19.09.07 – By Geoffrey Ciani: Andrew Golota makes a return to the squared circle when he faces off against former Mike Tyson conqueror, Kevin McBride, on the under card of the WBC heavyweight boxing championship bout between Oleg Maskaev, and challenger, Sam Peter. This fight represents the enigmatic Golota’s desire for one final run for glory.
The case of Andrew Golota is one of the most interesting in the long and illustrious history of boxing’s keynote division. In many ways, he perfectly illustrates the long-held mantra that “It takes more than skills to become champion.” Ain’t that the truth, especially considering it was the “mental” aspect of the fight game which has seemingly prevented Golota from reaching the top.
For over a decade, Andrew Golota has been in and out of contention. Despite never winning a title, he has long been a key attraction and has remained a popular figure with an extremely loyal fan-base. This has enabled him to do what no other heavyweight in history has accomplished, and that is to continuously receive title shots despite never winning a title.
Golota’s first title shot came back in October of 1997 when he challenged Lennox Lewis for his WBC crown. At the time, Lewis wasn’t the dominant champ he later became. In many ways, it was Lewis’s bout against Golota that helped re-establish him as a menacing force, and what a menacing force he was! It took Lewis all of 95 seconds to dispatch Golota in a bout which shocked the boxing world to its very foundation.
After all, Golota had just twice battered the man widely considered the division’s top dog—Riddick “Big Daddy” Bowe.
Of course, Golota’s dominant performances against Bowe each ended on a sour note, as he was disqualified for repeated low blows both times. Physically, he dominated Bowe; mentally, something snapped that prevented him from securing certain victory. This mental lapse would become a defining characteristic of his career.
In fact, it was already the defining point before he fought Bowe. How else could one explain away biting Sampson Po’uha on the neck like a vampire, or using his head like a battering ram against Danell Nicholson? Even stranger, Golota’s unusual behavior against Po’uha, Nicholson, and Bowe (two times) all happened in bouts he was already winning!
This bizarre behavior, combined with an amazing display of ferocious power and ruthlessness made Golota an instant hit with the fans. Of course, many of his fans were defined along national lines, as is often the case in professional boxing, but that Golota’s fan-base extended beyond his fellow Poles and into the mainstream put him in short company. Such thresholds aren’t easily crossed, and those who cross them are a rare few who possess a unique blend of charisma, talent, and overall appeal.
Boxing is the sport of comebacks. Although many observers permanently wrote Golota off after the Lewis debacle, there were more to come.
After getting destroyed by Lewis, Golota floated around in contention for the next three years. During this time, he had his ups and downs, but for the most part, he performed well against the usual suspect of journeymen and fringe contenders. Unfortunately, mental lapses prevented Golota from winning his two most important bouts in that duration. Not only did he lose those bouts, but he lost them in the worst possible manner—quitting on each occasion.
Against Michael Grant, Golota was dominating throughout, much like he had against Bowe some three years earlier. After being dropped in the tenth, and not appearing hurt, Golota inexplicably quit. A year later, in a bout against “Iron” Mike Tyson, it was the exact opposite. From the opening bell, it appeared Golota wanted no part of Tyson—his desire to fight wasn’t there, and when he quit prior to the start of the third round, his career as a contender was officially over.
Or was it?
As I said earlier, boxing is the sport of comebacks, but in the case of Golota, few could have imagined a return to the top—especially consider the disgraceful exit he made in his bout against Tyson. Be that as it may, like a Phoenix rising from the ashes, Golota was back—and unlike many pugilists who make a return to the squared circle after an extended absence, he wasn’t just in it for a payday—he wanted to win a championship.
After winning two preliminary bouts against obscure competition in late 2003, an unlikely sequence of events led Golota to his second title shot against IBF champion Chris Byrd in April of 2004. Many observers anticipated a circus wherein the reigning champ would fluster Golota en route to an easy victory. Instead, what they got was one of the best fights the division had produced in years.
The bout was competitive and entertaining, so it was kind of fitting that in the end it was ruled a draw. Many of the pro-Golota faithful boo’d the decision, and many ringside observers felt Golota deserved victory. One way or another, this bout helped erase some of the horrible memories from the Tyson debacle. Indeed, on some level, his fight against Byrd acted as redemption for Golota.
Now, all of a sudden and seemingly out of nowhere, Golota was back in the title picture!
Unable to secure a rematch against Byrd, Golota turned his attention to WBA champion Johnny Ruiz for his third crack at the title. Once again, this appeared to be a “New Golota” who was mentally stable and refused to succumb to the collapses which had previously defined his career. Golota floored Ruiz twice in the second round, but was unable to finish him off. After Ruiz had a point deducted in the fourth, the bout was mostly even the rest of the way, but with the two knockdowns and the point deduction, it seemed certain Golota would finally win the prize which had so long eluded him—a piece of the heavyweight championship.
Unfortunately for Golota, this wasn’t to be. Ruiz was inexplicably awarded the decision. Seven months later, Golota got his fourth (and to date, final) title shot against WBO champ Lamon Brewster. In a way, this was like going full-circle back to his first shot against Lewis some eight years earlier. Golota was blown away in a mere 53 seconds, and his comeback seemed to end just as suddenly as he re-emerged.
Most boxers are lucky enough to get one crack at the title, let alone two. For Golota, he’s essentially had a round robin of title shots. Not only as he already been given four opportunities, but there’s a strong likelihood that a dominant win against McBride might propel him right back into contention, quite possibly, even into a title eliminator bout.
Whether or not Golota would deserve such an opportunity is a matter for debate, but one thing is certain—this is the final run for glory for Andrew Golota and it all begins on October 6. Will Golota once again succumb to mental pressures, like he has so many times before? Or will the elusive championship, long escaping his reach finally be within grasp?
Time will tell.
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