I largely agree with you, but the 80's was pretty awful too. There was talent, but outside of Holmes, a lot of them were fat and drug addicted. Witherspoon, Tubbs, Page, Dokes, Tucker, Thomas- these guys could come in and be world beater, and other times they would just come in and lie down.
Im sorry to burst your bubble OP but Tyson would have destroyed Foreman. The theory "styles make fights" therefore Foreman beats Tyson is utter nonsense, most people seem to think this because Foreman destroyed Frazier, and because Foreman knows how to control distance well. But a prime Tyson was an INTELLECT at cutting the ring of. Tyson would have gotten his shots of MUCH faster than Foreman and it would have been overwhelming and embarrasing seeing Foreman take punishment and not do anything about it. Tyson is too fast, too strong, and is extremely underrated in terms of intelligence
http://www.eastsideboxing.com/boxing-news/lotierzo1609.php While we were eating, Benton said, "Bobby, what's up with Foreman and Tyson, how come they're not fighting each other on the 16th? Isn't that the fight that King was trying to make?" He said, " Georgie,You'll never believe this but, ****in' Tyson is scared shitless of Foreman and wants no part of him. I was there when Don was trying to make the fight. He was telling Tyson that Foreman represented huge money, plus he was old and slow and would be no problem. Tyson got up and screamed at King saying, 'I'm not fightin' that ****in' animal, if you love the mother****er so much, you fight him!'" :deal
why were there no reports on this at the time then? just reports of foreman getting offered contrats and refusing to sign. 1st attempt: "...In December promoter Don King offered Foreman $5 million to fight Tyson sometime in 1990. "He gave me a contract and told me to sign on the dotted line," says Foreman, who rejected the offer. "I was more afraid of Don King and the dotted line than I am of Tyson..." Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vau...95/2/index.htm 2nd Attempt "After Tyson's win over Razor Ruddock in their June 28 rematch, King set out to land a bout with Foreman. It was a power move that could well have left Holyfield with his crown, but with little opportunity to parlay it into another megabucks fight. However, the 42-year-old Foreman, whose gallant loss to Holyfield in April left him the heavyweight division's most popular figure, reportedly turned down a $20 million offer from King. Big George, it seemed, wanted a Holyfield rematch..." Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vau...0013/index.htm 3rd Attempt "Tyson is scheduled to fight for a title in March. Foreman, who said he will retire after one more fight, is tentatively scheduled to meet Michael Moorer in March. Foreman has said he would like to fight Tyson, but not if King is involved in the promotion. King said he is confident that could be worked out. Foreman did not elaborate upon the reason he is against King, who is responsible for promoting the 1974 "Rumble in the Jungle" title fight in Zaire, West Africa, where he and Ali became the first fighters to receive $5 million each in an unprecedented guarantee. King, named "Greatest Promoter of All-Time" by the World Boxing Council, inspired President Mobuto Sese Seko's government to promote the first one-billion viewer fight spectacular between Ali and Foreman in Zaire's capital city, Kinshasha. The government guaranteed the $10 million which was split between Foreman and Ali, who regained his heavyweight title..." Read More: http://books.google.com/books?id=fTk...page&q&f=false Top I took this from another thread, i did not write this originally I just didnt know how to quote it outside its own thread.