Andrew Golota

Andrzej Jan Gołota (Polish: [ˈandʐɛj ɡɔˈwɔta]; born 5 January 1968),[1] best known as Andrew Golota, is a Polish former professional boxer who competed from 1992 to 2013. He challenged four times for a heavyweight world title (by all four major sanctioning bodies), and as an amateur won a bronze medal in the heavyweight division at the 1988 Olympics. Despite his accomplishments and more than 40 professional wins, Golota is perhaps best known for twice being disqualified against Riddick Bowe for repeated low blows in fights that Golota was winning. On October 4, 1997, he became the first Pole to challenge for a heavyweight boxing crown when he fought WBC champion Lennox Lewis at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. In November 2016, Golota was inducted into the Illinois Boxing Hall of Fame.[2]

Andrew Golota
Golota in 2008
Statistics
Weight(s)Heavyweight
Height1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)
Reach201 cm (79 in)
BornAndrzej Gołota
(1968-01-05) 5 January 1968
Warsaw, Poland
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record
Total fights52
Wins41
Wins by KO33
Losses9
Draws1
No contests1
Medal record
Men's amateur boxing
Representing  Poland
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 1988 Seoul Heavyweight
European Championships
Bronze medal – third place 1989 Athens Heavyweight

Amateur career

The Warsaw-born, Golota had 111 wins and 10 losses in an amateur career that culminated in his winning a bronze medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics. Golota won other international amateur tournaments as well.

In 1990, he got into a fight with a machinist "about half a foot and 50 pounds smaller" in a bar in Poland. Facing charges of assault and battery, he fled rather than risk five years in prison. [3] Later that year, he married an American citizen of Polish descent and settled in Chicago.[4] Gołota's Olympic results were as follows:

Professional career

In 1992, Golota turned professional, knocking out Roosevelt Shuler in three rounds. He had three more knockouts and then went the distance for the first time, defeating Robert Smith in six rounds. He won his next 16 fights by knockout. His wins included Bobby Crabtree and Jeff Lampkin. Following his KO of Crabtree he was featured in Ring Magazine's new faces section. Soon after, he faced a respected contender, Maron Wilson. Golota won a ten-round decision. He won his next five bouts by knockout. His opponents included Samson Po'uha and Darnell Nicholson, both of whom were considered fringe contenders at the time. The win over Po'uha was memorable for the moment in which Gołota bit Po'uha on the side of the neck, two years before the bite-including rematch between Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson.[5]

Golota vs. Bowe I & II
Main articles: Riddick Bowe vs. Andrew Golota and Riddick Bowe vs. Andrew Golota II

Golota's first high-profile fight came against former heavyweight champion Riddick Bowe. Bowe had not fought in nearly a year since his third and final fight with Evander Holyfield, which he won by technical knockout in the eighth round, and had said regarding his opponent, "how do you train for a bum?", paying no attention to his opponent's win–loss record. The fight was held at Madison Square Garden on 11 July 1996, and was televised by HBO as part of its World Championship Boxing series.

Early in the fight it appeared that Bowe had underestimated his opponent's skills. However, Golota's penchant for not following the rules was also showcased in this fight as he took to striking Bowe in the testes. After being repeatedly warned, referee Wayne Kelly began deducting points from Golota and had done so twice prior to the seventh round. Early in that round, Kelly took a third point from Golota for punching Bowe in the testes, and warned him that if he did it again, he was going to lose the fight. Golota continued to fight and with less than a minute left in the round landed several hard shots that appeared to have Bowe staggered. However, with 37 seconds remaining in the round Golota dropped Bowe with another punch directly to the testes, and Kelly disqualified him. What ensued was a dramatic riot that left a large number of civilians and policemen injured, including Gołota himself, who was hit by a member of Bowe's entourage with a two-way radio and required eleven stitches to close a cut on his head. The riot, which has been named "Riot at the Garden", was called Event of the Year by Ring Magazine.

