FLASHBACK 1996 By Geo El

Was during the Spring of '96 that I first heard of it ... via the grapevine and still in the whispering stage. There they were them connoisseurs of clout ... in the kitchen cookin' up for our consumption a fistfite between a pair of overly seasoned semi-cadavers.

Then, for one reason or another, it was put on the backburner ... a much advertised Foreman-Holmes affair ... didn't care for it back then and cared less about it in 1999.

Been following boxing for some five decades ... and have ingested some tasteless fare over the years ... Louis-Roper, Marciano-Matthews, Ali-Dunn, Tyson-Mathis, etc. But a Foreman-Holmes debacle would have been as bland as it gets - a fite version of a "JK" promo - as in friendly Jack Kevorkian ... and could well have been his biggest score yet. Think about it ... a set of high profile names mutually destructing before 20, 000 live folk and millions others over PPV ... gimme a break!

I mean, we're talking pugilistic pablum at its worst ... granted, both these guys were super talents in their day ... and have probably forgotten more about the business of boxing than today's heavyweight pretenders will ever learn ... but then was then and today is today.

Muhammad Ali ... one of the best ever ... could float like a butterfly and sting like a bee ... but then outslicks himself with the ego-trippin' "rope-a-dope" ... today he mumbles ... his gait reduced to no more than a shuffle.

Now George and Larry were never an Ali ... strictly blue collar these two ... bang and be banged ... and today both are all banged out. Had it come off it possibly could have gone the full route - and with age and obesity translating to slowed reflexes - what we might likely have witnessed was a game of pitch and catch.

So much for speculation ... what appeared to be a done deal - not to mention a pugilistic clinic on cruel and unusual punishment - was not be delivered due to lack of funds ... and not for a moment did conscience enter into any of it.

And, while today's pro game no longer carries yesterday's infamous recognition of being the red light district of sports ... to this observer it is definitely more burlesque than B'way.

Keep the faith guys and gals ... and the hands up and head down.

Geo El