RIDDICK BOWE: "IT AIN'T OVER UNTIL IT'S OVER"

"People should do right by me by paying me the money they should pay me and to allow me to fight and stop trying to block me from doing certain things. I signed a boxing contract with HBO that indicated, you know, I think for ten fights, I would make a certain amount of money. I didn't have all the fights with HBO. I think I had three fights with HBO and so they are still obligated to me. That's why I truly believe a lot of times when I apply for licenses and things of that nature, I don't get them because one of them cats is trying to stop me from fighting or whatever, but it ain't over until it's over because I'm going to fight again. I want to be champion. HBO has to fulfill their obligation pertaining to my contract," stated former undisputed heavyweight champion Riddick Bowe in this telling video of a fallen champion still searching for the glory days of old.

http://www.fighthype.com/videopopup.php?aid=5360

Pretty messed up to see fighters get like this...after all the years of entertaining fights, a lot of these guys end up with nothing.

Very sad.

very sad to see.. his speech has been slurred for years... in his last fight he got a gift against billy zimmerman or what ever his last name is... something tells me he he will be allowed to fight again somewhere and if he does all you can do is hope he doesnt get hurt... he sounds like he is one good punch away from serious problems...

Top 10 HW.

I say let'em fight. He knows the consequences. I wish him the best though!

I don't know bro...sometimes you gotta protect these guys from themselves. I mean, Iran Barkley still wants to fight and if you've ever seen any current footage of him...man...it's not a good look.

They've had to step in with Barkley, Saoul Mamby (who was 60 and wanted to keep going), and others. They finally refused to license Terry Norris or Meldrick Taylor anymore. If only they'd stepped in sooner with Jerry Quarry...

Something has to be done at some point for these guys. Bowe doesn't need to be licensed.

They need to start a senior tour for these guys that want to continue fighting. Give them shorter rounds, bigger gloves...hell even headgear...whatever. Just give them a way to make money without killing themselves.

The sad fact is that there are too many old fighters that need money to live, yet fighting is their only way to do it. It's just wrong to deny them that ability. There needs to be something put in place to let these guys continue to earn.

Why would it be ok for them to let a guy who has become almost a vegetable to box??His chances of death would be a lot higher in my opinion because of the trauma he has already taken..Its really crazy to watch Bowe coming up in the division to see him post Holyfield..He is a different person..He can't talk the same,he can't think as quickly,and his reflexes are gone..

I feel really bad for him and wish him luck..It must be really hard to have to go on like that..It also must be pretty tough for him to watch the Holy and Golota fights..He took too many shots..Holy has taken a lot of shots too but somehow they haven't effected him the same way they did to Bowe..I hope Bowe is doing ok these days because I have a feeling something isn't if he wants to come back in the condition he is already in..

They did that in the late 90s with the ill-fated "Legends of Boxing" series, complete with heavyweight championship, that lasted all of two fights (Larry Holmes vs. Mike Weaver and Bonecrusher Smith). How much of a market there would be for it? Who knows. With headgear, 2 minute rounds, 12 oz. gloves, etc., it may be worth doing. Make it 40+ with an upper age limit and it's doable. I like the concept. It's better than sticking them in there in a full-fledged fight where things can go horribly wrong very quickly.

I still shudder when I think of the report that Ken Buchanan wants to fight again.

I think there would be more of a market for that than Toughman Contests.

There is an assload of heavyweights that would be fun to see fighting each other...Tyson, Frazier, Bowe, Holmes, Foreman, Holyfield, Mercer, Rahman, Toney...shiiiit.

The thing that would help sell it is that they are not trying to pass it off as a legitimate top ten fight. It would be sold for exactly what it is...The Senior Tour of boxing. I'd much rather watch the senior tour battle it out on undercards as opposed to what we have right now. Hell, down the road there might even be a fight that could carry its own headliner.

Who knows? All I know is that these guys need another way to get paid that won't lead to their demise.

I dont feel all that bad for them. They made paydays that equal 10 times what I make in a year. There something to be said for being thrifty and humble. I'm sure they werent feeling bad for me when I was working 12 hours a day 7 days a week getting yelled at constantly while I was in the Marine Corps... or when I was driving a shit paper truck going to school full time pulling all nighters. They should get a 9-5 blue collar job and pay the bills if they need money. They dont want to because their lazy. Its easier to show up fat and out of shape for a fight, get knocked out and collect your purse however small it is.

The point is that nobody was telling you that you couldn't drive that shit paper truck.

It is sad but some fighters like Tyson & Bowe etc had enough to set themselves up for life many times over. The chose to piss it away & that is fine.

They would if he had underlying medical conditions and was a danger while operating a vehicle/machinery.

And in the US, there is a thing called disability insurance and worker's comp insurance...there's no such thing in boxing.

There is no such thing in most sports I believe. Competing at the highest level in sports is an honour, and even better if you get paid in it. It isn't a security. Should 50 year old basketball players, football players, tennis players, sprinters, swimmers all get paid because they have no other source of income, and find a way for them to compete because they can't make money anywhere else?
There had to be a point in his life years ago when he realised he couldn't do this forever and get paid. It's stupid to expect that you can have a job in sports and get paid for as long as a guy with an office job or something. Sports stars have a shelf life, it's not something they would have just realised just now.

