Great video! Micheal Dokes came up in TWO competitive heavyweight eras, the 80's and the mid 90's! He was always a solid champion and competitor, Respect in peace!
I hung out with Dokes back in Vegas in 1987 at the Hagler V Leonard fight. He had come out to Australia sometime before and my colleague had met him in Sydney, thus the connection. We had a ball with him. He showed us around, took us back to his house. He had style and a swagger about him, very cocky and a bit wild, but I could not say enough about how hospitable and friendly he was to myself and a few other guys from OZ. I really liked him and was saddened to learn of his fate. Never realised his full potential.
When I first seen Dokes it was against Britain's j.l Gardner , and I couldn't believe the hand speed and accuracy Of Doke's punches. I felt for sure we was watching the next great heavyweight champion. Dokes had it all , terrific hand speed , accuracy and a solid chin. When I saw him win the title against Weaver in the first round , he was the man to take over from Larry Holmes . The rematch against Weaver as we know ended in a draw. People have different opinions on who actually won that fight , but I felt Dokes would learn from that and still go on and become the top heavyweight. When Dokes fought gerrie coetzee, i knew coetzee would have his moments in the fight , but i really thought Dokes would come through that fight with a possible mid to late round stoppage. Sadly for me , even though Dokes was involved in some wars and some good wins , I felt Dokes was never the same fighter after the gerrie coetzee fight. Would a prime Holyfield beat a prime Dokes ? I'm privileged to say I collected a a DVD collection of Mike's fights and I have 32 fights on DVD. I look back at this collection every year or so and I wonder what could of been for Mike. Dokes will always be one of my favourite heavyweights . A terrific heavyweight with so much natural ability who sadly chose the wrong path, but I take my hat off to mr Dokes and say what a tremendous exciting heavyweight who I loved to watch , and never tire of watching my DVD collection. I was very sad to hear of Mike's death when it happened, but I dont like to think of Mike's troubles outside of the ring , I love to remember Mike as a tremendous fighter on his rise to the title , his tremendous abilities and his toughness and courage inside the ring. R.I.P Mike I will always respect you . Thanks for the heavyweight memories.
Fair play to you, a touching and thoughtful comment, I agree Dokes really did look dynamite for a while but you got to live the life - just like Larry Holmes did! Being a Champ out the ring is just as important. Dokes certainly would have done better if he had looked after himself more 🥊
Another one of the same fast hand speed and great skills was Tony Tubbs but thankfully at least he's still with us both of them became champions too and held the same belt WBA
Very humble and intelligent man - he was looking really good against Holyfield and beat him up pretty good - that fight kind of shows how good Holyfield was as well to come back from taking some of Dokes best shots, hanging tough until his opportunity.
One of the greatest. Mike could Rumble baby! Also a really good person. Unfortunately drugs, and that "Piece of shit" Don King got to him. I'll always love you Mike. Rest in Peace!
The fact that Dokes had very fast hands shows the genius of Ali who dodged them leaning back in the back in the corner. I didn't noticed Dokes quickness before, thanks from a box fan in Germany👊🏿
@@atribecalledjudah5436I'm not sure this is about race, Dokes is more eloquent than boxers like Joe Calzaghe, Billy Joe Saunders and Carl Froch for example. Rightly or wrongly, people don't assume sportsmen, especially boxers, to be as articulate as him. For example, football players in the UK, of all races, are often derided for their inability to express themselves beyond the usual clichéd phrases.
A very good short documentary. The audio track seemed to be missing at the end, yet no audio was needed to know that it was the end of the road for Michael. Sad but not without a few bright moments
Michael Dokes experience both the High's and Low's of Sucess. A truly sad story of talent never truly recognized. I remember watching several of his fights over the years and you could just see the natural talent and at times explosiveness. He didn't want the party to end. He was very likeable I don't ever remember him really trash talking other fighters. The sad part of Boxing during the 80's especially the Heavyweight division was Don King who totally screwed so many decent Fighters over. Plus He had so many of the top Heavyweights under contract and with two titles WBC/WBA and eventually the IBF The best fighters don't always fight each other. I mean with one Champion your top contenders have to fight each other and the Champion has to face the top contender. So many good fights never got made because of King who was more interested in control and keeping fighters down.
Not too take anything away from Dokes because he was a helluva fighter but that stoppage against weaver was atrocious. And he clearly lost the rematch. I believe that weaver did real damage to him in the rematch and ruined the rest of his career.
