BIG DADDY'S BACK
Riddick 'Big Daddy' Bowe made a return to the ring in front of his homefans at the Hammerstein Ballrooms, New York, and outpointed Michael 'Dynamite' Dokes in what could be fight of the year.
Both men went toe to toe for the opening round, throwing punch after punch. Bowe landed the heavier shots, but Dokes connected more often, and the round was even. How neither of them went down is a mystery.
Dokes reverted to his boxing skills in the second round, working behind a stiff jab, yet Bowe took the round by landing the more telling blows. Dokes took the next two rounds by fighting smart and peppering Bowe with the jab. However, Bowe's heavier shots made Dokes' left eye begin to swell up. A clash of heads in the fifth round saw both mens faces get cut, Bowe over his left eye, and Dokes under his right eye. Dokes seemed groggy after the clash, and Bowe took advantage by punching Dokes around the ring before the bell saved Dokes from any further punishment.
Bowe took the next round as well, although Dokes managed to open up a cut underneath his left eye. Bowe eked the seventh round and the eighth round was even.
Riddick Bowe came out looking for the shot that would finish his opponent in the ninth round, bloodying Dokes' nose and causing his right eye to begin swelling.
In the tenth, Dokes by now not being able to see clearly, used the jab to try and keep Bowe at bay and hear the final bell. Bowe landed the more punches though and took the round, the last ten seconds both men going toe to toe again.
Both of these men looked as if they had been in a war after the bout, and embraced each other out of respect.
Bowe won by unanimous decision with scores of 98-93, 98-94, and 97-94.
"He was one tough son of a gun," Bowe said afterwards. "And I can't understand why he don't win more fights than he does."
"He hit's hard, really hard," Dokes said after the bout. "Greg Page had better watch out."
Bowe fights Page in an eliminator for the World title in November. The vacant North American trinket will also be on the line.
In the chief support, Tony 'TNT' Tubbs KO'd Mike 'Hercules' Weaver in the third of an explosive match up. Weaver won the first round, then came out and put Tubbs down in the second from a vicous left hook to the body. Tubbs beat the count and survived the round, though it was clear he was winded. Weaver got caught by surprise in the third wwhen Tubbs came charging out of his corner at the opening bell, looking to finish his foe of. He KO'd Weaver with a devastating uppercut after thirty two seconds.
Undercard Action.
James 'Bonecrusher' Smith beat 'Terrible' Tim Witherspoon by unanimous decision. All judges scoring 95-94 to the winner. Smith dropped Witherspoon in the fifth, and it was that that won him the fight.
'Big' John Tate used Anthony Willis as a punchbag before kayoing him at the end of the second round.
Gerrie Coetzee won a majority decision over the durable Derek Banks with scores of 77-76, 78-75, and 77-77.
Lennox Lewis KO'd Gary Winmon in the third round with a debilitating bodyshot. Winmon took the opening round, but it was all Lewis from then on.