Ali didnt lie on the ropes voluntarily, he was forced there because there was no other way to avoid Foreman. George cut the ring off well so there was no way Ali was doing any floating like a butterfly and Ali didnt really have the power to make Foreman respect him. What made Foreman the monster he was, was that he was willing to walk through what you had to offer to land his own. Some of this mentality was affected after the Ali loss. Bowe gets knocked out. He gets hit way too much and knowing Bowe, he will trade with Foreman somewhere down the line.
I would pick plenty of guys to beat Foreman that night, not Bowe though. Reason is he had such a short career, and struggled with Golota.
Ali knew he couldn't sustain it. He wasn't forced there as early as choice to but it was a foregone conclusion, though. Ali talks about what Azzer says so it's definitely true.
Ali was willing to sit on ropes. He might've lacked the legs to stay away, but the same isn't true for every fighter you could hypothetically match with George.
I think Ali had no intention originally to sit on the ropes but as others have said was forced there and saw it could work to his advantage. I see very few if any other fighter employing this game plan. Bowe is the only other one I can recall who sat on the ropes voluntarily but I think Foreman would knock him out as at some point he's going to want to mix it up. I think Mercer with his chin and volume punching when in shape would be a good shot at beating Zaire Foreman. Probably by dec.
good point. who else is gonna sit on the ropes in round 5 in particular and let george bang away and tire himself out. ali may be the only one as I can't picture any other fighter using those tactics against him. [yt]gWnJmMdtfcY[/yt]