This is fantastic. I do remember Dokes. I remember watching him knocking out someone in the first round in the early 1980s and I thought that the heavyweight division might get exciting again. I was right but for the wrong reason because along came Tyson and Dokes just disappeared off my radar.
Love your videos, Bro. Keep it up. Watched Dokes a lot as a kid. For whatever reason, he was always someone I pulled against. Always thought the Weaver fight was a farce. But it was really sad how his life turned out and a tragic reality on how drugs can ruin a person.
MD was an amazing talent,phenomenal hand speed and power,great combinations,level change ,angle change and tough af.. Only drugs defeated him.RIP champ,you were sensational.
I got into boxing in May '81. At that time Dokes was being derided for lacking a true heavyweight punch. He then proceeds to go on an impressive KO tear, starting with the truly brutal one over Gardner.
Good heavyweight. Wish Dokes had fought Holmes. I pick Holmes but I think it is the one big fight missing from that generation. Holmes fought everyone else but this guy.
Rich your documentaries are something I've never ever seen before your on a level all on your own I mean really on your own... God's blessed you. Keep on that great work your the man brother 🇵🇷💯
DOKES was a talented boxer with exceptional hands speed. He is one of those 5 or 6 boxers (after Ali, Foreman and Frazier), excellents technicians who, during the same period, would have posed enormous problems for Tyson, when they would have knocked him outright. Drug, that bad and false ally. RIP, Champion.
Alot of those 80,s lost generation of heavyweights were quite good.you just have to see how well witherspoon did when he came back.drugs and mainly crack destroyed many of them.i still rate a prime Holmes as a chance against anyone in history
I agree with you the 80s had tremendous potential Tony Tubbs was another great HW who had fast hand speed and great skills but unfortunately never capitalized on it
Muhammad Ali once mentored Michael Dokes. He was a pretty good boxer/puncher, and was blessed with God-given speed. To top it all off, he had the charisma. Michael Dokes could have been big as another gifted fighter from The '80's, Sugar Ray Leonard, if he would have left the drugs alone.
Agreed. Many fighters did damaging drugs and still had great careers. Oscar Delahoya, Pryor, Tyson, Whittaker, Chavez etc... Dokes was a good heavyweight, but was not great. Hand speed and toughness was alpha had.
I enjoyed the video but I didn't enjoy the volume being gone a couple of times. No volume that last 4 minutes 😢 miss a good part, but thank you for doing a good job putting it together nonetheless. 👍🏼
@@jeffallinson8089 Yes great doc but sound went out during the Coetzeer fight and the Bowe fight until the end. Nonetheless still the best Boxing channel on earth.
It is something that his best career effort was a losing one. Rich, you are right after all. Dokes and Page should have gone much farther than they did. I stand corrected.
I covered boxing back then as Dokes was thought to certainly be a Heavyweight title holder blessed with his natural boxing talents especially the hand speed. Unfortunately the WBA Heavyweight title in the early mid eighties was a revolving door Dokes included until Mike Tyson came crashing through that door. In the late seventies and first half of the eighties the WBC Heavyweight title holder was a true ruler in Larry Holmes.
Went on a party binge before a Championship fight with Bowe and was almost be headed by Razor Ruddock. But could definitely beat the shit outta all the heavyweight champs of today
When Don King told His Fighters “I’ll be with you win or Draw but lose and you’re on your own”, He wasn’t lying.. Dokes found that out the night he was knocked out by Gerrie Coatzee .. Don King stepped over him to Get to Coatzee.
I have a low opinion of don king... however, out of all fairness.don king did say one time "it's nothin personal.its all business...what are gonna do with a loser?!"..........though he did stand by Tyson when he lost to Douglas.....I'm sure he knew that tyson just wasn't right that night
@Exar I’d be interested to know why Holmes didn’t fight Greg Page in the early to mid 80’s ?..I know Page had lost to Trevor BerBick and Tim Witherspoon and David Bey all of which Holmes beat .. But if I remember correctly didn’t Holmes vacate his WBC title for the newly formed IBF belt? When Page was the number one contender for the WBC title. I hate to say it but I believe Holmes didn’t wanna face Witherspoon again as it was a very close fight and didn’t want no part of Greg Page either .. I’m not saying Page could have beaten Holmes but it’s a shame we never got to see the fight .. What’s your take on it?
