FORMER undisputed heavyweight champion Riddick Bowe reaches the crossroads of his career in tonight's long awaited rematch with Andrew Golota in Atlantic City.

Critics are questioning whether Bowe still has the desire after he was battered round the Madison Square Garden ring in the first bout in July, only for Golota to be disqualified in the seventh round for repeated low blows.

The Pole, who has lived in Chicago since 1991, was ahead by two points on each of two judges' cards, and by one point on the third, before the fight was stopped, which led to a riot with 16 people arrested and 22 injured.

But Bowe, who weighed in at a career high 252 pounds for that bout, has since scaled down to 235, the same weight he carried when he outpointed Evander Holyfield for the undisputed crown just over four years ago.

Bowe says he is ready to make the doubters think again.

"The first fight you could count the jabs I threw at Golota. You could count the number of times I was aggressive. I was a stationary target. This time you won't see that. I'll have better movement, better hand speed."

But HBO sports vice president Lou DiBella believes defeat for Bowe could mean the end of his career. He said: "It's a crossroads fight for Riddick".