Why golota. Andrzej Golota: boxing career, "Showdown in Motown"

Andrzej Golota is a Polish heavyweight boxer. The athlete became a four-time champion of Poland, won bronze at the Olympic Games and the European Championships. Golota is known for his shocking antics and unconventional behavior, which is why he is called the most scandalous boxer of the 2000s.

Youth and career start

Golota was born on January 5, 1968 in Warsaw. Since childhood, Andrzej was distinguished by his large size, which determined his place in big boxing. Andrzej has been involved in amateur boxing until 1992. During this time, he took part in the Olympic Games and the 1988 European Championships, taking bronze there.

In 1990, Golota was accused of beating during a fight that took place in one of the city's bars. The athlete was facing a prison sentence of 5 years, so Andrzej decides to leave Poland and immigrate to the United States. In the same year, the outstanding boxer married an American with Polish roots and settled in Chicago.

The debut of his professional career was a fight with Roosevelt Shuler in 1992, whom he knocked out at the end of the third round. Andrzej did not lose in the ring and was distinguished by increased aggression. Some of Golota's opponents refused to continue the fight after the first round (Jeff Lumpkin).

In 1995, there is a fight with Samson Po Ear. The Pole balances on a fine line between defeat and victory, which destroyed the myth of Golota's invulnerability. Andrzej saved himself from a knockdown by biting his opponent in the shoulder, after which the advantage of the fight passed to the Pole's side. Starting from the 5th round, Golota begins to actively attack the enemy, knocking him down, after which the fight stops.

Professional achievements:

1. 1996 - fight with Danell Nichols, where Andrzej won by technical knockout, which took place in the 8th round;
2. 1996 - a fight with Riddick Bowe, in which the boxer systematically violated the rules, for which he was deprived of many points. Towards the end of the fight, Golota struck his opponent with a series of blows to the head and groin, which became the reason for his disqualification. Later that year, a rematch took place, which also ended in Golota's disqualification;

• 1997 - fight with Lennox Lewis, where Andrzej was defeated in the first round. Lewis attacked the Pole, performing a series of powerful techniques. Golota stood still, without attempts to defend or attack. The Pole later announced his poisoning, explaining the poor results of the battle;
• 1998 – fight with Corey Sanders, where the Pole’s victory was declared by the judge’s decision in the 10th round;
• 1999 - fight with Jesse Ferguson, where Golota won by decision in the 12th round;
• 1999 - fight with Michael Grant, where Golota won by technical knockout;
• 2000 - fight with Michael Tyson, where Andrzej was knocked down at the end of the first round. During the break between rounds, the Pole refuses to continue the fight, which infuriates Tyson, depriving his opponent of victory by knockout;
• 2003 - fight with Brian Nix, where Andrzej won by technical knockout in the 12th round;
• 2004 - fight with Chris Byrd, which ended in a draw by decision of the judges in the 12th round;
• 2005 - fight with Lamon Brewster, where the victory belonged to the American boxer in the first round by technical knockout;
• 2007 – fight with Kevin McBride, where the entire fight was dominated by the Pole. The fight ended in a technical knockout in favor of Golota;
• 2008 - fight with Mike Mollo, where Andrzej won by decision in the 12th round;
• 2013 – fight with Przemyslaw Saleta, where Golota was knocked out in the 6th round. This fight was the last in the boxer's career.

Andrzej Golota is a professional Polish ex-boxer in the heavy weight category (up to 91 kilograms), who competed from 1992 to 2013. Winner at the 1989 European Championships and the 1988 Summer Olympics. In amateur boxing, Andrzej had 114 fights: 99 victories (27 KOs), 2 draws and 13 defeats. In professional: 42 wins (33 KOs), 1 draw, 9 defeats and 1 failed fight. Andrzej Golota's height is 193 centimeters, his arm span is 203 cm.

Weird Boxer

Golota is the only professional Polish boxer who fought for all major titles (WBC, WBO, WBA, IBF) during his career, but never won any. The boxer gained great popularity due to his eccentric antics in the ring. He also became famous in two fights with the American Riddick Bowe, in which he, winning on points, delivered prohibited low blows, due to which he was disqualified twice.