Dokes was a very good fighter during a time when the Heavyweight division was loaded. The problem for some heavyweights during this era was Don King. I saw a worksheet that was produced by Tim Witherspoon where his share of a purse was 800K, from which Witherspoon only collected 90K. Several promoters said that Witherspoon’s share should have been around 400k-425k. This is what happened to the majority of heavyweights during this era. I met Michael Dokes in Las Vegas in 1990.
"Right now, Ruddock is fighting the wrong fight..." Ruddock immediately lands three of the most savage left hands you'll ever see. Always take the ringside commentators words with a grain of salt.
Well. He's largely forgotten because of how good he COULD HAVE been...he was a very good boxer in his prime when he fought Holyfield And that fight took allot out of him...and the drug life you know...drugs fuck you up period
Not related but I saw clay listen in my kitchen with my father, I remember dad saying the kid can move. The kid is fast. Then saying I didn't think he would ko him. Happy day I was too young but I remember.
I would love to see his amateur fight with teofilo Stevenson. I’ve seen a short highlight on dokes hitting the deck for 2 flash knockdowns against Stevenson but read that he fought to a split verdict. Dokes must have fought a splendid fight against the big Cuban. Mike dokes was a great heavyweight and it was good to see a heavyweight go to the body so effectively and not just a head hunter.
My brother and I were at the Richfield Coliseum when Dokes, unfortunately, lost his title. Apparently, he was partying it up before the fight. He was from Akron, like us. We got to see Sugar Ray Leonard, who was doing commentary for HBO. Trivia: people were handing out anti-apartheid fliers in the parking lot before the fight. Coetzee was from South Africa.
After the Olympics...I thought that we had found another Ali. He had the hand speed but lacked the size, footwork, upper body speed, discipline and chin.
So obviously not another Ali. That's what seperated Ali to the rest of the pack even during the Golden Age of Heavyweight Boxing, Ali stood out, even among other greats like Foreman, Frazier, Norton, Liston, Shaver, Lyle and Holmes. He was the complete package.. We will never see another Ali and I seriously doubt we ever will.
Dokes had fast hands for a muscle bound heavyweight and tremendous boxing savy. The only fights I've seen of his were all losses. Losses to the likes of Holyfield, Ruddick, and Bowe. All very good fighters. By the time he had faced Bowe he was just a shell of his former self. This is what addiction does. Dokes battles with cocaine had obviously caught up with the man. Still a former world champion.
This is my favorite chapter of your series, because it focuses on commentary with only snippets of actual fights. My only criticism of your series is that sometimes you seem to pad your videos with segments of fighting without commentary that run too long.
Extremely quick hands and quick feet, but he didn't want to learn to box which was his downfall. Because he faced people that were physically more imposing than himself. But also more persistent if he had learned tobox he would have been a king.
Michael Dokes was a helluva fighter, but he didn't have Greg Page's skillset, or Cooney's power. Truthfully, he got Page's shot with Weaver. Nor did he had the defining win that Page or Cooney had as contenders. But he had tremendous heart, and, of course speed. Shame the drugs damaged him and his career.
@@apex_prowler95 Dokes did not have Page's talent. But when you have Don King's pull in your backpocket, you can do things. I think Gerry's managers knew that Michael was something to deal with, so they avoided him.
@@Belburg Greg Page was an unmotivated Muhammad Ali wannabe. It's arguable whether he was more talented than Dokes or not, but he was certainly far less entertaining and much, much fatter.
@Left Hook I will give you that, he probably wasn't as entertaining, and definitely much fatter. But the potential and talent was probably higher on Greg's end than Michael's and you make a good statement.
Dokes problem was that he looked like a "drugged up, Fuck up", long before he actually Was One and people never really got behind him. He was one weird looking guy, lol...
Michael was in the top three of the ABC champions, which included himself, Pinklon Thomas, and Tim Witherspoon with Greg Page just missing the cut IMO. These fighters could look brilliant one minute then borderline mediocre the next, the reason I feel was because of both Don King, and their lack of popular appeal. This gave way to succumbing to personal demons, especially in the case of Pinklon. He showed glimpses of what he could have done against Tyson, had he been younger and chosen the correct life path, as Witherspoon showed against Holmes. Dokes will forever be remembered for his two fights against 'mr unflappable' Mike Weaver. The first was dramatic while the second was very exciting and sadly forgotten today.
