BOWE'S RETIREMENT IS THE RIGHT DECISION, BUT WILL IT LAST?

Byline: MICHAEL ROSENTHAL

So Riddick Bowe has retired.

Does that mean retired as in quitting, as in he won't fight again? Or does that mean retired as in retired for the night, as in he'll be a fighter again when he wakes up in the morning?

In Bowe's case, the latter seems more likely.

Remember, this is the guy who joined the Marines and decided 10 days into his hitch that he wanted his mommy.

He's only 29. In an age of aging fighters, he's a pup. And where else is he going to make this kind of money? HBO, which has hired him as a spokesman for its community service program ``Reaching Beyond the Ring,'' won't pay him the millions he made in the ring.

Undoubtedly, he has at least one more mega-payday left in him. A fourth Evander Holyfield fight, a long-awaited matchup with Mike Tyson, Bowe-Andrew Golota III, Bowe-Lennox Lewis - we're talking huge money here.

Certainly, it will be tough to stay away. The money, the attention, the thrill of competition, the high. It's been too big a temptation for so many. A few have been able to walk away for good. Marvin Hagler, for instance. However, most walk back.

Let's hope Bowe doesn't.

There's a reason those closest to him have urged him to quit. Clearly, he had begun to decline in his most recent fights. Golota whipped him twice before the Pole was disqualified for low blows both times.

And he has taken a lot of punches in an eight-year career. To most ears, the jostling of his brain has affected his speech.

He's rich, he's famous, he's accomplished. What's the point at this point?

Indeed, this is a wonderful time to say goodbye.

``He took a good amount of time to decide; he didn't do it right after a fight,'' said Rock Newman, Bowe's manager. ``He put a lot of emphasis on how he will relate to his wife and children when he's in his 50s and 60s. He sees it in the big picture, so the prospect of his staying retired is very strong.''

If he does retire for good, Bowe, a two-time world champion, can look back on a fine career.

His combination of size, athletic ability, speed and heart made him one of the best heavyweights of his day, maybe the best since Larry Holmes was in his prime.

And he has class. He managed to avoid the pitfalls of the inner city, in Brooklyn, N.Y., to become a family man who treats people with respect. He's a good man.

However, he'll be remembered for what he did in the ring. The highlights: His epic three-fight series with Holyfield, in which he won, lost and won; the day he dumped the WBC belt into a trash can over a dispute with the sanctioning body; the riot that erupted after the first Golota fight; and the strange outcomes of the Golota fights.

He'll also be remembered as an underachiever. See, Bowe loved eating and hated training, a destructive combination. He rarely was focused entirely on his mission. Eddie Futch, his trainer, became so frustrated that he simply walked out one day.

Had Bowe (40-1, with 32 knockouts) had anything resembling the drive and focus of Holyfield, who knows what heights he might have attained?

The second Golota fight, in December, was an indication that it was time to move on. That's when he decided to fulfill a dream and join the Marines. Obviously, that was the wrong decision.

Retirement is the right decision.

Next: Well, at least now, no one will question the ability of Oscar De La Hoya's trainer: Emanuel Steward.

De La Hoya began his career with the inexperienced Robert Alcazar, whose abilities didn't match those of his fighter. After De La Hoya's so-so performance against John John Molina in 1995, Alcazar was reassigned.

Then De La Hoya turned to Jesus Rivero, apparently a boxing guru in Mexico but a relative unknown here. After an unsatisfactory performance against Pernell Whitaker, De La Hoya again made a change.

Steward, who guided Tommy Hearns to the top of the boxing world, is one of the best in the game. If De La Hoya has another subpar performance, it's his own fault.

Rabbit punches: De La Hoya fights David Kamau on June 14 in San Antonio. Genaro Hernandez defends his WBC junior lightweight bout against Anatoly Alexandrov on the card. . . .

Carlos Palomino, 47, continues his comeback Friday at the Hollywood Paladium. The former welterweight champion faces Wilbert Garst in a 10-round welterweight bout. . . .

Promoter Dan Goossen of America Presents is trying to get Rafael Ruelas of Studio City a date with the winner of an expected WBC junior welterweight title bout between Julio Cesar Chavez and Miguel Angel Gonzalez. Whitaker also reportedly is angling for a rematch with Chavez.

Ruelas fights Chad Broussard on May 24 in Denver. Olympic gold medalist David Reid fights on that card. . . .

America Presents has signed Olympian Lawrence Clay-Bey. The 30-year-old corrections officer from Cheshire, Conn., was defeated in the first round of the Atlanta Olympics.

Buster Douglas faces Tyrone Booze in a 10-round heavyweight bout on May 13 in Biloxi, Miss.

COMING UP

Tuesday: Kennedy McKinney faces Hector Acero-Sanchez in a scheduled 12-round bout for the USBA featherweight title in Lyndhurst, N.J.

Friday: On Telemundo, Diego Corrales takes on Juan Macias in a scheduled 12-round junior lightweight bout.

Saturday: Francois Botha faces Lee Gilbert for the WBA North American heavyweight title in Coconut Grove, Fla. Also, William Joppy defends his WBA middleweight title against Peter Venancio; Gussie Nazarov faces Leavander Johnson for Nazarov's WBA lightweight crown; Mauricio Pastrana defends his IBF junior flyweight championship against Manuel Herrera; and Antonio Cermeno takes on Angel Chacon for Cermeno's WBA junior featherweight title.

May 12: At the Forum, Jesse Magana faces Alfred Kotey for the vacant WBO Intercontinental junior featherweight championship.

CAPTION(S):

Photo, Box

Photo: Heavyweight Riddick Bowe has a 40-1 record, but has also been known as an underachiever.

Associated Press

Box: COMING UP (see text)