10 Craziest Boxing Press Conferences
6. Riddick Bowe Vs. Larry Donald
It’s safe to say that Riddick Bowe, the ex-undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, has made some disastrous life choices over the years, such as joining the Marine Corps at 29 years of age (only to quit after only three days), dumping the WBC title in a trash can on live TV (to avoid fighting Lennox Lewis), and kidnapping his estranged wife and five kids, thinking it would lead to a reconciliation. So it’s hardly surprising to find the Brooklyn native on this list.
After losing the lineal heavyweight championship in the rematch with Evander Holyfield, Bowe went on to fight Buster Mathis Jr. and then Olympic bronze medallist Larry Donald. Five days before the contest - at a Los Angeles press conference - Bowe hit Donald with a one-two punch combination, backing Donald up before the two were separated.
When questioned what prompted the attack, Bowe explained: "I had heard that he was talking trash, and I told him, “If you say one more thing, I'm going to hit you, He opened his mouth again, so I popped him."