why didnt this rematch ever happen? im sure by then george would have been ring wise about alis rope a dope and fought a different style for the fight.who would have won this one how and why?
it is the great excuse, really jimmy young was much better than ali in 1976-77, and he was stolen against ali. one of the gifts of ali at this time. foreman did beat frazier in the rematch in 76 and knocked lyle out, foreman had the merits to fight for the belt again, ali wanted no part of foreman,a prospect holmes was too a possible rival for foreman in 1976, but holmes was far to be ready for foreman in 1976.(i did read it in a article, why we never saw foreman-holmes crica 75-77)
Foreman needed to rebuild, and it began with the farce of that one afternoon exhibition. Foreman then had the war with Lyle that got him some kudos and started to rebuild. But the defeat to Young cost him any chance of an Ali rematch. As for Holmes, I think he would of loved the money a Foreman fight would of got him in 76/77. Holmes was very much a pauper in the division, waiting for his opportunity, and when it came, bicep injury or not, he took it.
foreman had the merits to face ali before of the fight with jimmy young, and holmes avoided young and lyle in 1976.
It would n't have made sense for Holmes to have fought theseg guys in 1976. He was still being built up around that time. He came to prominence at just the right time.
Ali didn't fancy it and Foreman took the wrong steps to make it happen (the long layoff, looking vulnerable against Lyle in his return), failing against Young when he had the opportunity to force such a fight, and subsequently retired.
The only timeframe for a rematch to have happened,in reality,would have been 1976. As you say,George put him self out of the running during 1975,and did it again by losing to Young in '77. So it's not like Ali avoided him for ages,as some would have it.
