Ali's retirement Vs. Tyson's retirement Vs. Fury's retirement Vs. Foreman's retirement

Yeah well, people make too much having to be lineal champ to have any credibility. Some of the worst heavyweight champs in history were lineal champs an you can even look at who old man foreman beat to be lineal champ the 2nd time round an who he then lost it to

 

Holyfield and Moorer and Foreman and Briggs and Lewis (such is the path of the line) are better champions than the regular champion Bruce Seldon, from whom Tyson took the title.

 

In the 1970s, George Foreman pushed hard for a fight with Larry Holmes, but Holmes’ trainer Richie Giachetti rejected it, calling Foreman a terrible matchup for Larry at that stage. So the idea that Foreman “avoided Holmes” later is backwards — Holmes’ camp already made it clear they didn’t want that fight.

In the 1990s comeback, Foreman had no reason to chase Holmes anyway. Holmes wasn’t a champion, wasn’t a mandatory, and didn’t move Foreman closer to the belt. Foreman’s only goal was to win the heavyweight title again.

Foreman did pursue meaningful fights. He fought Shannon Briggs in a WBC eliminator specifically to earn a shot at Lennox Lewis. Foreman dominated Briggs in every measurable way but lost a robbery decision that cost him the Lewis fight he wanted.

Riddick Bowe’s manager Rock Newman openly admitted they never wanted Foreman saying something along the lines of he was “too dangerous for too little reward.”

And Foreman campaigned heavily to fight Mike Tyson — calling him out repeatedly — but the fight never materialized because Tyson’s camp didn’t want the matchup, not because Foreman lacked interest.