You forgo Tony Tubbs as well He had fast hands and great skills but never capitalized on it I was looking forward for Tyson vs witherspoon but instead witherspoon got knocked out by bonecrusher smith in the 1st round and that ruined the fight
@@theinformationbomber7102 He had the speed and tools, but he seemed to lack the 'what could have been' factor the other guys had. One guy in a similar mould to all these guys although a little later was buster.He was fortunate to be able to show what he could do that one time. I remember watching him lose to tony Tucker after winning easily and thinking he had the speed and size to trouble Tyson. Witherspoon against Tyson would have been interesting, but I don't think his right swing would stop a marauding Mike. I either see him being competitive in the first half, then taking a beating and trying to hold and losing a UD, or taking a knee after a barrage from Tyson around the seventh and being counted out.
@@RichtheFightHistorian how far back do they go to bareknuckle times? I know everyone is on it now 🙄 , I don't want to know know the answer tbh keep doing what you do ✌️
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Great video! Micheal Dokes came up in TWO competitive heavyweight eras, the 80's and the mid 90's! He was always a solid champion and competitor, Respect in peace!
I hung out with Dokes back in Vegas in 1987 at the Hagler V Leonard fight. He had come out to Australia sometime before and my colleague had met him in Sydney, thus the connection. We had a ball with him. He showed us around, took us back to his house. He had style and a swagger about him, very cocky and a bit wild, but I could not say enough about how hospitable and friendly he was to myself and a few other guys from OZ. I really liked him and was saddened to learn of his fate. Never realised his full potential.
Thanks for sharing ur experience!
Appericate it for supports my family
too bad he was crap
Excellent presentation, sir! There isn't enough backstory on Dokes, so thank you for this.
Thank you Southbay227
When I first seen Dokes it was against Britain's j.l Gardner , and I couldn't believe the hand speed and accuracy
Of Doke's punches. I felt for sure we was watching the next great heavyweight champion. Dokes had it all , terrific hand speed , accuracy and a solid chin.
When I saw him win the title against Weaver in the first round , he was the man to take over from Larry Holmes .
The rematch against Weaver as we know ended in a draw. People have different opinions on who actually won that fight , but I felt Dokes would learn from that and still go on and become the top heavyweight. When Dokes fought gerrie coetzee, i knew coetzee would have his moments in the fight , but i really thought Dokes would come through that fight with a possible mid to late round stoppage. Sadly for me , even though Dokes was involved in some wars and some good wins , I felt Dokes was never the same fighter after the gerrie coetzee fight. Would a prime Holyfield beat a prime Dokes ? I'm privileged to say I collected a a DVD collection of Mike's fights and I have 32 fights on DVD. I look back at this collection every year or so and I wonder what could of been for Mike. Dokes will always be one of my favourite heavyweights . A terrific heavyweight with so much natural ability who sadly chose the wrong path, but I take my hat off to mr Dokes and say what a tremendous exciting heavyweight who I loved to watch , and never tire of watching my DVD collection. I was very sad to hear of Mike's death when it happened, but I dont like to think of Mike's troubles outside of the ring , I love to remember Mike as a tremendous fighter on his rise to the title , his tremendous abilities and his toughness and courage inside the ring. R.I.P Mike I will always respect you . Thanks for the heavyweight memories.
Fair play to you, a touching and thoughtful comment, I agree Dokes really did look dynamite for a while but you got to live the life - just like Larry Holmes did! Being a Champ out the ring is just as important. Dokes certainly would have done better if he had looked after himself more 🥊
Another one of the same fast hand speed and great skills was Tony Tubbs but thankfully at least he's still with us
both of them became champions too and held the same belt WBA
Absolutely.
Your short documentaries are amazing! Thank you for sharing!
Dokes was so physically strong and his feet were as quick as anyone. This was a once a generation athlete. Very very rare talent.
Very humble and intelligent man - he was looking really good against Holyfield and beat him up pretty good - that fight kind of shows how good Holyfield was as well to come back from taking some of Dokes best shots, hanging tough until his opportunity.
You probably never seen the young, pre-Weaver Dokes, LOL. Seemed like a cool guy though.
I had seen his brutal fight against Holyfield, but I didn't know about his story. Thanks a lot for this. Great job.
Thank you, Xabier.
One of the greatest. Mike could Rumble baby! Also a really good person. Unfortunately drugs, and that "Piece of shit" Don King got to him. I'll always love you Mike. Rest in Peace!
I knew Mike too and was deeply saddened learning of his death and his future demise RIP Mike RIP
The fact that Dokes had very fast hands shows the genius of Ali who dodged them leaning back in the back in the corner. I didn't noticed Dokes quickness before, thanks from a box fan in Germany👊🏿
That was an exhibition...not a real fight.....
