What were some fights where one or both fighters made adjustments during it? I know Leonard-Hearns I would be one.
Ali in the 1st round vs Foreman....when he realized that dancing and moving...his previous forte, was going to get him killed....causing him to resort to the rope-a-dope.
That may or may not have happened that way. Ali has told more than one version of how he decided to use the rope-a-dope. I've seen him quoted as saying he planned to use it from the time he saw how gassed Foreman was after the Frazier fight. Ali has told so many lies about so many things he probably doesn't even know the truth anymore.
As far as I know the one that gets most repeated is that he said nobody can take 6 steps to another guys 3 steps for 15 rounds and last the distance. I think the implication was that had he tried boxing George, even if successful, he would have tired in the late rounds and didn't view that as a likely winning strategy. Personally, and I know I'm in the minority, I don't Ali would have won that fight, without the ropes being illegally loose. He himself said he was out on his feet at least twice. What those ropes did was prevent Foreman from landing head shots and because of that, Ali just had to focus on covering up he body. Had Foreman been able to get at his head, he surely would have knocked him out, but then again, Ali likely would have adjusted and tried another strategy.
Yes, Ali always found a way to win, and I think Ali would've won just the same if he kept the fight at the center of the ring. In the first round he'd already exposed Foreman as slow-footed and easy to hit even with daring right hand leads. And he also found out that he could take George's shots, so even without the rope-a-dope, Ali would've beaten Foreman by UD.
No you have told so many lies about him. Ali said that when he realised he would be getting winded from dancing, he voluntarily went to the ropes while he was still fresh. Have you a primary source for the underlined?
The ropes were too slack ,Dundee and match maker Bobby Goodman actually borrowed a blade and cut them shorter Worried that Ali might fall out of the ring trying to evade George's swings.
I disagree, but we'll never know. And no he couldn't take Foreman's shots, as he himself said he was out on his feet twice, so how's that taking shots?
Well it's all relative was he actually out on his feet? Whatever state he was in he surely took the shots,then took Foreman out? At no time in that fight although at times under severe pressure was Ali ever out of it in there and he always knew what he was doing.
That's not really the point, the point is would absent the ropes which he used to avoid head shots, would he still have been able to take Foreman's punches for potentially an entire fight. We know he won the fight, so be definition he was able to take those punches, but whether he always knew what he was doing, is something only he would know the answer to. Guess it might depend on what your definition of being out on your feet means, I would think that for at least a few seconds, he may not have known what he was doing, but whose to say.
Leonard VS Hearns #1/Ali vs Foreman / Pryor vs Arguello#1 / Robinson vs Turpin#2(I think) / Hagler vs Mugabi / Holyfield vs Qawi #1 .
