Memories of the late '60s heavyweight elimination tournament

[raylawpc]

There was another reason Frazier declined to participate in the tournament: Money.

I am going by memory on this, but as I recall, all of the participants had to sign a contract stating that a certain promotional outfit - whose name I can't remember - would have promotional rights to all of the tournament bouts, and the promotional rights to the WBA champion's title defenses for something like two years. The purses went up as a fighter progressed thought the tournament, but the cap was something like $75,000. Not much money even then. I think the cap for the eventual winner in his title defenses was something like $100,000 - $125,000. Durham not only declined to have Frazier participate in the tournament for the reasons our friend My2Sense gave, but because he didn't like the financial aspects. He felt Frazier could make more money on his own.

I also vaguely recall that being one reason why Ellis was inactive in 1969. After he won the WBA title, he and Dundee became unhappy with the financial arrangements, but they were SOL because they were contractually bound to that promoter.

Again, I'm going by memory, but this topic doesn't interest me too much and I'm too lazy to look it all up again. But I think I'm right on the basic facts here.

[My2Sense]

Too bad George Chuvalo was not in this tournament, he could definately taken out Jerry Quarry and I feel that time he could have handled Jimmy Ellis.

Didn't Chuvalo lose to Ellis?