Riddick Bowe facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Riddick Bowe
Bowe in 1993
Statistics
Real name	Riddick Lamont Bowe
Nickname(s)	Big Daddy
Rated at	Heavyweight
Height	6 ft 5 in
Reach	81 in
Born	(1967-08-10) August 10, 1967 (age 58) New York City, New York, U.S.
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	45
Wins	43
Wins by KO	33
Losses	1
No contests	1
Medal record Men's amateur boxing Representing  United States Olympic Games Silver 1988 Seoul Super heavyweight Pan American Games Bronze 1987 Indianapolis Super heavyweight Junior World Championships Gold 1985 Bucharest Light heavyweight

Riddick Lamont Bowe (born August 10, 1967), also known as "Big Daddy," is a retired American professional boxer. He is famous for becoming the undisputed world heavyweight champion in 1992. Before turning pro, he won a silver medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics.

Bowe became a professional boxer in 1989 and quickly rose through the ranks. In 1992, he defeated the unbeaten champion Evander Holyfield to win the titles from the three major boxing groups at the time: the World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Council (WBC), and International Boxing Federation (IBF). This made him the undisputed champion of the world. For his amazing year, he was named Fighter of the Year by The Ring magazine.

Later that year, Bowe gave up his WBC title because of a disagreement over his next opponent. This meant the heavyweight championship was no longer held by just one person. He lost his other titles in a close rematch with Holyfield in 1993, which was his only loss as a professional.

In 1995, Bowe became a champion again by winning the World Boxing Organization (WBO) title. This made him the first boxer ever to have held all four major championship belts (WBA, WBC, IBF, and WBO). He later gave up that title to fight Holyfield a third time, winning by knockout. After two wild fights against Andrew Golota in 1996, Bowe retired from boxing for several years. He was welcomed into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2015.

Early Life and Amateur Career

Riddick Bowe was born in the Brooklyn area of New York City. He was the twelfth of thirteen children. Growing up, he faced hardships, as his brother and sister passed away when he was young.

As a young boxer, Bowe was very successful. He won four New York Golden Gloves championships, which is a famous amateur tournament. He also won a gold medal at the Junior World Championships in 1985. His amateur career prepared him for the world stage.

1988 Seoul Olympics

Bowe's biggest moment as an amateur came at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. He fought his way to the final match in the super heavyweight division. There, he faced Lennox Lewis of Canada.

The final match was controversial. Bowe seemed to do well in the first round, but the referee gave him warnings for headbutts. In the second round, the referee stopped the fight after Lewis landed some strong punches, giving Lewis the gold medal. Bowe went home with the silver medal. Many people who watched the fight, including the commentators, were surprised by the referee's decision.

Professional Boxing Career

After the Olympics, Bowe turned professional in 1989. He was trained by the legendary Eddie Futch, who believed Bowe had the potential to be one of the greatest boxers ever. Bowe won his first 31 fights, quickly becoming a top contender for the heavyweight title.

Becoming the Undisputed Champion

In November 1992, Bowe got his chance to fight for the undisputed heavyweight championship against Evander Holyfield. In a thrilling and memorable fight, Bowe defeated Holyfield by a unanimous decision. He even knocked Holyfield down in the 11th round. The 10th round of this fight is often called one of the greatest rounds in heavyweight history because of the non-stop action.

After winning, Bowe was supposed to fight his Olympic rival, Lennox Lewis. However, Bowe and his team could not agree on the terms of the fight. In protest, Bowe famously threw his WBC championship belt into a trash can at a press conference.

Bowe defended his remaining WBA and IBF titles twice in 1993. He knocked out former champion Michael Dokes and then Jesse Ferguson. This led to a rematch with Evander Holyfield. This time, Holyfield won a close decision, and Bowe lost his championship belts. The fight is also remembered for a parachutist who unexpectedly landed near the ring, causing a long delay.

Regaining a World Title

Bowe didn't stay down for long. In March 1995, he defeated Herbie Hide to win the WBO heavyweight title. He defended it once against Jorge Luis González, winning by knockout.

Later that year, Bowe and Holyfield fought for a third and final time. It was another exciting fight. Holyfield knocked Bowe down, but Bowe got back up and went on to win by stopping Holyfield in the eighth round. He became the first boxer to ever knock out Evander Holyfield.

The Fights Against Andrew Golota

In 1996, Bowe fought two very strange and chaotic matches against Andrew Golota. In their first fight, Golota was winning but was disqualified for repeatedly hitting Bowe with illegal low punches. After the fight was stopped, a huge brawl broke out in the ring and among the crowd at Madison Square Garden.

Because the first fight ended so weirdly, they had a rematch. Incredibly, the second fight ended the same way. Golota was again ahead on points but was disqualified in the ninth round for hitting Bowe with more illegal low punches. After these two wild fights, Bowe decided to retire from boxing.

Life Outside of Boxing

After retiring, Bowe tried different things. In 1997, he briefly joined the United States Marine Corps Reserve but left after only a few days of training.

Bowe was also known for his kindness. After winning his first title, he heard that a shipment of medicine for children in Somalia was stuck because there was no money to fly it there. Bowe donated $100,000 to make sure the medicine was delivered and even traveled there himself to help.

Bowe made a few brief comebacks to boxing in 2004, 2005, and 2008, winning all his fights. He also had one professional Muay Thai (kickboxing) match in 2013, which he lost.

Legacy

Riddick Bowe finished his professional boxing career with a record of 43 wins, 1 loss, and 1 no contest, with 33 of his wins by knockout. He is remembered for his powerful jab, exciting fighting style, and his classic trilogy of fights with Evander Holyfield.

He is the first boxer in history to have held the championship belts from all four major organizations (WBA, WBC, IBF, and WBO) at some point in his career. He is also one of the few heavyweight champions to have never been stopped or knocked out in a fight. His talent was undeniable, and for a time, he was on top of the boxing world.

Professional boxing record

See also

In Spanish: Riddick Bowe para niños

• List of undisputed boxing champions
• List of heavyweight boxing champions
• List of WBA world champions
• List of WBC world champions
• List of IBF world champions
• List of WBO world champions