Riddick Bowe: Another Return by Barry Barnes

Time waits for no man, and in the world of professional sports the window of opportunity is small. For former two-time, undisputed world heavyweight champion Riddick Bowe, most would say that his window has closed shut. Bowe, who never lacked confidence, has eschewed his naysayers and is well aware of his opportunity to return to the ring at the age of 43. “Big Daddy Bowe” is ready to recapture the glory of his title as the “baddest man on the planet.”

“I have to be smart about this, you know,” said Bowe via phone conversation Oct. 28.

This is not the champ’s first comeback to the sport he loves.  After having his testicles bashed in by heavyweight contender Andrew Golota in two world title bouts, Bowe walked away from boxing.  In attempt to make his mother proud and commit to training for a possible return to boxing, Bowe enlisted into the United States Marine Corps.

Unfortunately the military is not for everyone, as was discovered by the once world-class athlete. Consequently, Bowe quit just 11 days after he enrolled.

Bowe will be sitting with great company when he jump-starts his career again.  Former two-time world heavyweight champion and world famous entrepreneur George Former made a successful return to the world stage at the age of 45 and defeated then-world-champ Michael Moorer in 1994.   WBC Light Heavyweight Champion Bernard Hopkins is still kicking at the young age of 46.

“Absolutely,” said Bowe when asked if he believes he can be world champion again.  “My thing is this, cuz, I don’t mean to offend anyone, but some of those guys aren’t as smart as me in the ring… I believe I can do well.”

Bowe’s rival challenger was his weight during his championship years, as he consistently had to wage war against it.  Nevertheless, Bowe used that weight to his advantage.  The 6’5” heavyweight was always light on his feet and constantly on his toes. Big Daddy was never a wild puncher as each jab, uppercut, counter, right or left hook was calculated.  Bowe used his weigh to absorb opponent’s blows, allowing them to run out of gas and get frustrated as the rounds progressed.  The champ then would punish his challengers en route to victory.   Bowe’s strategy was masterful against Golota and the challengers before him.  Even in his first comeback attempt, Bowe’s weight was defeating him by way of decision.  However, the weight was not enough to stop Bowe from knocking out other opponents who stepped up to challenge him.

Now, it’s back to the business of getting his weight down, so there will be no lay-off.

“I get up early in the morning to run, and again around 3 p.m.  Then I go to the gym,” said Bowe as he prepares for a comeback, without any challenger scheduled.  “What I’m doing right now is trying to get my weight down, become sharper, and do the things I once did.  When I feel better and when I have my weight down – you know, about 250 – I can start boxing.”

Bowe is no saint and has had past run-ins with the law, which are well documented.  Having a reputation for being abusive, he allegedly battered his sister and,  in a separate incident, kidnapped his wife and children.  Bowe has been walking the straight and narrow for many years now and his marriage is stronger than ever.  The champ says this comeback is now his primary focus.

In many instances, when a former elite professional athlete states his desire to come out of retirement to return to the sport that made them famous, the need for money is listed as a primarily reason.

Whether Bowe needs the money or not, it’s his business. If Bowe can still capitalize on the brand he built, he would be a fool to not seize the opportunity.  His magnificent career record (43-1, 33 of the wins by way of knockout) places him among one of the greatest boxers in history.  Potential huge paydays await Bowe – if his return is successful.   Big Daddy Riddick Bowe (the pride of  Brooklyn, New York) aims to return to the glory of years past, but is still cautiously optimistic.

When Bowe was asked about the reason for his return, he kept his statement surprisingly simple.  “I was bored, I had nothing else to do… I’m still young for the sport at 43.”

Bowe has always been a man of few words, straight to be point and not afraid to speak his mind.  There’s no challenger scheduled for Bowe to fight because it’s too early.  Moreover, as Bowe continued to talk, one of the main reasons for his return started to surface and it has to do with a fighter that he believes has eluded him for years.

“I still think I can beat (Wladimir) Klitschko,” said Bowe with confidence.  “I can intimate him and if I laid my hands on him, he’ll chump out.”

Bowe never had the opportunity to fight Klitschko.  In his win over Pukall, Bowe was on the undercard for Klitschko-Hasim Rahman bout in Mannheim, Germany.  A matchup against Klitschko will be a bout Bowe would love to have, but only when the time is right.  The former champ hopes that the Ukrainian’s camp doesn’t avoid him.

“I’m going to take my time, get myself together and hopefully, Klitschko will be right there… hopefully they won’t duck me,” said Bowe.

Boxing has taken a back seat to the world of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) which has grown to become a major entertainment juggernaut and has commanded the top dollars for Pay-Per View customers over the past 10 years.  MMA has evolved nicely with the skill level of the individual athletes combined with a strong sanctioning body and nationwide marketing muscle.   It has become a huge draw.

Boxing currently has three elite fighters, Hopkins, WBC World Welterweight Champion Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and WBO Welterweight World Champion Manny Pacquiao.  Among the heavyweights, Klitschko (35) is the IBF, WBO and WBA Heavyweight Champion of the world with no legitimate contender in sight who fights primarily outside the U.S.

This may be the major reason why Americans are out of touch with heavyweight boxers.  History has shown that if the heavyweight division of boxing is great, the sport is great.  Since the decline of last great era of heavyweights with names like Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield and Bowe, the sport of boxing has struggled to maintain relevance to the American sports fan.  Bowe could be the answer that the sport needs to put heavyweight boxing back on the map and help draw some original boxing fans back from MMA.

“The thing is, this sport doesn’t have a heavyweight who is prettier than I am and can get down,” said Bowe.  “When I step back into the ring, a lot of dudes will leave MMA and come back and at that point, [boxing] should be exciting again.

“Think about this… there are no heavyweights here and no one who can talk American,” he continued.  “Eventually, those fans will come back, too.”