Overlooked Reasons Why Muhammad Ali Beat George Foreman

Yet he mysteriously smashed a top 10, undefeated, ATG heavyweight champion, tore through the division, and won his title back 20 years after he lost it.

 

Not taking any of that away from him though more context takes away some of that shine.

He just wasn't good enough to beat Ali was all I meant stop being so sensitive.

 

I’m sure Foreman would have had some success cutting off the ring, but I’m equally sure Ali’s blinding speed and combinations would have made this a double-edged sword. In their fight in Zaire, pretty much every time Ali opened up and threw punches he bounded them off Foreman’s head like he was hitting a speed bag.

And I’ve rewatched some of this and Ali’s accuracy and effectiveness with the right lead lasted throughout. In the fourth round alone he landed maybe six or eight right leads (as well as some combos beginning with the jab).

The only success George really had was some terrific rights to the body and countering Ali’s left hook with his own left hook. Ali seemed to take note of this and not throw any more singular hooks, using it sparingly and only in combination.

In short, I think Foreman might cut off the ring but Ali still gets off first whenever George does cut him off, and those stinging punches would allow Ali to escape and George would have began his pursuit again.

In fact, judging from what I see in their fight and how effectively Ali landed his combos and how they several times had George reeling, I could see Ali stopping him earlier. George walks in, Ali throws a combo but doesn’t stop after four punches and pours on the flurry after it and doesn’t let up until a confounded, oafish George is on the canvas.

Ali TKO 3 isn’t out of the realm of possibility.

 

Replying to a post as to who caused the postponement, last week. Bill McMurray.
I added that it was detrimental for Foreman, not only the lack of sparring, but his boredom threshold, mooching about for a month in a strange country. Morose and rude, he was the exact opposite of his reincarnation, 20 years later.
Ali, meanwhile was lapping it all up in his homecoming and dancing about with his adoring fans.
Earlier, in ‘63, an other “what if” injury postponed Ali’s second Liston fight. Sonny, reportedly, really “up” for it in Boston, until the hernia shifted it to Lewiston, 6 months later.

 

All true, but I’d say it’s a fair test of the resolve of a man if a postponement of a month or six throws him that far off his game.

Much easier to suppose the result would be different, but of course we’ll never know.

I do know that it didn’t throw Ali off his game. Only more time to deepen his resolve — heck in the case with Sonny it was Ali who was the one who had surgery and fought relatively soon after … and yet Sonny apparently bore the scars, haha.

I like how Roy Jones Jr once put it (apart from any religious belief, I think you can take that part out if you choose and it still holds true: “God puts obstacles in our way to see if we really want what we say we want.”

This much is true and always has been about sport (any sport): Winners adjust; losers make excuses.

 

Hi buddy, you make some outstanding observations most of which I agree with, not sure I am on board with your assertion that " prime Ali was early 70s " I rather feel his " prime " would have been just before his court case, and subsequent ban.
I would have the years 66/67 has his prime, starting with the Williams fight, ok The Cat had seen better days granted, but he was still somewhat of an imposing HW , during only 3 rounds, Ali hit Williams with more than 100 punches, knocked him down 4 times, and only shipped 3 worthwhile punches !! .
Then he gave nothing short of a masterclass to thoroughly outpoint and demoralise Terrell, gliding around the ring like a FW, but in reality weighing around 15st, then on to Folley, also not the force he was, but still a fair old fighter, dismissed out of hand.
It's easy to forget all these years later, how inventive, clever, intuitive, and goddam quick Ali was, ok so Patterson was fairly light on his feet, but him aside, most of the champs that preceded Ali were in the main walk forward types, some fair boxers, some fair hitters, but nothing like Ali, the boxing world, particularly the HWs had never seen his like before ( and in all probability, never again ) they say " you never know what you have till it's gone " and in Ali,s case we didn't.... stay safe Seamus.

 

I hear ya. But, as you alluded, Williams was a punching bag, stationary and shopworn. Ali could do his waterbug routine and throw with impunity. It's mighty impressive as a filmed workout. But the fact remains that the best, most formidable opponent Ali ever beat was Foreman. Speed is flashy and obvious but cunning and strength and intelligence, all other factors being in the ball park similar, will win the day, as they did against Foreman. It was a master class of reading an elite opponent in real time, making the adjustments and enforcing YOUR rules of engagement. And, Ali was lightning quick when he needed to be... with those combos and right hand leads so expertly thrown. I barely had George winning two rounds.

I'm not going to die on this hill. I rewatched the fight a couple nights ago and was amazed anew at Ali. And as the great Ali said in post-fight... Thank Allah, the honorable Elijah Muhammad and Hugh Hefner!

 

Fair play buddy, not for a second was I downgrading his wins over Frazier.Foreman and he was a very formidable HW at the start of the 70s, not least because we learned he was, brave and courageous, and was possessed of a unbending will, let's agree he was The Greatest.
nice chatting, let's do again soon.

 

Seamus, I have watched the fight at least fifty times. What should I look for when I watch it for the fifty first time? Has anybody noticed when Ray Leonard fought Hagler he ended the first round by putting Marvin in a headlock, just like his idol Ali did in his fight against Big George.

 

You should note who Ali claims is the greatest human to live in the shadow of Allah, the honorable Elijah Mohammad excluded.

 

Did he really say Hugh Hefner? I can't imagine a devout Muslim, even one with a licentious size, visiting the Playboy Mansion. I know he did a Playboy interview where he said a lot of things he tried to walk back. He wasn't a cardboard saint and I'd like to believe he grew as a person as he aged. I know he rejected the NOI and by the time of his death he was a Sufi Muslim which to my understanding is like being a Unitarian.

 

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Ali was calling himself the greatest about a decade earlier and the fight of the century between undefeated champs Ali and Frazier in 71 was the most historic event in boxing

 

Foreman was very over rated.

 

He might not have been the most versatile boxer but he did one thing well and that was bang.