You can go home again
Golota anticipating bout in native Poland against Witherspoon
Posted: Thursday June 18, 1998 08:26 PM
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If Golota wins his next bout he will face Witherspoon in Wroclaw, Poland, on September 4
(Al Bello/Allsport) |
NEW YORK (Reuters) -- If Andrew Golota is very, very good, he'll get to go home again.
Golota, the reigning bad boy of boxing now that Mike Tyson has been banned, is set to fight journeyman Corey Sanders on July 21 in Atlantic City.
If Golota gets by Sanders (16-5) as expected, the Polish-born Golota will fight former two-time heavyweight champion Tim Witherspoon in Wroclaw, Poland, on September 4.
Of course, being good for Golota, especially against the 23-year-old Sanders, has more to do with good ring deportment than with jabs and hooks.
And Golota getting any attention these days has more to do with boxing's ability to market malevolence more easily than selling skills.
Golota's dastardly deeds in the rings include disqualification twice against Riddick Bowe for low blows, for which Golota was rewarded with a title fight against Lennox Lewis, which the Pole lost on a first-round knockout.
The Pole head butted another opponent and bit to the neck of yet another, all of which, of course, gives boxing promoters a story to sell.
Golota's promoters at Main Events don't have to be hit over the head or any other part of their anatomy to know that.
But just in case, they held a news conference at the Polish Consulate on Madison Avenue as an added attraction.
The news conference was held in a rococo room with gild glinting off the walls and ceiling and a beautiful fresco on the ceiling depicting angels lounging on clouds.
Beneath that was a long table with carefully arranged groupings of Polish beer bottles and beer cans in front of huge banners advertising Piast beer. In an equally grand foyer a man dozed in a chair in front of easels that held paintings for sale.
Golota, who had to wait more than an hour for Witherspoon to arrive, wore ostrich skin cowboy boots (he trained in Houston), black jeans and black T-shirt and cap, both advertising the beer in bright yellow letters. "It's the best beer," he said.
Golota (30-3) shrugs off suggestions that he should be chagrined by his antics in the ring, saying "I can deal with that. I don't care anymore." Then the 245-pound (111 kg) fighter spread his hands wide and said with a smile Sanders should "bring a stron
g [athletic] cup."
Of his debacle against Lewis last October when the Pole admittedly froze in his bid to win the Briton's World Boxing
Council (WBC) title, Golota said with a smile, "maybe he hypnotized me."
The always smiling Sanders said he was not insulted by officially being a stepping stone. "In a way it's to my advantage because they're already looking past me."
Witherspoon at 39 would need a time machine to visit his once outstanding skills when he won the WBC and World Boxing Association championships. But the affable fighter (46-7) is still a threat and is much more experienced and cagey than Golota, whose pu
nching power is suspect, especially after he failed to stop a reeling Bowe, who was clearly out of shape.
"Things are very difficult for me right now. I've had my ups and downs, sads and goods," said Witherspoon. "I'm going to train the hardest I've ever trained."
Witherspoon said his only real concern about going to Poland "is if I knock out Andrew what the people are gonna do to me. When I knocked out [Frank] Bruno in London [1986] I didn't think I'd get alive out of there."
Witherspoon fought a long court battle with promoter Don King in the early 90s over a contract dispute which was settled out of court for a reported $1 million paid to the fighter. Of Golota, he said "I can be as low as the rug ... but when I get back up
there's gonna be hell."
A Main Events spokesman said Golota will earn $30,000 and Sanders $25,000 for their fight which will be broadcast live to Poland where it will be about 4 a.m. when the fight starts.
Witherspoon will receive about $200,000 and Golota $450,000 for their bout.
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
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