BoxingTalk Story |
By Darren Nichols @Ringside
07/04/2005
Does Zumbrun wobbling Bowe place Riddick's comeback on the ropes?
Riddick Bowe's attempt to return to heavyweight prominence continued, unimpressively tonight. Unheralded journeyman Billy Zumbrun gave Bowe a tougher fight than most expected, primarily due to Bowe's evident lack of conditioning. Zumbrun was dropped by a thunderous body shot in round four but Billy probably would have been able to stop Bowe with another ten seconds in the fifth round. For a brief moment the late round action in round five eerily resembled Mercer-Morrison as Bowe was on the ropes eating a series of power shots that he couldn't respond to, but fortunately, he was saved by the bell. Bowe was shaken several times throughout the bout but managed to finish the fight on his feet without tasting the canvas. However, "Big Daddy" did nothing more than throw lazy jabs and sloppy right crosses. If this fight doesn't tell Bowe that he needs to be in shape before he's on TV, nothing will! The judges split decision scoring (95-93 Zumbrun, 96-92 Bowe and 96-92 Bowe) was not well received.