Extremely well-spoken and articulate and it's a pity he lacked self-discipline, because he certainly had the tools to be great.
True, that kind of handspeed in a heavyweight is rare indeed as is Dokes' self deprecating humour and wit.
Well spoken is very racist
@@atribecalledjudah5436I'm not sure this is about race, Dokes is more eloquent than boxers like Joe Calzaghe, Billy Joe Saunders and Carl Froch for example. Rightly or wrongly, people don't assume sportsmen, especially boxers, to be as articulate as him. For example, football players in the UK, of all races, are often derided for their inability to express themselves beyond the usual clichéd phrases.
Math is racist
@@atribecalledjudah5436 that’s a whole fact
Rich been watching your channel all Sunday today, amazing boxing documentary, enjoying it
Much appreciated, luigi!
Great channel! I'm watching every video. Thank u!
A very good short documentary. The audio track seemed to be missing at the end, yet no audio was needed to know that it was the end of the road for Michael. Sad but not without a few bright moments
Ya the audio is trash
My favourite fighter thank you for this as there’s virtually nothing of the sort on him, subscribed mate
Thanks, JHLman1!
I'm a big Dokes fan too! He had all the tools. I wanted him to beat up Larry Holmes so bad...
Wow at age 23 Dokes looks like he's 40, and that's because of the drugs but his hands was literally fast as HELL.
Thanks for teaching us about some good fighters that most people have forgoten about in my opinion.
My pleasure
"The Great Gatsby didn't have parties as good as I had."
Nah fr
@@richmurphy25 Speak English, ferchrissakes
great quote, of course things didnt work out so well in the end of the novel either.
Michael Dokes experience both the High's and Low's of Sucess. A truly sad story of talent never truly recognized. I remember watching several of his fights over the years and you could just see the natural talent and at times explosiveness. He didn't want the party to end. He was very likeable I don't ever remember him really trash talking other fighters. The sad part of Boxing during the 80's especially the Heavyweight division was Don King who totally screwed so many decent Fighters over. Plus He had so many of the top Heavyweights under contract and with two titles WBC/WBA and eventually the IBF The best fighters don't always fight each other. I mean with one Champion your top contenders have to fight each other and the Champion has to face the top contender. So many good fights never got made because of King who was more interested in control and keeping fighters down.
Doke's manager was correct. He was truly fearless. Scared of no one
Not too take anything away from Dokes because he was a helluva fighter but that stoppage against weaver was atrocious. And he clearly lost the rematch. I believe that weaver did real damage to him in the rematch and ruined the rest of his career.
You are absolutely right
G g
I'd say drugs, drinking, and partying did a better job ruining Doke's career than anything else.
He was in a war with Evander and Razer hit him while he was defenseless. Much respect for being a fighter in life until the end.
Out of Akron, Ohio won the GG for 2 or 3 years. Loads of talent.
Great job, Rich. Thank you.
My father used to spar with him all the time at the Broadway gym in Los Angeles.
This is fantastic. I do remember Dokes. I remember watching him knocking out someone in the first round in the early 1980s and I thought that the heavyweight division might get exciting again. I was right but for the wrong reason because along came Tyson and Dokes just disappeared off my radar.
Love your videos, Bro. Keep it up. Watched Dokes a lot as a kid. For whatever reason, he was always someone I pulled against. Always thought the Weaver fight was a farce. But it was really sad how his life turned out and a tragic reality on how drugs can ruin a person.
Thanks very much and your thoughts on Dokes' demise are spot on.
MD was an amazing talent,phenomenal hand speed and power,great combinations,level change ,angle change and tough af..
Only drugs defeated him.RIP champ,you were sensational.
Great job with the video glad to know about Mike Dokes
Yeah my understanding was that when dokes fought holyfield.he was considered the third best heavyweight in the world(at that time)
Dokes said that Holyfield wasn’t Big enough to Knock him out .. You could see Holyfield had a point to prove that night.
I got into boxing in May '81. At that time Dokes was being derided for lacking a true heavyweight punch. He then proceeds to go on an impressive KO tear, starting with the truly brutal one over Gardner.
One of the greatest of all time. From the waist up. Unfortunately I've seen better footwork from a couple of drunks fighting outside a pub.
Good heavyweight. Wish Dokes had fought Holmes. I pick Holmes but I think it is the one big fight missing from that generation. Holmes fought everyone else but this guy.
