Riddick Bowe vows to KO Maple Leafs coach after loss

Riddick Bowe is a former two-time heavyweight boxing champion of the world who was famously the first fighter to both defeat and knock out Evander Holyfield. (He also had those two victories over Andrew Golota, but let's forget how they both ended.)

Bowe is on Twitter and is outspoken for his love of Everton of the Barclays Premier League and the Toronto Maple Leafs. Why the Leafs? According to the former champ, he's lived in the city for 20 years. He bleeds blue so much that he hasn't forgotten Kerry Fraser's missed call during the 1993 Western Conference Final.

So, as you can imagine, the current state of the Maple Leafs has Bowe all riled up. This past week has been especially tough with the team in the midst of a six-game losing streak. Tuesday night's loss to St. Louis all but ended their season, according to Bowe, a feeling he's gotten accustomed to every year.

As the Maple Leafs prepare for a big game on Friday night in Philadelphia, Bowe has offered a challenge, nay, a motivation, for Randy Carlyle to get his troops in order and take those two points from the Flyers:

The man may not have had a sanctioned boxing match since 2008, but that power probably hasn't left him. He posted 33 knockouts in his career, so it's a safe bet he's manage to hang on to that ability years later.

Carlyle had 29 career NHL fights, according to HockeyFights.com. That's a nice little resume, but we'll take the champ's side in that scrap.

The other option, of course, is the Leafs just sign him. He can do everything Colton Orr and Frazer McLaren can do.

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Sean Leahy

is the associate editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Sean_Leahy