It wasn't meant as a joke, but Andrew Golota's prediction about how his rematch against Riddick Bowe Saturday night will be conducted drew laughter.
"I expect a clean fight," said Golota this week.The Polish-born fighter, living in Chicago, was dominating Bowe July 11 at Madison Square Garden, but he also was hitting Bowe low and he was disqualified in the seventh round, touching off a riot.
Golota was penalized two points in the first six rounds for low blows, and his corner told him to stop punching to the body.
"But I saw the body was open," Golota said. "What was I going to do?"
Golota, who has a 28-1 record, with 25 knockouts, bit Samson Pouha, who he stopped in five rounds in 1995. He also butted Danell Nicholson, who he stopped in the eighth round last March 15.
Bowe often has held opponents behind the head, a tactic he was warned about, but not penalized for in the July 11 fight. He hit Buster Mathis Jr. while Mathis was on his knees in the fourth round of their fight last year. Referee Arthur Mercante ruled the punch was deliberate, but the New Jersey commission called the fight a no-contest rather than disqualifying Bowe.
To assure that fans don't engage in any rough stuff, security has been beefed up. A riot broke out after the first fight was stopped. Golota suffered a gash on the back of his head when a member of the Bowe entourage hit him with a walkie-talkie. There were 16 arrests and 22 people were injured.
Bowe said he'll be a different fighter from the one who took Golota for granted in July, and he was a 2-1 favorite.
Bowe weighed in officially Thursday at 235 pounds, 17 pounds less than he weighed for the first fight. Golota weighed 239 pounds.
Tim Witherspoon, a former WBC and WBA champion, weighed 230 pounds for his 10-round bout against Ray Mercer, 239. Witherspoon was a 2-1 favorite.
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