Rich your documentaries are something I've never ever seen before your on a level all on your own I mean really on your own... God's blessed you. Keep on that great work your the man brother 🇵🇷💯
Always good to hear from you petie rican, thank you.
@@RichtheFightHistorian always your my boxing history course professor😉😉
Dynamite Dokes.
Helluva fighter.
And well-spoken.
DOKES was a talented boxer with exceptional hands speed. He is one of those 5 or 6 boxers (after Ali, Foreman and Frazier), excellents technicians who, during the same period, would have posed enormous problems for Tyson, when they would have knocked him outright. Drug, that bad and false ally. RIP, Champion.
thank you ... we grew up with him and he was one of my fathers best friends 330 akron oh
Alot of those 80,s lost generation of heavyweights were quite good.you just have to see how well witherspoon did when he came back.drugs and mainly crack destroyed many of them.i still rate a prime Holmes as a chance against anyone in history
I agree with you the 80s had tremendous potential
Tony Tubbs was another great HW who had fast hand speed and great skills but unfortunately never capitalized on it
@@theinformationbomber7102 Tony never got into shape, but he was a great talent.
@@Belburg yeah absolutely true
He could have been an ATG imo
I just discovered this channel. Excellent work, subscribed..
Awesome, thank you!
Reupload with full sound , still a good look back at yesterday's fighters .
I can really relate to Dokes...other than the world class boxing ability
Muhammad Ali once mentored Michael Dokes. He was a pretty good boxer/puncher, and was blessed with God-given speed. To top it all off, he had the charisma. Michael Dokes could have been big as another gifted fighter from The '80's, Sugar Ray Leonard, if he would have left the drugs alone.
Tha drink, drugs n partys done Leonard no harm, quit making excuses for Dokes !
Agreed. Many fighters did damaging drugs and still had great careers. Oscar Delahoya, Pryor, Tyson, Whittaker, Chavez etc... Dokes was a good heavyweight, but was not great. Hand speed and toughness was alpha had.
Yup, and we'd all be champion if we could fight!
Dokes had all the tools to be the next Ali or Holmes. Still had a memorable career though. Sleep in peace champ.
Well done! I had forgotten all about Mr. Dokes. Great fighter.
Thanks, Ramiro. He was one of my favorites from the 80s.
@@RichtheFightHistorian Agreed. Unfortunately parts of the 1980s clearer than others for me. Definitely remember his moves.
Hi again could you do a video on the Rick Elvis Parker controversies sometime?
We'll see.
I enjoyed the video but I didn't enjoy the volume being gone a couple of times. No volume that last 4 minutes 😢 miss a good part, but thank you for doing a good job putting it together nonetheless. 👍🏼
Same here - the loss of volume especially at the end simply not good enough to post. Sorry but ..
@@jeffallinson8089 Yes great doc but sound went out during the Coetzeer fight and the Bowe fight until the end. Nonetheless still the best Boxing channel on earth.
It is something that his best career effort was a losing one. Rich, you are right after all. Dokes and Page should have gone much farther than they did. I stand corrected.
I covered boxing back then as Dokes was thought to certainly be a Heavyweight title holder blessed with his natural boxing talents especially the hand speed. Unfortunately the WBA Heavyweight title in the early mid eighties was a revolving door Dokes included until Mike Tyson came crashing through that door. In the late seventies and first half of the eighties the WBC Heavyweight title holder was a true ruler in Larry Holmes.
Damn. I remember him this guy. Great video.
I haven't forgotten him. Dokes was a fixture on the international heavyweight scene for years. Poor decision making such as drug use destroyed him.
Went on a party binge before a Championship fight with Bowe and was almost be headed by Razor Ruddock. But could definitely beat the shit outta all the heavyweight champs of today
No doubt not they ass move out probably first God damn round
When Don King told His Fighters “I’ll be with you win or Draw but lose and you’re on your own”, He wasn’t lying.. Dokes found that out the night he was knocked out by Gerrie Coatzee .. Don King stepped over him to Get to Coatzee.
