HOLMES V NORTON - Great Fight.... BUT

Knowledge.

That wasn't the issue. The point was 'rules are rules' and one mandatory in 11 defences stinks. Accept this.

 

Again, source please! In any case, Foreman was inactive during that first period, and the other period only lasted 9 months. And Ali had the Norton fight already scheduled before Foreman beat Frazier. When Ali-Norton III was agreed, Norton was the nr. 1 contender, according to The Ring's rankings.

All in all this means that Ali went for 6 whole months without facing the nr. 1 contender. Unheard of!

 

What source would be valid?

 

No. Not when your "knowledge" is the only source, and when a severly depleted Ali took on every other noteworthy contender. The one he didn't take on, was an active contender for little more than a year during Ali's reign, and had already been convincingly beaten by him.

I fail to see the huge controversy.

 

Norton wasn't the #1 contender in the eyes of the governing bodies. Norton wasn't mandatory. I'm not saying it wasn't good that Ali fought Norton, the top ranked contender in Ring (mainly due to Foreman's inactivity, of course), i'm saying Ali consistently fudged facing his mandatory- Foreman. Understand?

 

Fighting one madatory in 11 defences is the contoversy. You think this is okay?

 

Well, where ever you got it from, as long as it's not from Big George himself.

 

A variety of sources. Pick one. :yep

 

But he was an active mandatory for 9 months, according to you. That's hardly consistent "fudging". If Foreman had beaten Young and Ali still had chosen to fight Shavers instead, then I can see your point. But not otherwise.

 

Er, no. Are you making your own stuff up now? Let me re-iterate:


Foreman- #1 with governing bodies:

Nov 74- summer 75.
Oct 75- March 1977.


Ok?

 

Let's play this out: Ali faces the mandatory in October 1975 in a brutal battle, and takes on a bum (Coopman) in his next defence. After that he faces the nr. 2 contender (Young) and follows it up with another bum (Dunn). Shortly after that fight Foreman establish himself as the mandatory, according to you, but by this time Ali already has a scheduled fight with Norton. After Norton he schedules a fight with another bum (Evangelista) instead of fighting Foreman, who during that time looses to Young and retires.

So all in all you can say that Ali skipped his mandatory for one fight. Yes, champions have been stripped of titles for this, but nothing is really consistent in boxing. In any case, it hardly constitutes ducking on Ali's part.

 

But he was inactive during the whole of 1975. He took a year off.

 

...and that's why halfway through the year Frazier was installed as mandatory. Foreman announced his comeback late 1975 and the Lyle fight was signed. I was merely giving you the dates of Foreman tenure as #1 contender. I'm not claiming Ali avoided him in 75, but as of 76 and before Young he clearly did.

 

I've only just read this. Let me tell you yet again- Foreman was mandatory for the whole of 1976 and until the Young fight in 1977. A no point did Ali sign to fight him, this was after he said he would later that year (76) and again in March of 1977 (when Foreman fought Young as Ali renaged and signed to fight Evangelista.

 

Are you still saying he wasn't?