Escaped from Poland

In 1990, the Polish boxer fought with Piotr Bialostoski in one of the pubs in the city of Wloclawek (Poland). Golota was charged with assault and battery, and therefore the Polish athlete fled the country because he could have received 5 years in prison. It later turned out that Andrzej Golota married a US citizen of Polish origin and lives in Chicago.

Andrzej Golota: fighting at a professional level

In 1992, the Polish boxer began performing at the professional level. Andrzej's first opponent was Roosevelt Shuler, whom he defeated by technical knockout in the 3rd round. Between 1992 and 1995 he defeated the following opponents by knockout: Eddie Taylor, Bobby Crabtree and Terry Davis. American Marion Wilson (twice) and Pole Samson Poha were also defeated on points.

In the fight with Samson Poukha, Golota lost over four rounds. The opponent repeatedly carried out a series of successful punches, after which Andrzej received a knockdown. At the beginning of the fifth round, Golota bit his opponent on the shoulder in the clinch (a year and a half later, Evander Holyfield). In the same round, Golota became more active and knocked down Samson Poukha three times. As a result, the referee stopped the fight and awarded the victory to Andrzej.

In 1994, Golota fought Jeff Lumpkin and won after his opponent submitted.

Why did Andrzej Golota run away from the ring in the fight with “Iron Mike”?

In October 2000, the Polish boxer met in a duel with the legendary and experienced Mike Tyson. This fight is remembered by the boxing community under the name “Showdown in Motown” (the location of the fight). In the first round, Mike immediately rushed to attack the Polish fighter. It was clear that Andrzej Golota was not ready for such a pace. At the end of the first round, Mike Tyson delivered a powerful hook-shaped right punch to Andrzej’s jaw, after which he, having received a cut on his left eyebrow, could not keep his balance and fell. Despite this, the Polish boxer quickly got up and continued the fight. There were only a few seconds left until the end of the round, and Tyson wanted to end the fight with a knockout, but Andrzej managed to survive.

In the second round, Mike Tyson again took over and went to attack his opponent. Golota, in turn, tried to clinch and tie the hands of the “king of knockouts” in order to reduce the risk of his most powerful blows. The second round also went to Mike.

During the break between the first and third rounds, the Polish boxer refused to continue the fight. Golota’s coaching corner persuaded the boxer to enter the ring and continue the fight, but he flatly did not want to do this. As a result, boxer Andrzej Golota ran away from the ring. On the way to the locker room, fans sitting next to the aisle began booing the Pole and throwing plastic cups and bottles at him. Near the exit, a can of red drink hit him and spilled all over his body. The enraged Mike Tyson, who missed out on another early knockout victory, was held back by several people so that he would not rush at his opponent after the fiasco was declared.

Consequences

There have never been conflicts of this kind in world boxing before. After these incidents, representatives of a sports channel called Showtime announced that they would no longer allow Andrzej Golota on air because he was a coward. The post-match doping test showed that “Iron Mike” was found to have traces of marijuana, and therefore the fight was declared invalid. Upon arrival of the Polish boxer to the hospital, he was diagnosed with a concussion, a fracture of the left cheekbone and an intervertebral hernia in the 4th and 5th cervical spine. Apparently, the listed ailments were the reason for such a decision on Golota’s part. After the fight with Mike Tyson, Andrzej Golota retired from boxing for three years.

Polish professional boxer, performing in the super heavyweight category. Four-time champion of Poland. Bronze medalist at the 1989 European Championships. Bronze medalist at the 1988 Summer Olympics. One of the most scandalous boxers of the 1990s and 2000s.

He made his debut in February 1992.

In May 1995 he met with Samson Poukha. In the 4th round, Golota bit his opponent on the shoulder. In the 5th round, the Pole knocked out Pouha.

In March 1996, Golota knocked out Dannel Nicholson.