I have a low opinion of don king... however, out of all fairness.don king did say one time "it's nothin personal.its all business...what are gonna do with a loser?!"..........though he did stand by Tyson when he lost to Douglas.....I'm sure he knew that tyson just wasn't right that night
@Exar I’d be interested to know why Holmes didn’t fight Greg Page in the early to mid 80’s ?..I know Page had lost to Trevor BerBick and Tim Witherspoon and David Bey all of which Holmes beat .. But if I remember correctly didn’t Holmes vacate his WBC title for the newly formed IBF belt? When Page was the number one contender for the WBC title. I hate to say it but I believe Holmes didn’t wanna face Witherspoon again as it was a very close fight and didn’t want no part of Greg Page either .. I’m not saying Page could have beaten Holmes but it’s a shame we never got to see the fight .. What’s your take on it?
If Dokes had the discipline that the sport demands, it would have been tough for anyone to beat him.
Great video man! Keep it up
One of my favorite fighters Dynamite Dokes
Dokes was a very good fighter during a time when the Heavyweight division was loaded. The problem for some heavyweights during this era was Don King. I saw a worksheet that was produced by Tim Witherspoon where his share of a purse was 800K, from which Witherspoon only collected 90K. Several promoters said that Witherspoon’s share should have been around 400k-425k. This is what happened to the majority of heavyweights during this era. I met Michael Dokes in Las Vegas in 1990.
Razor Ruddock's SMASH met him in 1990 too but Dokes won't remember much about it 😂🤣😂🤣🤣
Arguably the fastest hands in heavyweight history...
Great video keep up the good work on your channel loving it 👍☺️🔥
Always a crowd pleaser Mr. Dokes came to fight.
I met The Champ, Michael Dokes, in 1984 Ft Lauderdale FL.. A real gentleman. We're same height, but wOw his hands... huge
Geez boxing is brutal Dokes fights whether he be knocking someone out or getting knocked out himself were straight up violent
"Right now, Ruddock is fighting the wrong fight..."
Ruddock immediately lands three of the most savage left hands you'll ever see.
Always take the ringside commentators words with a grain of salt.
I trained under Dokes at southern desert correctional. He never would speak on his history. Thanks for this post.
Sure thing, William.
Muhammad Ali trained Dokes while he was in high school
“ The past is history , the future isn’t here yet & the present is linguini & clam sauce . “ Michael “ Dynamite” Dokes !!
Big sections during the Cotzee fight & end of the vid are missing sound.
Sort it out.
RIP Champ
Well. He's largely forgotten because of how good he COULD HAVE been...he was a very good boxer in his prime when he fought Holyfield And that fight took allot out of him...and the drug life you know...drugs fuck you up period
This is the type of guy you would need in a bar fight
Not related but I saw clay listen in my kitchen with my father, I remember dad saying the kid can move. The kid is fast. Then saying I didn't think he would ko him. Happy day I was too young but I remember.
I would love to see his amateur fight with teofilo Stevenson. I’ve seen a short highlight on dokes hitting the deck for 2 flash knockdowns against Stevenson but read that he fought to a split verdict. Dokes must have fought a splendid fight against the big Cuban. Mike dokes was a great heavyweight and it was good to see a heavyweight go to the body so effectively and not just a head hunter.
My brother and I were at the Richfield Coliseum when Dokes, unfortunately, lost his title. Apparently, he was partying it up before the fight. He was from Akron, like us. We got to see Sugar Ray Leonard, who was doing commentary for HBO. Trivia: people were handing out anti-apartheid fliers in the parking lot before the fight. Coetzee was from South Africa.
Good to see you again❗
What a shame about the sound. Thanks for putting this on though.
Subscribed! 💥🥊
After the Olympics...I thought that we had found another Ali. He had the hand speed but lacked the size, footwork, upper body speed, discipline and chin.
So obviously not another Ali. That's what seperated Ali to the rest of the pack even during the Golden Age of Heavyweight Boxing, Ali stood out, even among other greats like Foreman, Frazier, Norton, Liston, Shaver, Lyle and Holmes. He was the complete package.. We will never see another Ali and I seriously doubt we ever will.
@@theprinceoftides6836 True. The guys you named...they didn't all fight each other. Ali fought ( and defeated) all of them.
Except Holmes, whom he fought after his prime
Thank you.
Thanks for the video, RICH THE FIGHT HISTORIAN
My pleasure.
Dokes had fast hands for a muscle bound heavyweight and tremendous boxing savy. The only fights I've seen of his were all losses. Losses to the likes of Holyfield, Ruddick, and Bowe. All very good fighters. By the time he had faced Bowe he was just a shell of his former self. This is what addiction does. Dokes battles with cocaine had obviously caught up with the man. Still a former world champion.