The controversy of Golota vs. Bowe I created interest in a rematch, which was held in Atlantic City, New Jersey on December 14, 1996. Golota vs. Bowe II was on Pay Per View and Gołota once again led Bowe on the scorecards only to be disqualified in the ninth round by referee Eddie Cotton, again for multiple shots to Bowe's testes. This fight also proved to be controversial, and a protest was filed by Gołota's camp to try to overturn the fight's result. Michael Katz, a sportswriter, coined the term Foul Pole for Gołota. Both fights are featured on HBO's documentary Legendary Nights The Tale of Bowe Golota.

Championship fight with Lewis
Main article: Lennox Lewis vs. Andrew Golota

Despite two losses in a row, Gołota became the WBC number one contender. On 4 October 1997, he received a shot at the world's Heavyweight championship against Lennox Lewis in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Gołota was knocked out in the first round.

Gołota subsequently claimed that an injection of lidocaine for tendonitis in his right knee given to him by his physician shortly before the fight made him woozy and impaired his vision. The adverse effects of lidocaine include dizziness, blurred vision, seizures. As a result, he filed a medical malpractice suit against his physician, claiming that the injection had cost him the fight and a deal with HBO for $21 million to broadcast his next four to five fights.[6][7]

Later career
Main article: Mike Tyson vs. Andrew Golota

Gołota's boxing career continued with his beating former 2-time world champion Tim Witherspoon by decision. In his next match, he lost to Michael Grant by a knockout in the tenth round in one of The Ring's 1999 fights of the year. Gołota scored two knockdowns of Grant in the first round. He was ahead on all three judges' scorecards in the tenth round when he himself was knocked down. When asked by referee Randy Neuman whether he wanted to continue, he shook his head twice and then haltingly answered "No".[8]

In 2000, Gołota fought in China beating Marcus Rhodes with a third-round knockout. Later in 2000, he faced former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson. Tyson knocked Golota down in the first round, and in between rounds Golota told his corner to stop the fight but his corner talked him into continuing. In the third round, as he had done in the Grant match, Gołota told the referee he did not want to continue, despite his team desperately urging him on. He later claimed a headbutt impaired him during the fight, which was one of his main reasons for deciding not to continue. The result of the fight was later changed to no contest when Tyson failed a post fight drug test, testing positive for marijuana. Following the Tyson fight, Gołota was inactive for nearly three years before returning to the ring on 14 August 2003. He scored a technical knockout of journeyman Brian Nix in the seventh round. On November 15, Golota knocked out Terrence Lewis in the sixth round at Verona, New York. Gołota then received a second world title shot, fighting IBF heavyweight champion Chris Byrd at New York City's Madison Square Garden on 17 April 2004. The fight resulted in a draw.

On 13 November 2004, Gołota received his second world title shot in a row. Despite knocking down WBA champion John Ruiz twice within the bout, he lost by unanimous decision.[9]

Golota received his third world title try in a row on 21 May 2005 against WBO champion Lamon Brewster. Though heavily favored to win, Gołota lost when Brewster knocked him down three times inside the first round, prompting the referee to stop the bout. On 9 June 2007, he beat Jeremy Bates in the 2nd round by technical knockout. Gołota fought Kevin McBride on October 6, 2007 in Madison Square Garden and won by TKO in the 6th round, winning the inaugural IBF North American Heavyweight championship.[10]

On 19 January 2008, Gołota defeated Mike Mollo by unanimous decision in 12 rounds to win the World Boxing Association Fedelatin heavyweight championship belt. In January, 2009, Gołota lost by first-round TKO to Ray Austin. On 24 October 2009 in Łódź, Gołota fought Tomasz Adamek and lost by TKO in the 5th round. The event was hosted on Polsat TV, it was also broadcast live online on ipla.tv platform. It was the largest live internet transmission in Poland.

