Bowe, 23-0, Thumps Tubbs to Win Unanimous Decision

Riddick Bowe didn’t thrill anyone with a unanimous 10-round decision over Tony Tubbs Saturday, but the 23-0 heavyweight nonetheless positioned himself solidly in the championship picture.

Bowe’s victory capped a weekend that saw the top of the heavyweight division undergo a major shakeout.

First, Bruce Seldon excused himself from contention Wednesday when he was stopped by a sparring partner of Mike Tyson, Oliver McCall. Then, on the Holyfield-Foreman undercard Friday, lightly regarded Latvian Yuri Vaulin took Tommy Morrison out of the picture for the time being by beating him for three rounds before losing on a fourth-round TKO.

Then George Foreman’s comeback apparently ended when he lost to the champion, Evander Holyfield, Friday.

Bowe (226 1/4), the 1988 Olympic silver medalist at super-heavyweight, won largely on the strength of his swift, powerful left jab, possibly the best in the division. Tubbs (234), 30-3, spent most of the 10 rounds trying to avoid Bowe’s jabs, but the veteran managed to smother or slip away from most of Bowe’s heavier blows.

Two judges had Bowe winning by 96-94 and a third had it 97-93, the same as The Times card.

Rock Newman, Bowe’s manager, indicated Bowe will fight either Holyfield or Tyson within a year. He said he has talked this week with promoters Dan Duva, Don King and Seth Abraham, head of HBO’s pay-per-view network, TVKO. Saturday’s fight was the second of Bowe’s two-fight, $1-million deal with ABC.

“We’ll have something to say in 10 days or two weeks,” Newman said.

Bowe’s veteran trainer, Eddie Futch, sounded eager to match his 23-year-old, 6-foot-5 fighter with Holyfield.

“Holyfield is not the hardest guy in the world to hit,” said Futch, once Joe Frazier’s trainer. “Foreman hit Holyfield all night but couldn’t follow up.”