This is true. However, there are insurance policies you can take out on yourself. I knew a guy in high school, really good football player wound up with a scholarship to Florida. He took out some sort of insurance policy on himself that stated if he was hurt playing ball and could no longer play it paid him out 1 million. Well guess what happened... hurt his knee, lost his chance at pro ball and collected. Then he started his own insurance company. He does pretty well for himself.

In any event, there are millions of people who work and dont get medical, disability, or any retirement benefits. These guys knew this going into this career and then on top of that pissed away a chance to set themselves up.

Actually, most sports have a pension plan for players.

Look, I'm not releasing all personal responsibility away from old fighters, and I don't think that we should pay them for the rest of their lives...but we shouldn't refuse a man his right to make a living.

Is his name Ed Chester?

LOL, Ya. He's from my hometown. How are you familiar with the story?

I'm a Gator.

He's a physical trainer at my old gym now.

Small world. So was the hometown talk about him starting a biz was false? If you ever see him again, tell him Peace from Spring Hill.

I'm a Bull. We will catch you one day.

Not anytime soon. lol

I went to USF for a year and a half out of highschool...lived on campus in Iota and Beta, then moved to the Excellence. The pool parties they had there were NUTS!

Rusty is from Spring Hill, although he won't claim it...I'm a fan of the four corners.

Holy shit dude, it really is a small world. So fucking small we have an intersection in common. Rusty Trombone? Does he still live there?

Kinda, he's in that prison close to I-75.

Does anyone remember the training clip of Riddick Bowe back on boxintalk,lol?? It was one of the funniest clips you'd ever seen if you wanna talk about lacking of effort. Atleast in this one he's actually doing something but...

I was in stiches when he stepped on the scale and the meter damn near went 360 degress,lol.

IT's too bad what Judy Bowe did with him and they're first kid but the dude should still have something.. All this coming back, for what?? Did anyone try to watch Azumah Nelson and Jeff Fenech recent rematch?? OMG talk about unwatchable. Bowe would be even worse.

I would be all for an over 35 tournament provided there were some weight guidelines. This would tell you if the guys are serious or not.

Spring Hill? I lived in Spring Hill for like a year. That place was a shithole. The 10 months I spent in Spring Hill was liked being dropped into a black hole that sent me back in time like 30 years.

Yeah, one day towards the end of the next millennium.

Things have changed. We have a Starbucks now... and I love this shithole. Sometimes I contribute and take a dump on my front lawn.

Uh, I have been there as recently as 2007, and it looked pretty much the same as it did when I lived there in 1999. I have a friend that still lives there, I don't think by choice though.

Dude, I was being sarcastic.

Yeah, I wouldn't mind if Spring Hill merged with the Gulf of Mexico

The NFLPA actually does have medical and pension coverage for retired players I believe.

They sure do, and I think they just won a settlement against the league.

Holy vs. Bowe III

How ya love that?

The simple fact is that there needs to be a preset series of tests to get approval to fight. We are talking physical agility test, mental evaluations, and tests involving coordination and reaction times.

Basically, if the guys can pass the tests that are in place to grant the licenses, let them fight. You cannot have one person (or a few) deciding if someone can make a living. If they pass the tests, then they can fight.

It is BS for someone to play ruler over a man. There is far too much politics in this sport, and I can see where someone gets denied the right to fight for any number of political reasons.

Let the doctors decide the criteria, and lets see who passes.

The Buffalo returning like he just got out of jail. lol

Good post.

I have always supported Holyfield's right to fight.....and I would do so as well IF I thought Bowe was anywhere near that level of ability and health at his current age.

The simple fact is he is not.

Where as Holy's speed and reflexes have declined....he is still able to at the very least hold his own for 12 rounds with "Champion" level guys and still comes into the ring in excellent physical shape.

Bowe on the other hand not only suffers from painfully obvious outside signs of boxing related health issues (speech slurring)...but is constantly out of shape and even struggled with the likes of Billy Zumbrum.

Without a payoff.....there is no Dr. in the world that would allow Bowe to fight.

Interesting. I'm curious what promted that? Was it the Valuev fight?

As a fan of Holyfield I have NEVER once thought his continuing on would ever lead to being Unified Champ or anything close to that....but I do think that dispite the loss of speed and ability that in this dredful HW landscape he could still pick up an historic 5x HW Champion title.

I thought he beat Valuev.....without a doubt.

I also think he could take a strap from Arreola IF (and that's a big IF) he were to beat Vitali.

I also think if Evander could just win one more title he would stop. Many disagree with this because he always goes on and on about being unified champ. BUT....in numerous recent interviews if you read closely he often states that he would just like to "go out a champion"....of course this is usually said well after he talks about being unified.

BUT...I think if you read between the lines....he just more or less really wants to leave the game with a title.

Based on their last performances, I think Evander could possibly take a decision over Klitschko the Older...