In July 1996, a fight took place between Riddick Bowe and the undefeated Andrzej Golota. Golota dominated the fight, but constantly broke the rules. At the end of the 3rd round, Golota hit him in the groin. Bow remained standing. The referee warned the Pole that next time he would deduct a point for the same violation. At the end of the 4th round, Golota hit the groin again. This time Bow fell. The referee deducted a point from the Pole and gave the American 5 minutes to recover. Bow rested for just over a minute. At the end of the 6th round, Golota hit below the belt for the 3rd time, although this time not in the groin. Bow winced in pain. The referee again took a point from him and gave the American time to rest. Bowe recovered again for more than a minute. In the middle of the 7th round, Golota landed another low blow. The referee deducted a point from him again. Bowe immediately began to attack and landed two blows to the back of the head. The referee gave him a verbal warning. Towards the end of the round, the Pole began to bomb Bowe. With 30 seconds left, he landed a series of punches to the head, and then a left uppercut to the groin. Bow fell to the canvas. Referee Wayne Kelly stopped the fight and disqualified the Pole. People from both corners immediately ran into the ring, and then just spectators, and a brawl broke out. Security managed to separate the fighters only after a few minutes. The fight received the status of “event of the year” according to Ring magazine.

In December 1996, a rematch took place between Andrzej Golota and Riddick Bowe. In the middle of the 2nd round, the Pole threw a right cross to the top of the head. Bow swayed and fell to his knees. He rose to the count of 4. After the fight resumed, Golota pinned his opponent against the ropes and began to finish off. Bow responded with counterpunching. At the end of the 2nd round, Golota hit Bowe with his head in the jaw. The referee paused the fight and deducted a point from the Pole. The Pole himself received a cut in this episode. At the beginning of the 4th round, Bowe landed a right hook to the head. Golota retreated. Bowe immediately threw several more right hooks, then several left ones. The Pole fell to the canvas. This was his 1st knockdown in his career. He stood at the count of 5. Bowe was unable to finish off his opponent, as Golota turned the fight into a fuss at close range. In the middle of the 4th round, Golota carried out two blows - left and right uppercuts - below the belt. The referee warned him verbally. At the end of the 4th round, Golota repeated low blows. Bow fell to the canvas. This time the referee deducted a point from the Pole. In the middle of the 5th round, Golota landed a right hook to the head. Then two short left hooks to the jaw and a long right to the head. Then he delivered a series of hooks to the stomach, and another series of short hooks to the jaw. Exhausted, Bow fell onto the canvas. He rose to the count of 7. After the fight resumed, Golota pressed him to the ropes and began to finish him off. Bow was able to reach the gong. At the end of the 9th round, Golota carried out a multi-punch series to the groin - a right uppercut, a left, then a right again. “Low blows!” shouted HBO commentator Jim Lampley. Bow fell to the floor. The referee stopped the fight and disqualified Golota. Bow lay on the floor for several minutes.

In October 1997, Golota fought against Briton Lennox Lewis. Lewis unexpectedly immediately attacked Golota. At the 2nd minute of the 1st round, he locked the Pole in the corner, and delivered several strong right crosses in a row to the jaw, and then added a couple of hooks from both hands. Golota fell. He stood up with wild eyes and suddenly ran to the side. Joe Cortez rushed after him and stopped him. Because of this, the referee counted longer than the required 10 seconds. The Pole did not express his readiness to continue the fight, and clearly did not come to his senses, but Joe Cortez allowed the fight to continue. Lewis immediately attacked Golota again. Golota stood in one place, not even trying to escape the attack. Lewis launched a series of powerful crosses from both hands, again driving the Pole into a corner. Lewis then launched another series of punches, mostly from his right hand. Golota collapsed in the corner. The referee started the countdown, but seeing that the Pole was not coming to his senses, he stopped the fight.

In July 1998, Andrzej Golota entered the ring against Corey Sanders. In a spectacular battle, the Pole outplayed his opponent. In the fight, Sanders received a cut above his right eye.

In October 1998, Golota defeated Tim Witherspoon in Poland.

In November 1999, Golota entered the ring against the undefeated Michael Grant. Golota won the fight, but was knocked down in the 10th round. He stood up, but suddenly refused to continue.

In October 2000, Golota met with Mike Tyson. At the end of the 1st round, Tyson knocked down his opponent with a left hook to the jaw. Golota immediately stood up. During the break between the 2nd and 3rd rounds, Golota refused to continue the fight. Golota's corner tried to persuade him, but to no avail. Golota fled from the battle. While he was leaving the hall, spectators threw all sorts of objects at him, mainly drink glasses. Near the exit, he was hit by a can of ketchup, which spilled over the boxer’s body. Later, representatives of the Showtime television channel said that Golota was a coward, and they would never show him on their channel again. Shortly after the fight, Tyson's doping test gave a positive result and the fight was declared invalid.

