Questions About Foreman's 2nd Reign

Most people really did not want to see it.

It would have made a mint, in a spectator of horror attraction. I am glad that it never happened.

Possible tragedy. No one cared about Holmes, but Foreman was a hero.

 

He won the championship against Moorer but due to inactivity, poor results and poor opposition he wasn't regarded as the true champion for much longer.

 

Foreman hadn't second reign. I don't know only one moment
when this fat slob george daddy was the best fighter in the 90s.

 

What happened to Holmes would not have happened to Foreman.

 

Like others have mentioned, Foreman wanted either a marquee big-money fight, or an easy fight to stay busy (and keep the title) while he waited for the big one. He didn't want anything in between. Even fighting the Tony Tuckers of the world was relatively high-risk, low-reward.


The WBA stripped him for not fighting Tucker, but Foreman was probably not concerned since he still had the IBF belt and the lineal recognition. Bob Arum paid a $100,000 bribe to get the fight with Axel Schultz sanctioned. After Schultz gave Foreman a tough fight and was arguably robbed of the win, the IBF ordered a rematch. I think money became an issue, as the promoters were supposed to submit bids for the fight, with 25% going to Schultz. I don't think Arum wanted to pay that, and I don't think Foreman was particularly keen on fighting Schultz again.

I think Arum and Foreman looked at the Schultz rematch situation and saw something expensive and risky that they'd rather avoid. They probably figured the recognition as lineal champ would keep Foreman relevant and keep alive the chance for a big fight. But Foreman quickly slipped into irrelevance.

It was a very anticlimactic way to go out, only a few months after regaining the title in such dramatic fashion.

 

Worse still was Ali vs Berbick. Ali was on the decline in this bout, that's for sure. I'm sure Berbick was trying his utmost to KO Ali.
Just my opinion of course.

 

I think he means Arum thought Schultz was an easy opponent, that's why he went to lengths to get Schultz rated, so the fight could be made. Maybe Arum didn't think anyone already in the top 10 of the IBF was easy pickings. Also, the German backers of Schultz likely were able to ensure Foreman a bigger purse than fighting other "safe" guys.

 

When Foreman knocked out Moorer in November 1994, the plan for him was to fight Tyson in 1995.

Mike Tyson was scheduled to be released from prison in March 1995. At the time, everyone was jockeying for position to try to control Tyson. King appeared to be the outsider. Rock Newman and Rid**** Bowe visited him in prison, as did Foreman and Arum. Newman tried really hard to get Tyson. Tyson joined the Nation of Islam, and they thought they could control him as well.

A Foreman-Tyson fight for the world title in 1995 was being talked about as boxing's first $100 million fight. So, when the WBA said Foreman had to fight Tucker first, Foreman just told the WBA they could have their belt.

On the day Tyson was released from prison, he left with King as well as a rep from the Nation of Islam. The reporters following the caravan said if the car went one way, they were headed to a mosque for a celebration. If they headed the other direction, they were headed to King's home in Cleveland for a welcome home party. And the limos turned toward King's home, so they knew who would be controlling Tyson.

Within a day, Tyson announced that King would be his promoter. King had already decided Tyson was going to fight for the WBC belt (held by McCall) and the winner of the Seldon-Tucker fight for the WBA belt. But Tyson didn't want to fight for a title immediately. He felt he wasn't ready. So King had to delay his plans for almost a year. But King had no intentions of cutting in Arum and Foreman.

Regarding the question did anyone go to prison for the whole bribery thing, the IBF President Bob Lee went to prison for accepting and asking for bribes in exchange for ratings and mandatory fights.