He Might Be a Good Man, but He’s Sure No Marine

Most tough guys grow up dreaming about becoming the heavyweight champion of the world.

In this case, the former heavyweight champion of the world grew up dreaming about becoming a tough guy.

The toughest guy this country produces--a U.S. Marine.

For Riddick Bowe, the dream began in high school when he heard a Marine recruiter pitch his enlistment spiel.

But it wasn’t simply what the man said. It was what he wore. It was that uniform. Oh, how Bowe wanted to wear that uniform.

But that other thing kept getting in the way. That boxing thing. Bowe reached heights others couldn’t imagine. He won 40 of 41 professional fights. He became the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. He earned $100 million.

But he couldn’t get the thought of that uniform out of his mind. Especially when a nephew signed up with the Marines.

And Bowe’s mother, Dorothy, seemed to heap more praise on that nephew than she did on her son, Riddick, whom she calls “a big ol’ baby.”

So Bowe decided to do something about it before he got too old. With his 30th birthday looming ahead on Aug. 10, Bowe, despite the objections of his manager, Rock Newman, and others in his boxing circle, enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve.

As all the world knows by now, Bowe lasted only three days of a 12-week course of basic training, quitting Thursday night.

Surprising? Hardly.

You take a 29-year-old man who is worth millions, who is lazy, who is overweight, who is pampered, who has to answer to nobody, who is surrounded by a loving entourage of friends and supporters, who trains when he wants and eats when he wants and does nothing when he wants, whose favorite activity is sitting in front of the television with his wife and five kids watching movies, and you throw him into a hostile environment where he has to answer to everybody, where he has to get up at 5 a.m., where his bed has to be made and his uniform has to be clean and his boots have to sparkle and he has no time to himself and a scant few minutes to talk to his family by phone.

What do you think is going to happen? Everybody else knew. Now, Bowe knows.

He should have known all along. A Marine was at Bowe’s mother’s home the weekend before he left for an informal induction ceremony in front of the family. Bowe showed up late.

When Bowe tried to take part in something called a sit-stand-sit exercise at a recruiting center before his arrival at boot camp, he looked so bad that the Washington Post said he resembled “an 80-year-old man crawling out of a Barcalounger.”

This is great for the Marines. They can now advertise: “We’ll make you leaner, meaner and tougher than the heavyweight champ.”

But what can be said for Bowe? What was said before he embarked on this misadventure: He should quit boxing.

Not because he’s not tough enough. This wasn’t about toughness. Bowe had only been required to jog a mile and a half before he left. He has jogged in excess of five miles daily while training for fights. And subjecting his body to the daily punishment of sparring sessions is far worse than running an obstacle course.

No, this wasn’t about toughness. It was about discipline.

Bowe doesn’t have any. That’s why he keeps gaining weight. That’s why he keeps getting out of shape. That’s why he has twice lost to Andrew Golota, bailed out each time only because of Golota’s low blows.

Medical exams have not revealed any brain damage from the recent beatings Bowe has taken in the ring. But it’s only a matter of time.

Quitting the Marines was easy. Quitting boxing will be tough. But Bowe has to do it. His comfortable lifestyle leaves him no more suited for the ring than it did for the Marines.

And for Bowe, that is the lowest blow of all.

AN OPEN LETTER

Dan Goossen, it’s time to get Gabriel and Rafael Ruelas back in the title picture.

Never mind the purse. Never mind the opponent. Never mind whatever compromises or concessions you have to make.

As manager of these talented brothers, you steered their careers brilliantly, earning them fabulous money while getting them both in position to win world titles.

But it has been disastrous ever since May 6, 1995.

On that date, Gabriel, a former World Boxing Council super-featherweight champion, beat Jimmy Garcia so badly that Garcia subsequently died from the blows. And Rafael lost his International Boxing Federation lightweight title to Oscar De La Hoya.

Ever since then, there have been nothing but defeats, nagging injuries, mediocre opponents and lackluster performances for the Ruelases.

Gabriel says he has trouble getting up for lesser names like James Crayton, whom he struggled against Feb. 14 in Indio before winning a close decision. It was later revealed that Gabriel, who broke a finger on his right hand in November, broke his left thumb early against Crayton. Rafael is recovering from a ligament injury in one of his hands.

Both are young enough to regain their past glory. Gabriel is 26, Rafael 25. But are they good enough?

Nothing will be proved by fighting average or below-average opposition, merely propped up in the opposite corner to add to the brothers’ already impressive record. Nothing will be proved by risking still more injuries.

It’s time to find out how much is left.

Dan, you said you weren’t interested in Rafael fighting Pernell Whitaker because the money wasn’t there. Get interested.

You’ve talked about Gabriel fighting IBF junior-lightweight champion Arturo Gatti, who defeated Tracy Harris Patterson on Saturday, or the winner of the March 22 fight between World Boxing Council super-featherweight champion Azumah Nelson and challenger Genaro Hernandez.

Get it done. Time is running out on the brothers Ruelas.

ANOTHER CORNER

If Goossen hopes to get Gabriel into the ring for a title match in the near future, he should root for Nelson in his match against Hernandez in Corpus Christi, Texas.

If Nelson wins, and if Stevie Johnston can beat WBC lightweight champion Jean Baptiste Mendy in their title fight Saturday in Paris, Arum will try to match Nelson and Johnston at 135 pounds (lightweight), leaving the 130-pound super-featherweight title vacant.

If Hernandez should win, however, plans are already under way to match him against Gatti, leaving Gabriel on the outside once again.

QUICK JABS

A tentative agreement has been reached to stage a rematch between champion Junior Jones and challenger Marco Antonio Barrera for the World Boxing Organization junior- featherweight title in Las Vegas in April. Jones won the first fight on a disqualification when Barrera’s handlers prematurely entered the ring after Barrera had been knocked down. . . .

Heavyweight Jeremy Williams will headline the card Tuesday night at the Long Beach Pyramid, facing Phil Jackson. It will be the third fight for Williams (28-2, 25 knockouts) since he was knocked out in the third round by Henry Akinwande in June. Williams has won both his fights since by quick knockouts, one ending in the first round, the other in the third.

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Calendar

Monday--Arthur Johnson vs. Sammy Stewart, NABF flyweight title; Ed Mahone vs. Bomani Parker, heavyweights; Demetrio Ceballos vs. Isagani Pumar, lightweights, Forum, 7:15 p.m.

Tuesday--Jeremy Williams vs. Phil Jackson, heavyweights; Glen Johnson vs. Sam Garr, middleweights, Long Beach Pyramid, 6 p.m.

Friday--Jaime Ocegueda vs. Marco Antonio Ludwig, welterweights, Irvine Marriott, 7:30 p.m.