Professional boxing record
52 fights 41 wins 9 losses
By knockout 33 6
By decision 8 1
By disqualification 0 2
Draws 1
No contests 1
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
52 Loss 41–9–1 (1) Przemysław Saleta KO 6 (10), 2:49 23 Feb 2013 Ergo Arena, Gdańsk, Poland
51 Loss 41–8–1 (1) Tomasz Adamek TKO 5 (10), 1:20 24 Oct 2009 Atlas Arena, Łódź, Poland For vacant IBF International heavyweight title
50 Loss 41–7–1 (1) Ray Austin RTD 1 (12), 3:00 7 Nov 2008 Sichuan Gymnasium, Chengdu, China For vacant WBC–USNBC heavyweight title
49 Win 41–6–1 (1) Mike Mollo UD 12 19 Jan 2008 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, US Won WBA Fedelatin heavyweight title
48 Win 40–6–1 (1) Kevin McBride TKO 6 (12), 2:42 6 Oct 2007 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, US Won vacant IBF North American heavyweight title
47 Win 39–6–1 (1) Jeremy Bates TKO 2 (10), 2:59 9 Jun 2007 Spodek, Katowice, Poland
46 Loss 38–6–1 (1) Lamon Brewster TKO 1 (12), 0:52 21 May 2005 United Center, Chicago, Illinois, US For WBO heavyweight title
45 Loss 38–5–1 (1) John Ruiz UD 12 13 Nov 2004 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, US For WBA heavyweight title
44 Draw 38–4–1 (1) Chris Byrd SD 12 17 Apr 2004 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, US For IBF heavyweight title
43 Win 38–4 (1) Terrence Lewis TKO 6 (10), 1:25 14 Nov 2003 Turning Stone Resort Casino, Verona, New York, US
42 Win 37–4 (1) Brian Nix TKO 7 (10), 2:43 14 Aug 2003 Dover Downs, Dover, Delaware, US
41 NC 36–4 (1) Mike Tyson RTD 3 (10), 3:00 20 Oct 2000 The Palace, Auburn Hills, Michigan, US Originally an RTD win for Tyson, later ruled an NC after he failed a drug test
40 Win 36–4 Orlin Norris UD 10 16 Jun 2000 Mandalay Bay Events Center, Paradise, Nevada, US
39 Win 35–4 Marcus Rhode TKO 3 (10), 2:19 22 Apr 2000 Tianhe Stadium, Guangzhou, China
38 Loss 34–4 Michael Grant TKO 10 (12), 1:31 20 Nov 1999 Etess Arena, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US For NABF heavyweight title
37 Win 34–3 Quinn Navarre TKO 6 (10) 26 Jun 1999 Centennial Hall, Wrocław, Poland
36 Win 33–3 Jesse Ferguson UD 10 30 Jan 1999 Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US
35 Win 32–3 Tim Witherspoon UD 10 2 Oct 1998 Centennial Hall, Wrocław, Poland
34 Win 31–3 Corey Sanders UD 10 21 Jul 1998 Etess Arena, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US
33 Win 30–3 Jack Basting TKO 3 (10), 2:09 8 May 1998 Trump Marina, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US
32 Win 29–3 Eli Dixon KO 6 (10), 2:15 14 Apr 1998 Foxwoods Resort Casino, Ledyard, Connecticut, US
31 Loss 28–3 Lennox Lewis KO 1 (12), 1:35 4 Oct 1997 Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US For WBC heavyweight title
30 Loss 28–2 Riddick Bowe DQ 9 (10), 2:58 14 Dec 1996 Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US Golota disqualified for repeated low blows
