A retired world heavyweight champion has revealed the regret he had for walking away from the sport too early.
Retirement is always a difficult decision for boxers, with a lot finding it extremely tough to hang up the gloves for good and often returning to the ring further down the line after struggling.
One of the best heavyweights in the past 30 years was Riddick ‘Big Daddy’ Bowe, who enjoyed an accomplished professional career, reigning as the undisputed heavyweight champion in the early 1990s.
He tasted defeat on just one occasion during his tenure when he was beaten by Evander Holyfield in what was the second bout of their historic trilogy after beating him for the WBA, WBC and IBF titles in their first encounter. Bowe avenged this defeat in their third and final battle in 1995, stopping ‘The Real Deal’ in the eighth round.
After his victory over Holyfield, ‘Big Daddy’ went on to claim back-to-back victories against Andrew Golota, although both bouts ended in disqualifications. Shortly after his rematch with Golota, Bowe sensationally announced his retirement from boxing aged just 29-years-old.
Speaking to Boxing News, ‘Big Daddy’ weighed in on the reasons behind his shock retirement from the sport, claiming his manager had influenced the decision.
“Because I listened to my manager Rock Newman, I listened to him that’s why [my prime] was short. He made me retire, told me to retire. I listened to him when I should have told him to kiss my ass and keep it moving, I should have kept on fighting.”
Bowe would eventually make a return to the sport in 2004 after a seven year hiatus. He fought three more times as a professional, with his 45th and final contest coming against Gene Pukall in December 2008, outpointing the German veteran over eight rounds before finally drawing the curtain on his glittering professional career shortly after.
