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Was he viewed as a coward or ducking Lennox? Was he justified in being upset at the mandatory? What was the perception?The World Boxing Council had threatened to strip heavyweight champion Riddikk Bowe of its title Jan. 2 if he didn't make his first defense against Britain's Lennox Lewis. Bowe beat the WBC to the punch yesterday; he tossed the WBC belt into a trash can in London, Lewis's hometown.
Bowe remains recognized by the other two main sanctioning bodies -- the World Boxing Association and the International Boxing Federation.
At a news conference, the Associated Press reported that Bowe picked up the belt and dropped it into a large black garbage can. "The WBC is wrong, and I will not be intimidated by them," he said. "I am the heavyweight champion of the world and today I withdraw my recognition of the WBC. I am stripping them. ... If Lewis wants the belt, he has to get it out of the garbage. Then we will call him 'garbage picker.' "