In April 2004, Golota met with Chris Bird. The fight ended in a draw.

In January 2008, a fight took place between Andrzej Golota and Mike Mollo. The first half of the fight was equal, but after the middle the Pole seized the initiative. By the end of the fight, Golota's right eye was completely closed. The fight took place as part of a show organized by HBO, the main event of which was the fight between Roy Jones and Felix Trinidad.

Some boxing fans expressed the opinion that two such characters in one ring was too much, but a much larger part of the public was waiting for the spectacle with ever-increasing impatience and hoped to see an uncompromising duel.

Location: The Palace, Auburn Hills, Michigan, United States

Result: Tyson's victory by technical knockout in the 3rd round in a 10-round fight; later the result of the battle changed to no contest

Referee: Frank Garza

Judge: Brad Wright Bernard Teachout Rosemary Grable

Broadcast: Showtime SET

Age, height, weight, career: Tyson, 34 years old, height 181.61 cm (5 ft 11 in), weight 100.7 kg (222 lb), (48-Wins 3-Losses 0-Draws 1-No fight 42-Knockouts); Golota, 32 years old, height 195.1 cm (6′4" ft) weight 108.9 kg (240 lbs), (36-Wins 4-Losses 0-Draws 29-Knockouts)

Description: Another scandalous fight involving Tyson. The truth is that this is not the fault of Iron Mike, but of his opponent, the Pole Andrzej Golota. After the traditional exchange of glances in the center of the ring, Mike Tyson immediately got down to business. He tried the same attack that sent Lou Savarise to the floor in the last fight. It didn't work out. Golota was very careful. At times Andrzej counterattacked somewhat timidly, but with every second he looked more and more confident. However, at the very end of the round, Golota missed Tyson’s right cross, very similar to the one with which Mike ended the fight with Botha, and ended up on the floor. Tyson clearly calculated him, as well as the simple Bota, and simply waited for Golota to come out to attack him. However, Andrzej was not so shocked by this blow. Falling, or rather, sitting on the floor, Golota put both hands up to soften the landing on his fifth point. As one would expect, Golota immediately got up and easily survived the last seconds of the round. One could only hope that he would not capitulate during the break.

While Golota was leaving the hall, spectators threw various objects at him

In the second round, it seemed that with a more or less successful situation, Golota had a chance to survive a few more rounds, and then it would be easier: it is known that after the sixth round, Tyson usually gets a little tired. Apparently, this is what Golota’s team was betting on: hold out the first half of the battle, and go on the offensive in the second. Two or three times during the round Andrzej missed significant blows, but he himself did not remain in debt: several of his own right hands reached the target. Tyson tried to immediately knock out Golota and opened up. Andrzej often clinch. In general, the round went calmly, although with a decent advantage for Tyson.

During the break between the 2nd and 3rd rounds, Golota refused to continue the fight. The Pole's corner tried to persuade him to continue the fight, but to no avail. Golota ran out of the ring. While he was leaving the hall, spectators threw various objects at him, mainly drink glasses. Near the exit, he was hit by a can of ketchup, which spilled over the boxer’s body. Later, representatives of the Showtime television channel said that Golota was a coward, and they would never show him on their channel again. Shortly after the fight, Tyson's doping test showed traces of marijuana in his blood, and the fight was declared invalid.

TYSON - GOLOTA:
BATTLE OF TWO NEURASTENICS

You may already know how this fight ended: the Detroit match between the two most scandalous fighters of our time took place when it was already Saturday morning in Moscow. For now, I know one thing: this battle was preceded by unprecedented excitement.

I don’t even remember a time when two such unbalanced, unpredictable and “dirty” fighters entered the ring, to whom the terminology of dog fighting is quite applicable: Mike Tyson is a specialist in biting off ears, Andrzej Golota is a master in depriving an opponent of his manhood.