This is my favorite chapter of your series, because it focuses on commentary with only snippets of actual fights. My only criticism of your series is that sometimes you seem to pad your videos with segments of fighting without commentary that run too long.
That razor left smash to the face though 😮😮😮😲😲😲
Great video again. But the sound went at the end when he was fighting bowe?
Extremely quick hands and quick feet, but he didn't want to learn to box which was his downfall. Because he faced people that were physically more imposing than himself. But also more persistent if he had learned tobox he would have been a king.
i remember Michael Dokes
impersonating a what? the audio cuts out...
He was a great fighter
Anybody else have trouble w the audio in this vid ?
Michael Dokes was a helluva fighter, but he didn't have Greg Page's skillset, or Cooney's power. Truthfully, he got Page's shot with Weaver. Nor did he had the defining win that Page or Cooney had as contenders. But he had tremendous heart, and, of course speed. Shame the drugs damaged him and his career.
Dokes was superior to the overrated Page in every way. He and Cooney would have been a helluva fight.
@@apex_prowler95 Dokes did not have Page's talent. But when you have Don King's pull in your backpocket, you can do things. I think Gerry's managers knew that Michael was something to deal with, so they avoided him.
@@Belburg Greg Page was an unmotivated Muhammad Ali wannabe. It's arguable whether he was more talented than Dokes or not, but he was certainly far less entertaining and much, much fatter.
How did he get Page's shot at Weaver? Page lost to Trevor Berbick under Holmes-Cooney.
@Left Hook I will give you that, he probably wasn't as entertaining, and definitely much fatter. But the potential and talent was probably higher on Greg's end than Michael's and you make a good statement.
Dokes problem was that he looked like a "drugged up, Fuck up", long before he actually Was One and people never really got behind him. He was one weird looking guy, lol...
Take the bloody mute button off. TH-cam has done a disservice to this late great boxer.
11:40 good job referee for stopping the fight and not risking the man's health/life with unnecessary blows.
Awesome beginning !
I forgot how good he was it shows you what drugs can do if to a great fighter then anyone can fall.
Michael was in the top three of the ABC champions, which included himself, Pinklon Thomas, and Tim Witherspoon with Greg Page just missing the cut IMO. These fighters could look brilliant one minute then borderline mediocre the next, the reason I feel was because of both Don King, and their lack of popular appeal. This gave way to succumbing to personal demons, especially in the case of Pinklon. He showed glimpses of what he could have done against Tyson, had he been younger and chosen the correct life path, as Witherspoon showed against Holmes. Dokes will forever be remembered for his two fights against 'mr unflappable' Mike Weaver. The first was dramatic while the second was very exciting and sadly forgotten today.
You forgo Tony Tubbs as well
He had fast hands and great skills but never capitalized on it
I was looking forward for Tyson vs witherspoon but instead witherspoon got knocked out by bonecrusher smith in the 1st round and that ruined the fight
@@theinformationbomber7102 He had the speed and tools, but he seemed to lack the 'what could have been' factor the other guys had. One guy in a similar mould to all these guys although a little later was buster.He was fortunate to be able to show what he could do that one time. I remember watching him lose to tony Tucker after winning easily and thinking he had the speed and size to trouble Tyson. Witherspoon against Tyson would have been interesting, but I don't think his right swing would stop a marauding Mike. I either see him being competitive in the first half, then taking a beating and trying to hold and losing a UD, or taking a knee after a barrage from Tyson around the seventh and being counted out.
@@tinrib656 I agree Tyson would have beaten him either by ear early KO or by a UD win if Witherspoon decides to hold on
He was a very talented, fighter, who's love of partying held him back, sadly.
Mike was fast damn fast. I do remember that. I only comment from memory
Where do you find all these ? Personal collection or something? However you do it none will be forgotten no more, fantastic channel 👍
Yea, I'm a fight film collector. Thanks for the kind words.
@@RichtheFightHistorian how far back do they go to bareknuckle times? I know everyone is on it now 🙄 , I don't want to know know the answer tbh keep doing what you do ✌️
@@bookah8787 lol, okay will do :)
@@RichtheFightHistorian 2 of us speaking at the same time mean the old bareknuckle obviously not now , let's see what comes next 😁
A shame about the audio cutting out several times. Would've been a great spot about a great fighter.
Another great video from .... fighting out of the blue corner, Rich, "The Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiight" Histooooorriiiiaaaaaann ! Historian....
The audio cuts out a few times on the video
Sound cut out a couple times