What is Riddick Bowe's Net Worth?
Riddick Bowe, a retired American professional boxer, has a net worth of $30 thousand. Despite being a two-time former world heavyweight champion, Bowe has faced significant financial difficulties. During his career, he amassed $80 million and retired with $15 million. However, by 2009, all his money was gone. More details on Bowe's financial troubles are discussed later in this article.
Early Life
Riddick Lamont Bowe was born on August 10, 1967, in Brooklyn, New York. He was one of thirteen children raised by Dorothy Bowe in Brownsville, one of the toughest neighborhoods in New York. Bowe faced personal tragedies with his brother, Henry, succumbing to AIDS, and his sister, Brenda, being fatally stabbed during an attempted robbery in 1988.
At age 17 in 1984, Bowe made a mark as an amateur boxer by knocking out James Smith in merely 4 seconds. He attended Kingsborough Community College with aspirations in drama and business administration. His boxing prowess led him to win a silver medal at the 1988 Seoul Olympics and four New York Golden Gloves Championships from 1985 to 1988.
Boxing Career
Riddick Bowe turned professional in 1989 and became a two-time world heavyweight champion. In 1992, Bowe clinched the WBA, WBC, and IBF titles by defeating the unbeaten former undisputed heavyweight champion, Evander Holyfield. That year, he was honored as the Fighter of the Year by The Ring and the Boxing Writers' Association of America. Bowe vacated the WBC title later in protest instead of defending it against Lennox Lewis, fragmenting the title until 1999. He faced Holyfield again in a rematch in 1993, suffering his only professional defeat by narrowly losing the WBA and IBF titles.
In 1995, Bowe regained part of the world heavyweight championship by defeating Herbie Hide for the WBO title, becoming the first fighter to win all four major titles in boxing: the WBA, WBO, WBC, and IBF. Later that year, he vacated the WBO title to fight Holyfield a third time, securing a knockout victory. In 1996, Bowe fought Andrew Golota twice, both bouts marred by Golota's low blows. After these controversial matches, Bowe retired but made sporadic comebacks in 2004 and 2008.
In 2010, Boxing Scene ranked Bowe as the 21st greatest heavyweight of all time. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2015.
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Career Earnings & Financial Problems
Riddick Bowe earned $80 million from boxing purses, PPV bonuses, and endorsements throughout his career. By the late 1990s, he had $15 million in cash. Unfortunately, Bowe is among the athletes who have gone broke after successful careers. By 2009, he was so financially strained that he frequently attended flea markets to sell autographs. In a 2021 interview with VladTV, Bowe alleged that his former manager stole $15 million from him.
Personal Life
On April 27, 1988, Riddick married his high-school sweetheart, Judy, and they have five children. The couple separated in May 1998 after allegations of abuse by Bowe. Five months later, Bowe was arrested and convicted of kidnapping his estranged wife and children, resulting in a 17-month federal prison sentence.
After retiring from boxing, Bowe joined the United States Marine Corps Reserve to honor his mother and refocus on training.
