After the mess of July 11, 1996 with Golota, and the riot afterwards, many thought Riddick Bowe should forget about Golota, and move on with his career. Bowe insisted on a rematch with the Polish crackpot, and the two inked a deal for December in Atlantic City.
Bowe came into the rematch 17 pounds lighter than in the first bout, tipping the scales at 235 lbs. To me he looked weak and skinny, and I thought he had lost too much weight. Golota was a solid 239 lbs. and looked as fit as he could be.
My brother came over my house the night of December 14, and I ordered the pay-per-view from Convention Hall in Atlantic City with great anticipation. Bowe was hungry for revenge, and had obviously trained harder this time, setting up fireworks for sure. As the first round bell rang, who knew what to expect?!
Bowe struggled to land his jab in the opening round again, while Golota couldn’t miss with his. In the second, Bowe went to the canvas for only the second time in his career, when Golota landed a left-right combination a minute into the round. The Polish lunatic headbutted Riddick so hard at the end of the round, that referee Eddie Cotton deducted a point from the moron. I watched in amazement, and wondered if this guy belonged in a mental hospital instead of a boxing ring.
Bowe rebounded to knock Golota down in the third round with a series of combinations. To retaliate, Golota hit Bowe with two low blows late in the round, causing another point deduction from the ref. After a slow fourth, Andrew dropped Bowe again, and I could see the end in sight. Golota stayed on the offensive, winning rounds six through eight, making me wonder if Bowe would last the twelve round distance.
It became a mute point, when late in the ninth round, Golota landed a sledgehammer three punch combination to Bowe’s groin, knocking him down in obvious agony. The referee ended the contest in disgust, and it was clear to me that Golota had mental problems. It was the only way to describe how stupid and cowardly he acted.
In the post fight press conference, Bowe slurred his speech and you could hardly understand what he was saying. Incredibly the two wars with Golta, had ended his career.
In a bizarre move, Bowe enlisted in the Marine Corps in January of 1997, but left after only ten days of training. On April 30, at only 29 years of age, he wisely announced his retirement. I will always remember ‘Big Daddy’ Bowe fondly, for his skills and personality, and the excitement he brought to the heavyweight division while he fought. He was fittingly inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2015.
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