Foreman turned down a fight with Anders Ecklund in the late 80's. The guy had to have something that spooked Big George.
He actually got knocked out by former lightweight champ George Scott in a barfight in Sweden was in the newspapers here, not sure how much was made up to make a good story but they did fight though this was confirmed by Scott himself he didn't want to go into detail though... http://www.boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_id=4077&cat=boxer
Eklund wasnt world class, but he was one of the best in Europe. a massive guy, at least 6'6". Bruno beat him pretty good in 1985 for the European crown, but not even Bruno managed a one-punch KO to rival this one. Eklund's best win was probably his 4th round stoppage of Steffen Tangstad for the European title in 1985 (he lost to Bruno his next fight). And he won the European title for a second time in 1987, beating Alfredo Evangelista. He lost the title to Francesco Damiani, who was a world-class fighter IMO.
Why is it that every time a guy turns down a fight, the first assumption is that the other guy had something that "spooked" him? And I'm not just referring to Foreman, but all fighters in general. How do we know that Eklund's people weren't the ones who were being unreasonable in terms of their contract conditions? Or maybe Foreman saw more money fighting someone else and in some other location? There are many reasons why fights don't always materialize, and they aren't all fear based.
I think Foreman probably just rather not fight a 6'7, 245 pounder at that point in time. Foreman is quite open about his shrewd eye for matchmaking. He wanted all the advantages. After Schulz boxed rings around him in 1995 he probably figured bigger slower ones are better than smaller ones who can box a bit, hence guys like Savarese and Briggs. But back in 1988 and '89 it was really all about smaller guys who couldn't box a bit, and preferably ones who hadn't fought for a year or two.
My point is, that we shouldn't just speculate that everytime a fight doesn't get made that it was a direct result of one man "ducking" the other. There are many factors that go into signing a deal for a fight. And as much as we can surmise that it was Eklund's great size that may have intimidated Foreman, we can also look at it from the opposite end by saying that Eklund had no power, no chin, limited skill and was a Euro-circuit fighter. If anything, Foreman probably had more reason to think that this was an easy fight as opposed to a hard one.
Well, I'd go as far as to say categorically that Foreman was NOT "spooked" or "intimidated" by anyone at that time, certainly not Anders Eklund ! But as easy as the fight looks on paper, I dont put it past Foreman to want something even EASIER ....... a similar level of opponent, but without the size, please.
Foreman showed a clear preference for guys who would stand in front of him so he could hit them. The size went up and down, but overall the style was the same. He would certainly perfer to fight a big guy than some small guy who would run. Crawford Grimsley who was probably the lowest of the low, was able to make it the distance with big George, and that was because he wouldnt stand still. Some of these guys turned into magicians for a night but overall the trend was clear. Still overall a respectable run for George.
Exactly! Bob Arum was the promoter trying to match Foreman with Ecklund, but according to Bob, Foreman thought Ecklund "hit too hard" for George to fight him at that time! So, if Foreman doesn't fight a guy because he thinks the guy hits too hard, that's not fear then......it's, it's, well, well, ......careful matchmaking?????
George always had respect for European fighters -- he said once said "if you see a European guy with a record of 25-3-1, he's probably just that good, they don't fake records as much over there" or somesuch. Ecklund's size along with the hype (that George probably bought into) probably made Foreman reconsider. Unjustly, imo, because he was just the kind of opponent I think he'd get out of there quick a lá Cooney. George hits big targets, and then they fall down.
I've never heard that Eklund was "hyped". I find it very hard to believe that he'd get any hype whatsoever in the USA when he'd been beaten up by Bruno and Damiani (and KO'd by Noel Quarless !) over here in Europe. I always found that much of the American boxing press didn't think much of Bruno (who thrashed Eklund), and I've never even read a write-up or good review of Eklund in American magazine. From what quarters was Eklund receiving any hype ?