“It’s much harder than boxing,” said Riddick Bowe after he embarrassed himself in his Muay Thai debut against Russian opponent Levgen Golovin last Friday in Pattaya.
The 45-year-old former heavyweight boxing champion was floored five times before the bout was ended by a technical knockout in the second round.
Bowe, who now weighs 300 pounds and hasn’t boxed since 2008, was on the receiving end of numerous kicks to the legs.
“You can recover from a headshot or a body shot, but when you get kicked in the leg it lasts a long time. My leg is still hurting. I don’t know how long it’s been — 15 minutes?” he told AP.
Bowe aims to try his luck at Muay Thai again, but Golovin thinks that will be a big mistake.
“He’s too slow and a bit too old.” he said.
Thai promoters hoping to increase the international appeal of Muay Thai paid Riddick Bowe US$150,000 for Friday’s fight in an outdoor ring set up beside the beach.
View horrific footage of the fight here:
How the might have fallen. Watch footage of better moments in Riddick Bowe’s career here:
