A kindred spirit

Andrew Golota: A reputation for instability

In Andrew Golota, Mike Tyson faces his first 'live' opponent since returning from his one-year suspension.

He also faces an opponent, who in the ring has as many demons as himself.

The Pole has been a player in the heavyweight division for some five years, although in reality he is mostly known as the man who hit Riddick Bowe low and broke down in fights against Lennox Lewis and Michael Grant.

Now 32, the Warsaw-born heavyweight has been a professional fighter since 1992 and has always had a reputation for being a solid boxer with good power and a solid chin.

Distinguished

After a distinguished career which saw him pick up the bronze medal in the Seoul Olympics in 1988, Golota and his wife Mariola moved to Chicago.

While contemplating which career to choose, Golota was contacted by Dick Trindle, the US Customs agent who had handled his immigration and who also worked as an amateur boxing official. With local businessman and Windy City Gym owner Bob O'Donnell also interested, the Pole turned professional.

After marching through his first ten contests without a defeat, Golota changed his training team and joined the experienced duo of Lou Duva and Roger Bloodworth. Like all European fighters, he had a very rigid up-right stance which is usually unsuccessful in America. Duva and Bloodworth worked on making him more relaxed.

Now utilising every bit of his six foot four inch frame, Golota moved confidently to a record of 23 fights unbeaten before facing his first test in unbeaten Samson Po'Uha in May 1995.

It was the first fight in which Golota showed his tendency to 'lose it' under pressure, biting his opponent on the shoulder before eventually securing a fifth round knockout.

Controversy

The level of his opposition improved after the victory, with former Olympian Donnell Nicholson dispatched in eight rounds in March 1996, although again there was controversy with Golota accused of intentionally head-butting his man when unable to end affairs quicker.

It was that frailty that encouraged the handlers of Riddick Bowe to set up a fight in July 1996.

It would prove to be a defining moment in the Pole's career.

For seven full rounds, Golota dominated the man that most believed was the best heavyweight in the world. Using his under-rated jab and fluent combinations, Golota repeatedly rocked his opponent and seemed on course to a comfortable points victory or late stoppage.

Balancing that out was the fact that Golota could not or would not prevent himself from hitting low. Having already been deducted three points for straying south of the border, Golota was disqualified after another foul during the final 30 seconds of the bout.

Ruckus

Disqualified for a second time against Riddick Bowe

With the end of the bout followed by a disgraceful ring ruckus, the bout garnered tremendous worldwide exposure, and Golota was officially a star.

Such was the severity of the beating that he gave Bowe that the demand for a rematch was enormous. It came in December of the same year and was every bit as wild as the original.

Both fighters tasted the canvas, but it was again Golota who dominated, against Bowe who was clearly a shadow of the fighter that had held the world titles during 1993. But Golota was fighting as dirty as before and after several warnings for repeated low blows and headbutts, a three punch combination to Bowe's groin earned him the disqualification in the ninth round.

The two defeats had little to shake the feeling that Golota was now one of the major players in heavyweight boxing, but his next fight would stop the momentum that had been building since he fought Po'Uha.

Control

In October 1997, he was stopped in a round by WBC Heavyweight champion of the world Lennox Lewis. But it was the build-up to the fight which intrigued observers, with Golota very clearly losing control of his mind and appearing tense and nervous before the start of the fight.

His experienced opponent Lewis needed little encouragement and waged a first round assault which led to two knockdowns before the fight was stopped.

Team Golota became aware that their fighter was a more troubled soul than first realised and realised that the road back would need to be a much more cautious route.

Compiling wins against journeymen like Eli Dixon, Corey Sanders, Jesse Ferguson and former heavyweight champion Tim Witherspoon, Golota was moved back into fringe contender status. But in a crossroads fight against youngster Michael Grant, Golota again 'lost it', having established a comfortable lead going into the tenth and final round and then quitting after suffering a knockdown.

With two wins under his belt since, Golota has at least been active in the build-up to what many people feel may be the biggest fight of his career.