29 Loss 28–1 Riddick Bowe DQ 7 (12), 2:37 11 Jul 1996 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, US Golota disqualified for repeated low blows
28 Win 28–0 Danell Nicholson RTD 8 (10), 3:00 15 Mar 1996 Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US
27 Win 27–0 Charles Hostetter TKO 2 (10), 2:36 30 Jan 1996 Medieval Times, Lyndhurst, New Jersey, US
26 Win 26–0 Jason Waller TKO 2 (10) 18 Nov 1995 Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US
25 Win 25–0 West Turner TKO 1 (8), 0:39 26 Aug 1995 Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US
24 Win 24–0 Samson Po'uha TKO 5 (10), 2:44 16 May 1995 Steel Pier, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US
23 Win 23–0 Marion Wilson UD 10 11 Apr 1995 Bismarck Hotel, Chicago, Illinois, US
22 Win 22–0 Dwayne Hall TKO 1 (8) 26 Jan 1995 Rosemont, Illinois, US
21 Win 21–0 Darren Hayden TKO 7 (10), 3:00 1 Nov 1994 MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, Nevada, US
20 Win 20–0 Jeff Lampkin RTD 1 (10), 3:00 13 Aug 1994 The Aladdin, Paradise, Nevada, US
19 Win 19–0 Jesse Shelby TKO 2 (8), 2:59 18 Jun 1994 Bismark Hotel, Chicago, Illinois, US
18 Win 18–0 Terry Davis TKO 1 (10), 1:51 6 May 1994 Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US
17 Win 17–0 Larry Davis KO 1 (8) 16 Mar 1994 Bismarck Hotel, Chicago, Illinois, US
16 Win 16–0 Donnell Wingfield TKO 1 (8) 14 Jan 1994 Carmel High School, Chicago, Illinois, US
15 Win 15–0 Calvin Jones TKO 2 (6) 23 Nov 1993 Hyatt Regency O'Hare, Rosemont, Illinois, US
14 Win 14–0 Andre Smith KO 1 (8), 2:59 4 Sep 1993 The Aladdin, Paradise, Nevada, US
13 Win 13–0 Marion Wilson PTS 8 10 Jul 1993 Fernwood Resort, Bushkill, Pennsylvania, US
12 Win 12–0 Carlton West TKO 2 (8) 22 Jun 1993 Trump Taj Mahal, Atlantic City, New Jersey, US
11 Win 11–0 Kevin P. Porter KO 3 (6) 15 May 1993 The Eagles Ballroom, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US
10 Win 10–0 Bobby Crabtree TKO 2 (10), 1:14 26 Mar 1993 Union Hall, Countryside, Illinois, US
9 Win 9–0 Andre Crowder TKO 1 (6) 5 Feb 1993 The Eagles Ballroom, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US
8 Win 8–0 Eddie Taylor TKO 1 (8), 2:49 5 Dec 1992 Expo Center, Dolton, Illinois, US
7 Win 7–0 Aaron Brown TKO 2 (6) 3 Oct 1992 St. Andrews Gym, Chicago, Illinois, US
6 Win 6–0 James Holly KO 1 (6) 28 Aug 1992 Union Hall, Countryside, Illinois, US
5 Win 5–0 Robert Smith PTS 6 24 Jul 1992 Union Hall, Countryside, Illinois, US
4 Win 4–0 Joey Christjohn TKO 1 (6) 20 Jun 1992 St. Andrews Gym, Chicago, Illinois, US
3 Win 3–0 Charles Presswood KO 1 (4) 27 Mar 1992 Union Hall, Countryside, Illinois, US
2 Win 2–0 Joe Jones KO 1 (4), 2:13 28 Feb 1992 Union Hall, Countryside, Illinois, US
1 Win 1–0 Roosevelt Shuler TKO 3 (4) 7 Feb 1992 United Community Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US

