Riddick Bowe

Riddick Bowe, born on August 10, 1967, is a distinguished American former professional boxer and kickboxer. His career spanned from 1989 to 2008 in boxing and from 2013 to 2016 in kickboxing, specifically Muay Thai. Bowe's remarkable journey in the sport began with a notable achievement at the 1988 Summer Olympics, where he secured a super heavyweight silver medal.

In 1992, Bowe ascended to the pinnacle of boxing by becoming the undisputed world heavyweight champion. He achieved this by defeating the then-unbeaten Evander Holyfield, claiming the World Boxing Association, World Boxing Council, and International Boxing Federation titles. His exceptional performance earned him the title of Fighter of the Year from both The Ring magazine and the Boxing Writers' Association of America.

Despite his success, Bowe made headlines when he vacated the WBC title later that year in protest against the organization’s requirement to defend against Lennox Lewis. This decision left the heavyweight championship fragmented until 1999. Bowe faced his only professional defeat in a rematch with Holyfield in 1993, narrowly losing the WBA and IBF titles.

In 1995, Bowe reclaimed a portion of the heavyweight championship by defeating Herbie Hide for the World Boxing Organization title, making history as the first boxer to hold titles from all four major sanctioning bodies. He later vacated the WBO title to face Holyfield for a third time, achieving a decisive victory by becoming the first to knock out Holyfield.

After a series of intense bouts, including two controversial fights against Andrew Golota in 1996, Bowe retired from boxing. He made low-key comebacks in 2004 and 2008. In 2010, he was recognized as the twenty-first greatest heavyweight of all time by Boxing Scene, and in 2015, he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. As of 2026, Riddick Bowe remains the last American undisputed world heavyweight champion.