BOXING / STEVE SPRINGER : Foreman-Tyson Bout Nowhere in Sight

It started with a simple telephone call between two complicated men.

Former heavyweight champion George Foreman called former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson several weeks ago to issue a challenge: Everybody wants to see us in the ring. Let’s give them what they want and make a bundle of money doing it.

Replied Tyson: Sounds good to me.

But from that simple call, all sorts of complications have resulted.

Tyson’s promoter, Don King, has already filled his fighter’s plate for 1996, leaving no room on it for Foreman.

Under King’s plan, Tyson will not only regain his heavyweight title, but will again unify that title by fighting and beating the current champions in all three major divisions.

Tyson has already signed to fight Frank Bruno, the World Boxing Council champion, on March 16 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. After that, Tyson is expected to fight World Boxing Assn. champion Bruce Seldon and International Boxing Federation champion Francois Botha, assuming Botha is cleared of charges he used banned anabolic steroids in his last fight.

With all these ducks, all controlled by King, neatly lined up in a row for Tyson, King is not about to risk losing a shot at the unified title by losing to Foreman, who fights for rival Bob Arum.

The complications, however, are not all on Tyson’s side.

By acknowledging his desire to fight Tyson, Foreman caused major problems with his scheduled Feb. 29 match against Michael Moorer at New York’s Madison Square Garden. Those problems led to a postponement of that bout until at least April.

The Moorer fight was supposed to be Foreman’s last. That’s the way it was billed when Foreman stepped into the Madison Square Garden ring in December at the Oscar De La Hoya-James Leija fight to announce the Feb. 29 date.

Foreman demanded $10 million for the fight. Moorer was to get $2.75 million. Time Warner Sports agreed to put up $7 million and show the fight on pay-per-view.

But that’s when it looked as if it could promote this fight as the last hurrah for the 47-year Foreman, a two-time champion who first burst into the spotlight as a gold-medal winner in the 1968 Olympics.

But when there was talk of a Foreman-Tyson fight, when it looked as if Foreman-Moorer might be merely another step in Foreman’s seemingly endless career, Time Warner wanted Foreman to pay a $1-million penalty if he fights after Feb. 29. Time Warner officials also refused to agree to a prefight guarantee of their share of the money.

“I should be the one who makes the decision when and if I stop fighting,” Foreman said. “I fight my fights one at a time. I am disappointed that there is a problem [with the Moorer fight]. I hope they can work it out.

“The Tyson fight is one I really want. If the opportunity is there, I want to get it soon. I really want to do it. If I don’t get the opportunity, then [the Moorer bout] may be my last fight.”

Time Warner officials have refused comment, except for a statement saying they are trying to work things out for April.

Arum insists there is more to it than conjecture over a Tyson fight, that Time Warner simply used that as an excuse to back out.

“Time Warner didn’t want to do this fight,” he said. “They screwed around with the contract language because they were afraid they were going to lose money on the fight.”

In a letter to Time Warner officials, Arum says, “Internal disputes within your organization have enabled certain people to sabotage the fight.”

However, Arum told a reporter that he thinks things may indeed be worked out for April.

As usual, the best fights in boxing often occur outside the ring.

And, as usual, King and Arum are at the center of the action.

Will Foreman fight Moorer? Probably.

Will Foreman fight somebody before he finally retires? Definitely.

Will Foreman fight Tyson? For Foreman’s sake, he’d better hope not.

Some say that Foreman would have a puncher’s chance of winning. That’s true, but if they fight next year, Foreman, at 48 and fighting one of the most devastating heavyweights ever, would also have a puncher’s chance of getting seriously hurt.

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Former two-time world champion Jorge Paez has made a career of slicing up opponents.

But he finally got sliced up himself by an opponent he couldn’t handle--an aluminum can.

While opening one last week, Paez sliced his finger so severely that it required five stitches and forced the postponement of Thursday’s six-bout card at the Olympic Auditorium.

The entire show has been moved to Feb. 15 with Paez (54-10-4, 36 knockouts) still in the main event, a 10-round lightweight match against Paris Alexander (20-8-3, six knockouts).

Boxing Notes

Forum Boxing, inactive during the holiday season, makes up for it this month. Tonight’s show will be the first of four over the next three weeks, the first of three in nine days. In all, there are 30 shows planned for this year. Included in that are six that Forum Boxing officials will stage at the Pond of Anaheim. . . .

The main event of tonight’s six-fight card at the Forum, which begins at 7:15, will feature Jose Vida Ramos (26-2, 17 knockouts) defending his North American Boxing Organization junior lightweight title against Aaron Zarate (25-4-1, 15 knockouts) in a 12-round bout. Also on the card will be super flyweight Cecilio Espino against Francisco Carrasco in a 10-rounder. Espino, ranked No. 1 by the WBC, had an experience almost unheard of in the often questionable and sometimes sleazy area of rankings. He fought to keep his spot as the top contender outside the ring and won. Espino was ranked No. 1 in October when he fought Polo Saucedo in Las Vegas. Espino lost a split decision, but appealed to the WBC, saying he was sick with flu at the time of the bout. WBC officials were sympathetic and let him keep his ranking. . . .

On Feb. 3, Olympic gold medalist and former IBF junior featherweight champion Kennedy McKinney will get a title shot against World Boxing Organization junior featherweight champion Marco Antonio Barrera at the Forum. . . . Flyweight Mark Johnson (28-1, 21 knockouts), has been battling for a title shot. He certainly has the credentials, including 27 consecutive victories and the No. 1 ranking in the WBC and the IBF. Johnson finally got his wish, signing to fight IBF champion Danny Romero. But several days after the agreement was reached, Romero pulled out, saying he could no longer make the 112-pound limit. A match may now be made between Johnson and No. 2 contender Robbie Regan for the vacant IBF title. . . .

Felix Trinidad will defend his IBF welterweight title against Rodney Moore Feb. 10 at the MGM Grand at Las Vegas.

Boxing Schedule

* Tonight--Jose Vida Ramos vs. Aaron Zarate, junior lightweights for NABO title; Cecilio Espino vs. Francisco Carrasco, super flyweights; Pepe Reilly vs. Juan Torres, junior welterweights, Forum, 7:15.

* Wednesday--Rodney Toney vs. Armando Campas, middleweights; Shibata Flores vs. Augustine Renteria, junior middleweights, Warner Center Marriott, 7:30 p.m.

* Thursday--John Vasquez vs. Jesus Jimenez, super flyweights; Rudy Zavala vs. Carlos Rubio, featherweights, Irvine Marriott, 8 p.m.