Ali vs Mac Foster- Why 15 rds?

[BroughtonRulesRefuge]

1972 an interesting year for Ali, me thinks his best. However.......

Starts with a 15 rd win against Mac Foster. No title listed on the line in boxrec. 12rd NABF defenses against Chuvalo and Quarry, a simple 12 rounder against Blue Lewis in Ireland, then a 15 rd NABF defense against Patterson, and finally a 12 rd NABF defense against Bob Foster.

Any care to speculate why Mac Foster was scheduled for 15 rds? Seems odd.

[Robinson]

Good question.

I can only assume that Ali and his people wanted the extra
rounds just in case Ali needed to move and work behind his
jab and still those late rounds.

Who would have made that decision at that time >?

I would rather a Dempsey-Tunney have been 15 rounds, and
this been 10 rounds.

[Flump]

Same with Ali-Bonavena, must have wanted the rounds under his belt.

[raylawpc]

Good question.

I can only assume that Ali and his people wanted the extra
rounds just in case Ali needed to move and work behind his
jab and still those late rounds.

Who would have made that decision at that time >?

I would rather a Dempsey-Tunney have been 15 rounds, and
this been 10 rounds.

Too bad you can't go back in time and get the commissions in Pennsylvania and Illinois to permit 15-round fights.

[Goodnight, Irene]

Dempsey may've been stopped in their first fight --- he was, after all, quite ill. I don't think an extra five rounds reverses the result in the return, either. We'll never know, of course, & with Dempsey's hitting power, anything remains possible, but I see no cause to wonder what would have happened had either bout been extended. At that stage of their careers, Tunney had Dempsey beat just about right across the park.