I rewatched the Rumble in the Jungle and I have to say that the sports media did Ali a huge disservice in describing the fight. They made it seem like Ali camped out on the ropes stationary and took a pounding from Foreman, then all of a sudden in the 8th round Foreman was exhausted and Ali put him away. That is not what happened. Ali was actually tagging Foreman all night even before the 8th round. In my scorecard, I had it Ali 6 rounds, Foreman 2 rounds. Foreman threw a ton of ineffective body shots that was hitting Ali's arms and gloves. During this, Ali would tag Foreman's face 2-3 hit combos directly to the nose. The amount of clean head shots Ali got vs Foreman was like a 5-1 ratio. Ali put on a masterful boxing clinic. Maybe the best in history considering that was Peak George Foreman who is a top 5 ATG at his best. Even if Foreman got up from the KO, he had nothing left. Ali would have stopped him in the 9th or 10th. Ali looked like he had the energy to go 20 rounds that night. That was Ali's night and there was nothing Foreman could do about that. My scorecard: 1. Ali 2. Ali 3. Foreman 4. Ali 5. Foreman 6. Ali 7. Ali 8. Ali This content is protected
Yeah I agree. I read his book by Thomas Hauser years ago an it sounded like he went through hell for the win, it didn’t look like it to me, he wasn’t faced with the same raw determination of a Frazier. Foreman looked very raw an green in there, not an easy win, he took punches but was always in control Ali. Styles I suppose. I think foreman would’ve done better in a return
Foreman did get some really nasty body shots in. You can see him turning his fist over and digging the Knuckles into Ali's sides. Make no mistake this was a painful fight for both men, but people do tend to exaggerate and act as if Ali was just getting pounded on like a heavy bag all night. There was plenty of masterful clinching, head slipping and rolling to minimize the damage, and beautiful counters and flurries in between the wild swings. If Ali was literally just getting nailed all night by a puncher like Foreman he'd be eating through a tube by the time he was 40. Ali was no dummy, he made sure not to just get slammed by flush shots to the head. Ali going another 20 rounds is quite the exaggeration, but he did look very determined and was ready to do anything to win that night. No one was going to deny him the title. You'd need to bring a baseball bat to knock him out. I made another thread explaining why this is the single greatest signature win in the history of the sport. To come off of a layoff, unable to use your best assets like you used to in your prime, and beat an undefeated monster who had just demolished two of your biggest rivals like they were tomato cans is a ridiculous triumph that sounds like something from a comic book. It wasn't just that Ali won and did so in such a spectacular and dramatic way, it's that he had to have so much incredible courage to even get in the ring that night. His own corner was mopey and sad in the dressing room making it very obvious they didn't think he'd win.
Ali was always going to win a rematch because he is in Foreman's head. Foreman is the greatest puncher in history. He gave it his all. He hit Ali with everything and the kitchen sink. And Ali was still standing barely scratched, not hurt. Foreman has no backup plan for that
I've always thought that Foreman really had nothing for Ali that night. The old cliche' styles make fights , is a cliche' because it's true.
No fan of Ali---the human. But as Cobra stated this was an epic signature victory. What Foreman did to Frazier and Norton? Who who in hell would ever get into the ring with GF? I read somewhere----- GF against Norton was like a" wild dog tearing apart its prey" I still. I still. Say it again how GF lost that fight. When discussing HW 's no one beats him 2 of 3. Maybe an off night. With the exception of one punch power---he was a perfect fighter. I am gagging.... but I give props when due
Well said. I've always said this myself, Foreman never landed any proper flush power shots to Ali's head, he only managed to land big body shots.
Ali was most likely going to win, but due to the stylistic advantage, not cause he was in Foreman's head. That's very debatable. For one punch power though, he's not no. 1 for me. But he's top 5. Wrong. Foreman did not manage to land big power punches to Ali's head. Ali avoided them by pulling his head back and by slipping them.
While Muhammad Ali defeated George Foreman to become the second man in history to win the title in 1974, he invented a strategy to do so, The Rope A Dope. But also Ali resorted to his usual antics getting into George's head, living there rent free, a strategy that works on a bully type intimidating fighter, it worked against Sonny Liston in 1964.
Ali was the ring general for the majority of the fight ... Foreman drove Ali to the ropes but didn't do as much damage as he should have ... Ali never let Foreman take true control
I think the Foreman fight was Ali's greatest achievement in the ring. Ali was supremely prepared and showed tremendous heart and will to win against arguably the strongest fighter of all time in his prime. Ali was very strong himself, had a great chin, and was tough as nails. I think Ali took some real punishment in this fight, especially to the body. It's not readily apparent because Ali was usually able to hide being hurt.
Foreman got beaten up thinking he was winning because he was a dope, Ali scarcely even looked in trouble he was in almost complete control since round 2. Ali looked like he had a harder time with Liston in the 60s hell Oscar gave him a tougher fight. George was not a smart enough fighter to last at the top.
Ali was toying with Foreman by the end of the fight. His finest moment and one of the greatest wins in boxing history
I thought Ali had Foreman in all types of trouble at the end of the 5th but I might be misremembering.
