Why didn't Foreman get a rematch against Ali?

Ain't that just life.

 

Yeah, but in 77 they probably weren't. The point I was making is that Evangelista jumped into the top 10 after his loss to Zanon- who himself wasn't ranked in the top 10. Zanon "completely outboxed Alfredo and walked off with a clear points victory". Yet Evangelista received a shot. This is the kind of thing that happened in the days of Johnny Saxton and co.

 

Yep. Life is bent, boxing is bent, Ali's yawnfest of a second title reign was about as bent as they come.

 

Fair enough. That Evangelista actually got a second title shot says a bit too much about how boxing often works.

 

Of course, Larry Holmes title reign is choc-a-block with undeserving challengers. Far more so than Ali (although this was always going to be the case with split alphabet titles).

 

You know all these guys that love Ali arent going to want to look at the ?Ali didnt want to fight Foreman again PERIOD!!!!!!!!

 

I have to concur with a lot of what you have been saying lately dinner. About a year ago, I posted a thread asking others why on earth Alfredo Evangelista received title shots against both Ali and Holmes, and within close time segments of one another at that. Whoever the hell this guy was, he never defeated nor even lost competitively to anyone who even remotely resembled world class material. His bouts with Lorenzo Zannon and Lucien Rodriguez mean virtually nothing to me as both those other guys came from the same mold and were equally as undeserving..

 

George more than earned a rematch with Ali. Beating both Frazier and Lyle, not to mention Scott Ledoux and Dino Denis, placed him as the number one guy in the division. Foreman should have been fighting Ali instead of Jimmy Young. Foreman was probably frustrated and mentally spent due to his inability to get another title shot!

 

Ali lost to Ken Norton in 1973 and then rematched him later that year. That whole NOrton thing delayed Ali's title shot a bit.

 

The five fights in Toronto were exhibition fights; they were glorified sparring sessions. Plus, Foreman beat Lyle and Frazier after that; how much more "rebuilding" or "working back up" did the guy have to do?

 

Ali lost to a kid with seven pro fights; if that's not embarrasing, I don't what is. And he got an immediate title shot afterwards. Ali really stunk the joint out in that first fight against Leon Spinks. By your rationale, Ali should have got in line, bided his time, proved himself worthy, and then came through when his title shot came.

 

You are ignoring the dates here. The Young fight was in 1977. Ali ignored Foreman all through 1975-1976, during the times when George reestablished himself and was the mandatory, number one contender. Are you honestly saying that Wepner, Dunn, Coopman, Lyle, et al, deserved their shots more so than George did? Come on!

 

Although it's clear to me that Muhammad Ali wanted no part of a Foreman rematch, I dont really see how Foreman necessarily deserved the shot either. I dont think his performance in Zaire warranted an immediate rematch at all. And then Foreman went inactive for 15 months.

By the time Foreman had re-established himself there were Ken Norton and Jimmy Young with legitimate calls for rematch shots too - I mean, these guys actually lasted the distance with Ali and probably beat him.

And then Foreman lost to Young.

 

Foreman being mandatory is the main point here (and a former champ). Why did Patterson get a shot in 65 vs Ali? He beat a couple of top 10s and was a former champ that's why. You'll find most former heavyweight champs have been given the same favourable treatment.

 

Foreman lost to title in October 1974, and didn't fight again until January 1976.
He was active throughout 1976 and into 1977 (5 wins), but lost to Young in March 1977.

Of course Foreman deserved a shot more than the likes of Dunn and Coopman and Wepner, but it's not as if he did a hell of a lot of fighting to pressure a shot.
Between losing to Ali and losing to Young - a period of 29 months - he spent the first 15 months doing no real fighting (except for gimmicky exhibitions where he looked shockingly unlike a serious fighter), and that was STRAIGHT AFTER his rather dismal knockout loss in Africa.