There were enough forecasts on the eve of the match. Most experts agreed that Tyson would most likely win, and perhaps already at the very beginning of the fight. In his previous fight with Michael Grant, Golota discredited himself by refusing to continue the fight after a knockdown in the 10th round, although he clearly came to his senses and was ahead of his opponent on points by a large margin. On the other side. Iron Mike defeated his last opponent Lou Savarese in the first minute of the fight, almost finishing him off.

Let me remind you that then Tyson’s first strong blow - a long left side kick that hit the temple - knocked down Savarese. True, he stood up, but he could no longer offer resistance. The referee tried to stop the fight, but hesitated, and Tyson, catching him by the head or neck with the inside of his elbow when delivering another blow, threw the referee to the floor. Having risen, he nevertheless stopped the fight, and Tyson escaped with a non-lethal fine.

The terrifying power of Iron Mike and his rage made a very strong impression on both the public and the experts. After that fight, many said that Tyson was already quite capable of dealing with the British Lennox Lewis, the world heavyweight champion according to the WBC and IBF, and it is quite possible that Lewis would finish this hypothetical fight in the same way as Savarese, that is, he would be knocked out already in the first round. Others, and the majority of them, paying tribute to Tyson’s strength, believed that, in principle, Mike, of course, was capable of knocking out any opponent in the first round, but the tall and powerful Lewis would still defeat him.

However, we are now talking about another fight - Tyson and Golota. I’ll try to predict how events will develop: I think you, who already know the outcome of the fight, will be interested in comparing this forecast with the actual course of the fight.

Option 1. Tyson wins by knockout in the 1st round.

Tyson still has the best "start" in the modern ring. The fight with Savarese is a clear confirmation of this. And yet it seems to me that this could hardly happen this time. Yes, Lewis knocked out Golota in the first round, but Andrzej has learned a thing or two since then. If necessary, he can be very careful, and in the debut of the fight with Tyson, this is precisely the tactics he should have needed. Tall height, long arms and quite decent speed all this made it possible to withstand Mike’s first onslaught.

Option 2. Tyson's victory by knockout in any round from the 2nd to the 6th.

For some reason, people often don’t pay attention to the fact that Tyson won all of his victories by knockout, except two, before the 7th round, and those two in the 7th. Moreover, both of them also, in fact, fit into the general rule. In 1987, Mike knocked out Tyrell Biggs in the 7th round, but could have done it in the 3rd: touched to the quick by his opponent’s pre-match statements, he decided to torment him longer. And in 1991, Tyson defeated Canadian Donovan Ruddock by technical knockout in the 7th round - in this case, it was a clear mistake of the referee, who was in a hurry to stop the fight, which is why a rematch had to be held, which Mike won on points.

For all his immense talent, Tyson cannot maintain the power of his blow for the entire fight. However, up to a certain point, it is such that it can immediately decide the outcome of the fight. This happened, for example, in Tyson’s recent fight with France Botha. The South African then won the first 4 rounds, but in the 5th he missed a right cross - and it was all over.

Option 3. Capitulation or disqualification of Golota.

Like many thugs of this kind, Golota, when under pressure, often breaks down - and either gives up, as in the fight with Michael Grant, or commits some hysterical acts that lead to disqualification, as in two fights with Riddick Bowe. The same thing could have happened to him in the fight with Tyson, although for some reason it seems to me that this should not have happened.

Option 4. Tyson disqualification.

Tyson can also crack under pressure, as his bull terrier attack on Holyfield's ear in their second meeting proves. In that fight, Evander acted all the time on the edge, and sometimes beyond the edge of a foul. In case Golota began to behave in the same spirit. Iron Mike could very well go off the rails again.

Option 5. Golota wins on points or by knockout in the last rounds.

As already mentioned, towards the end of the fight Tyson slows down. In addition, in the last three fights he spent a total of 4 rounds in the ring, so he could simply be unprepared for a long confrontation. In such a situation, Golota, with his psychology, sensing even the slightest weakness, should not have let him go.

In conclusion, I will add that the battle could well have gone according to some completely different scenario. You don’t have to look far for examples. Just two weeks ago, the Maskaev-Johnson fight ended in a way that no expert could have imagined!

Alexander BELENKY