Riddick Bowe Returns

wildhawke11 · 09-27-2004, 09:42 PM

Bowe stops Rhode in second round
By Scott Wright
Shawnee, Oklahoma News Star, Staff Writer

Riddick Bowe's return to the boxing ring was successful. Whether he will succeed in his return to the top of the heavyweight class is still far from being determined.

Bowe (41-1-0-1, 32 KOs), a former heavyweight champion of the world, knocked down Marcus Rhode three times in the second round before the fight was stopped by Rhode's corner at the 2:45 mark Saturday night at the FireLake Casino's Raymond Peltier Park.

Rhode also went down once in the first round.

Bowe's feet and his reflexes looked slow in the first moments of the bout, but he seemed invigorated after landing a few punches. He credited his timid start to nerves.

"I was a little nervous," Bowe said. "I wasn't as relaxed as I wanted to be.

"I was trying to fight my fight, but I had to bang him and get his respect."

Rhode was the aggressor in the first 1:30 of the bout, twice pinning Bowe against the ropes. After taking some hard blows to the body, Bowe lashed out, sending Rhode to the canvas late in the round.

Bowe opened the second round by landing two good shots to the head and several to the body of his opponent, knocking him down twice in a 15-second span. Rhode went down again shortly after, but the referee ruled he had slipped.

Bowe finished the bout by knocking him down once again. Rhode's trainer then signaled the referee to stop the match.

It was Bowe's first fight since 1996, when he won by disqualification over Andrew Golata. Bowe spent 17 months in federal prison for kidnapping his wife and five children and driving them across state lines. He was released in May and came out determined to reclaim the heavyweight title.

Bowe gave himself a grade of a 'B,' adding that he would like to trim another eight pounds off his fighting weight of 253. He weighed 330 pounds just six months ago.

"I'm just so happy to be able to box," Bowe said. "I only trained for three weeks and I thought I did pretty good. I need to relax and not be so anxious.

"I want to fight at 245 pounds. I fought my best fights at that weight."

Bowe says he plans to fight next month, possibly in Tennessee, Alabama or North Carolina, then return to Oklahoma for another bout in November.

erickdamac · 09-28-2004, 01:21 AM

I saw highlights on Espn sportsnetwork chan, He needs to get in shape if he wants to really run he looked way better in jail.

09-27-2004, 09:42 PM	#1 (permalink)
wildhawke11 All Star Starter Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: united kingdom Posts: 1,834	Riddick Bowe Returns Bowe stops Rhode in second round By Scott Wright Shawnee, Oklahoma News Star, Staff Writer Riddick Bowe's return to the boxing ring was successful. Whether he will succeed in his return to the top of the heavyweight class is still far from being determined. Bowe (41-1-0-1, 32 KOs), a former heavyweight champion of the world, knocked down Marcus Rhode three times in the second round before the fight was stopped by Rhode's corner at the 2:45 mark Saturday night at the FireLake Casino's Raymond Peltier Park. Rhode also went down once in the first round. Bowe's feet and his reflexes looked slow in the first moments of the bout, but he seemed invigorated after landing a few punches. He credited his timid start to nerves. "I was a little nervous," Bowe said. "I wasn't as relaxed as I wanted to be. "I was trying to fight my fight, but I had to bang him and get his respect." Rhode was the aggressor in the first 1:30 of the bout, twice pinning Bowe against the ropes. After taking some hard blows to the body, Bowe lashed out, sending Rhode to the canvas late in the round. Bowe opened the second round by landing two good shots to the head and several to the body of his opponent, knocking him down twice in a 15-second span. Rhode went down again shortly after, but the referee ruled he had slipped. Bowe finished the bout by knocking him down once again. Rhode's trainer then signaled the referee to stop the match. It was Bowe's first fight since 1996, when he won by disqualification over Andrew Golata. Bowe spent 17 months in federal prison for kidnapping his wife and five children and driving them across state lines. He was released in May and came out determined to reclaim the heavyweight title. Bowe gave himself a grade of a 'B,' adding that he would like to trim another eight pounds off his fighting weight of 253. He weighed 330 pounds just six months ago. "I'm just so happy to be able to box," Bowe said. "I only trained for three weeks and I thought I did pretty good. I need to relax and not be so anxious. "I want to fight at 245 pounds. I fought my best fights at that weight." Bowe says he plans to fight next month, possibly in Tennessee, Alabama or North Carolina, then return to Oklahoma for another bout in November. Attached Images

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09-28-2004, 01:21 AM	#2 (permalink)
erickdamac All Star Starter Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 1,592	I saw highlights on Espn sportsnetwork chan, He needs to get in shape if he wants to really run he looked way better in jail.