Known as 'Big Daddy', Bowe boasts an impressive record of 43 wins from 45 fights. His only loss came at the hands of Evander Holyfield. Despite his achievements, Bowe believes he missed out on two potentially career-defining fights.
Lewis, who avenged his only two losses and beat every man he faced, held the undisputed heavyweight title for about 25 years until Oleksandr Usyk claimed it in 2024. 'Iron' Mike Tyson, the youngest ever heavyweight champion, brought a ferocious style to the ring that often intimidated opponents before the first bell.
Bowe's claim that both fighters avoided him goes against the common belief that he was the one who ducked Lewis. When Lewis became the mandatory challenger, Bowe famously held a press conference where he threw his WBC belt in the trash rather than make the fight. As a result, Lewis got elevated to champion status.
In an interview with Tha Boxing Voice, Bowe shared his side of the story:
"He didn't want the fight. I was ready to go, in great shape. I think what scared him was he saw the first fight with Evander Holyfield and once he saw how good I looked and what great condition I was in, he want ain't no part of me. He fought Mike Tyson, Holyfield, why not me?"
Regarding the infamous belt-tossing incident, Bowe explained:
"Lennox Lewis kept playing games. They were gonna give me 30 days to make the fight happen. I kind of felt betrayed because I'm your champion. How you gonna give me a deadline waiting on this clown that's playing games? He didn't want the fight. So they stripped me and gave him the title."
Bowe confidently predicted he would've beaten Lewis:
"Unequivocally. My style was impeccable compared to his. Look at the guys that knocked him out. Oliver McCall. Hasim Rahman. They didn't hit anywhere close to as hard as I hit. He knew I was gonna tap that ass so he stayed away from me."
As for Tyson, Bowe pointed to his victories over Holyfield as proof of his superiority:
"Let me just say this. Evander Holyfield beat Mike Tyson twice right? Didn't I beat Holyfield twice? So you tell me. It don't take a rocket scientist to figure that one out."
Bowe argued that his physical attributes and mental toughness would've given him the edge over Tyson:
"My jab was impeccable. He wouldn't know how to get away from it, so that would cause him a lot of trouble. My uppercut was vicious. With him being short, that would've got him. He couldn't get on the inside where he did a lot of damage, my left hand would've kept him at bay. At the end of the day, I wasn't intimidated by him, so that's why the fight didn't happen. If he thought I was scared of him, he would've took the fight."
Both Bowe and Tyson hail from Brownsville in Brooklyn, and Tyson has previously stated he wouldn't face Bowe due to this connection. However, Bowe believes Tyson's reluctance stemmed from his inability to intimidate him. The truth behind these missed matchups remains a subject of debate among boxing fans and historians.