New Jersey State Athletic Control Board commissioner Larry Hazzard acknowledged the widespread criticism of the decision in this bout in a 1998 interview, and, referring to his selection of judges, admitted that he "would've done it differently" if he had the opportunity to make the selection again. He explained that he had wanted to give the relatively inexperienced judges Larry Layton and Calvin Claxton "some exposure" by assigning them to work a high-profile fight, but said: "If I had it to do over again, forget it. I'd just wait [to give them exposure]....I guess it was one of those fights most people thought Foreman would win, and a fight most people didn't think would be that difficult to score. And heavyweights are easier to score. This ain't gonna be a big deal. Boy, was it a big deal! Everyone thought Foreman had won. "