Television viewership

Poland
DateFightViewership (avg.)NetworkSource(s)
2 October 1998
 Andrew Golota vs. Tim Witherspoon
12,500,000
 Polsat [11][12]
17 April 2004
 Chris Byrd vs. Andrew Golota
1,309,000
 TVN [13]
24 October 2009
 Andrew Golota vs. Tomasz Adamek
8,190,000 – 13,000,000
 Polsat [14][15][16]
Total viewership 21,999,000 – 26,809,000

Pay-per-view bouts
Date Fight Pay-per-view buys Network Source(s)
23 February 2013
 Andrew Golota vs. Przemysław Saleta
120,000
 Cyfra+ PPV [17]
Total sales 120,000 Cyfra+ PPV

Pay-per-view bouts
Date Fight Pay-per-view buys Network Source(s)
4 October 1997
 Lennox Lewis vs. Andrew Golota
300,000
 HBO PPV [18]
20 October 2000
 Mike Tyson vs. Andrew Golota
450,000
 Showtime PPV [19]
17 April 2004 Chris Byrd vs. Andrew Golota
75,000
 Spike TV/King Vision [20][21]
11 December 2004 John Ruiz vs. Andrew Golota
120,000
 HBO PPV [22]
Total sales 945,000

Other

Golota took part in Census 2010 commercials, recorded in Polish and English. In 2010, he appeared in the Polish edition of Dancing with the Stars (Taniec z Gwiazdami) with partner Magdalena Soszyńska-Michno. In his first appearance he danced the waltz. He was eliminated on 7 November 2010, at the quarter final stage and he finished in 5th place. He has also participated in Polish version of The Mole (Agent - Gwiazdy), he has been eliminated and finished in eighth place.

References
  1. "Andrzej Gołota". Onet Sport (in Polish). 2012-11-15. Retrieved 2019-05-20.
  2. Fitzgerald, Mike; Morley, Patrick (2014-06-19). Third Man in the Ring: 33 of Boxing's Best Referees and Their Stories. Potomac Books, Inc. ISBN 9781612342429.
  3. "Down and Dirty", sportsillustrated.cnn.com; retrieved 8 March 2015.
  4. "The Philadelphia Inquirer". Archived from the original on 2016-05-12. Retrieved 2016-04-27.
  5. BraggingRightsCorner.com Archived December 5, 2008, at the Wayback Machine; accessed 8 March 2015.
  6. Ackert, Kristie, "Golata Sues Own Doctor Over Shot" , nydailynews.com; accessed 8 March 2015.
  7. "Golota Says Injection Made Him Feel Woosy", The New York Times; accessed 8 March 2015.
  8. "Michael Grant vs. Andrew Golota - BoxRec". boxrec.com. Retrieved 2021-01-28.
  9. Rafael, Dan. "Ruiz, Byrd, Rahman victorious in ring". USA Today. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  10. "Andrew Golota vs. Kevin McBride - BoxRec". boxrec.com. Retrieved 2021-01-28.
  11. "LEGENDARNE WALKI #2: Andrzej Gołota vs Tim Witherspoon" (in Polish). 25 November 2018. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  12. "Telewizja Polsat kończy 20 lat – poznajmy jej historie" (in Polish). Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  13. Misiołowski, Robert (2 December 2015). Marketing w sporcie (in Polish). Promotor. ISBN 978-83-60095-25-6.
  14. "Polsat Boxing Night 7: Wszystkie wojny Tomasza Adamka GALERIA" (in Polish). Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  15. "Ponad 8 mln widzów walki Adamek - Gołota" (in Polish). Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  16. "Miliony oglądały zakrwawionego Gołotę" (in Polish). 26 October 2009. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  17. "DOBRA SPRZEDAŻ WALKI GOŁOTA - SALETA" (in Polish). 25 February 2013. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  18. "Rawling awards Lewis clean sweep". BBC. 2000-11-12. Retrieved 2016-04-16.
  19. Emen, Jake (October 30, 2011). "Biggest boxing PPVs of all time – UFC". Yahoo! Sports. Archived from the original on November 24, 2011. Retrieved November 3, 2011.
  20. Where are the new heavyweights? By Dan Rafael, USA TODAY
  21. 2004-04-17 Chris Byrd vs Andrew Golota - IBF World Heavyweight Title
  22. "King throws weight behind Golota revival". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on 2022-05-24. Retrieved 2021-03-23.
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