Riddick with his new belt and the adrenaline flowing. The meeting went...as you'd expect: Lewis stayed extremely calm, took it in his stride. Riddick seemed very pumped up and looked ready for a fight there and then.

After the confrontation Lewis was asked about it, he said "I looked into Riddick Bowe's eyes and I seen absolute fear. He fears me. I think he's gonna side step me." As it happened Lewis was of course correct in his prediction of Bowe sidestepping him, but was he correct about Bowe fearing him? The way things went makes it look like a yes, but there's one more ingredient.

Rock Newman. Bowe's manager was the one who staged Bowe putting his WBC belt in the bin. He said “They didn't strip us, we stripped them!” What makes the world go around more than money? Nothing. What would Lewis v Bowe make? Loadsa money. What's better than loadsa money? Loads more money! Yeah Newman Bowe could make a big amount against Lewis, but he could also lose, and a big exciting heavyweight champion could make money against anyone. Anyone happened to mean reputation enhancing Dokes and Fergussen blowouts before old man Evander upset the apple cart and got revenge. Otherwise maybe the Bowe could've gone on for a long time being milked and knocking over more contenders while Lewis was seen as a paper champ by the US boxing circles.

Fights that never happened leave only questions. Was Bowe scared? Was it all Newman's fault it didn't happen? Was it a mistake? In hindsight we can see how much better Lewis would become, and how much worse Bowe would become. We know the weaknesses in Lewis that hadn't yet been ironed out by Manny Steward. The only man around at the time who knew things nobody else did was in Bowe's corner. I read an extract from an old interview with Eddie Futch where he talks about Lennox, and he basically states several things that Lennox should be trained to do if he wants to be the best. These included: "use his jab and set up his opponents with combonations" " use a good hook off the jab" "utlize his uppercut better" "He is a big man, maybe not big enough, I would like to see him bigger, but no bigger then 245, he would be better off at that weight. He will have more mobility" " I think that Lewis will beat Tyson if they fight, all he would have to do is keep Mike in the center of the ring, I think he knocks him out."
Oh look, each of those things turned out to be 100% true. If anyone could see the route to Lewis' downfall it was Futch and he was on Bowe's side.

So who do you pick? Remember, this is no prime for prime fantasy fight, this is 1993, just afew months after Holyfield v Bowe. Lewis might be coming in under 230lbs. He still crossed his feet at times. He couldn't fight on the inside, certainly nowhere near as well as Bowe. Bowe, still young and motivated, coming in after a career best win and with a chance at olympic revenge. There's always the question of whether he'd come in at his best or not, but I think for this one we'd see the best version of Riddick. Riddick Bowe vs Lennox Lewis, the battle of the olympians....

I believe Bowe would have knocked Lewis out had they fought (as agreed) back in '93. Bowe was the better fighter at that point. He had Eddie Futch in his corner, and would likely have whipped himself into the kind of shape he couldn't manage to for the Holyfield rematch (Lewis, like Jorge Luis Gonzalez, was a loathed rival from Bowe's amateur days). Lewis was nothing more than a powerful -- albeit distinctly raw -- amateur back then, who actually regressed from the Ruddock fight onwards (until Steward resurrected his fortunes).

The fight was actually signed just prior to Lewis facing McCall (first time). Again, Bowe would have been the pick at that point -- he hit harder than McCall did. I recall a quote from Futch pointing out Lewis's lack of head movement and surmising they'd be able to take it off his shoulders -- so you'd have to imagine they'd have formulated a similar, relatively simple plan to the one McCall and Steward came up with.

Another mooted showdown in '96 was scuppered by Golota -- who revealed Bowe to be a damaged and badly faded fighter. By that point, Lewis had regrouped and put in a pair of decent (yet still tentative) shifts against Morrison and Mercer. At this point (pre-Golota) then I'd venture that Lewis would have boxed a well-ordered fight and thumped Bowe to defeat.

As to why the fight didn't happen in '93 -- you need to look at the promoters. Newman has admitted that he wanted to preserve Bowe for as long as possible (boxing started out as a one fighter deal for him) and the Holyfield battle was arduous and wearing. In the other corner you had Maloney who, reports indicate, isn't the easiest to make a deal with (he tends to rub other promoters up the wrong way with publicity stunts and the like -- remember "Chicken Bowe" and a mob of stooges dressed as chickens mocking Bowe and Newman as they stepped off a plane?).

I doubt either fighter was scared of the other and for the majority of the time they jostled for top spot in the division, Bowe was the better fighter. By the time Lewis reached his potential, Bowe was finished.

I don't buy Lewis being a "powerful amateur" at the time of Bowe's reign. He was a fairly polished professional and would have given many top heavyweights a hard fight.

He was far better than that and a good match up for Bowe. To say anything otherwise is selling the big man short. Still an intriguing fight though!

I agree Mr Bounce.

I distinctly remember the Americans quaking in their boots at the time. Lewis may have been a bit raw but he was very dangerous and there's no saying he couldn't have beaten Bowe who's prime amounts to three signature fights with Holyfield and little else. I don't dispute the fact Bowe may have won if they fought in '93 but what I can't understand is how anyone can argue the case that it wasn't a duck on the part of Riddick Bowe! Out of all ducks I have ever witnessed I can't think of a more blatant example of a duck than that!