The rope a dope was “on the spot”?

Some things are very obvious. Like the denim-tightness of seventies Robert Plant. But other things are less obvious. Like my connection to McGrain or Foreman's connection to Ali.

 

Insert, "Counselor, there never was an Aaron." reference here.

 

I'm going to watch the fight again for the thousandth time. Saying Ali's strategy was born out of necessity and that he controlled the action isn't mutually exclusive. Ali's defense reminds me of the Iron Dome and why the Iron Dome would be ineffective in a nuclear war. It stops approximately 90% of missiles. That suggests 10% still get through. If those were nuclear missiles it would be devastating. Even the best defensive fighters block 70%, 80% of punches. That means 20% -30% still get through. Some of George's bombs hit Ali in the head. He dealt with them. Even in the fight he won Jimmy Young said George had him out on his feet.

 

Couldn't say it any better, even if I tried.

One follow on - Ali's hands and the impact of the relative loss of his legs compared to his pre-exile self are some of the reason why he stunk out arenas with lacklustre performances but it does make you appreciate how well-tuned these elite fighters are. A few months of excellent training conditions has a major impact on their athleticism, ability to punch and move, ability to absorb punishment, dig deep and bring the intangibles forward.

 

That's a cracking post, Pug.

 

There is no way in this world that Ali, in preparing for that fight, seriously considered the possibility of being on his toes and moving for 15 rounds, no way at all. Especially if he agreed to a 16 foot ring. There is no way he agreed to a ring that size if it was his intention to fight a mobile fight. I don't see how anybody can believe that he changed his plan spontaneously. Yes, he said that is what happened but it is not at all believable, not at all.

 

He didn't:


The "Rumble in the Jungle" between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman in 1974 did indeed have a controversy surrounding the size of the boxing ring, and it played a significant role in the fight.

Here's a breakdown of the issue:

• Dispute over Ring Size: Before the fight, both Ali and Foreman had preferences for the ring dimensions. Ali reportedly wanted a 20-foot ring, which would allow him more space to move, dance, and utilize his footwork to avoid Foreman's powerful punches. Foreman, on the other hand, preferred a 19-foot ring, as a smaller space would help him cut off Ali's movement and force him into a more confined area where his raw power could be more effective.

• The Actual Ring Size: Despite the preferences, what they actually ended up with in Kinshasa, Zaire, was a 16-foot ring. This was significantly smaller than what either fighter had explicitly wanted, and especially detrimental to Ali's usual fighting style.

• Impact on the Fight: The smaller ring was a huge advantage for Foreman, at least in theory. It limited Ali's ability to "dance" and use his elusive footwork to tire Foreman out from a distance. The confined space was expected to force Ali to engage more directly with Foreman's devastating power.

• However, Ali famously turned this disadvantage into an advantage with his "Rope-a-Dope" strategy. Instead of trying to avoid Foreman entirely in the smaller ring, Ali leaned back against the loose ropes, absorbing many of Foreman's punches (which lost some of their impact due to the give in the ropes) while conserving his own energy and letting Foreman punch himself out. The loose ropes in the small ring facilitated this strategy, allowing Ali to lean back further than he might have in a tightly-roped, larger ring.
  
  
  
  So, while there was a clear controversy and disadvantage for Ali regarding the ring size leading up to the fight, his genius adaptation of the "Rope-a-Dope" turned it into an unexpected element that contributed to one of boxing's greatest upsets.

 

No one should feel bad. I'm the one who had to let Thomas Hauser know it was a sixteen foot ring. I e-mailed him years ago about the size of the ring and even he couldn't believe it was that small.

 

Thanks and totally agree. The backstory re Ali’s hands helps to reconcile the seeming variance in his effective punch power over different fights, particularly during his second career - when the hands were completely unimpaired - as they were for Zaire - Ali proved that he could have very good pop in his punches.

 

Thanks Greg.

 

Per one’s own eyes, one can appreciate that the ring was relatively tiny.

I think it was the ref Zack Clayton who said that the ring was no more than 16 feet in his estimate.

For all Ali’s adaptability. Dundee was still a great asset also in his own measure.

He checked the ring beforehand and adjusted the tension of the ropes to as tight as they could be - just shy of potentially breaking the turnbuckles.

As the ropes were tensioned originally, Dundee said either man could’ve easily fallen out of the ring had they leant upon them.

Foreman’s team literally and illegally tried to adjust the ropes during the fight, looking to tighten them even more - but Dundee screamed them away.

For such a huge, global event and the big bucks involved, quite the **** up to see a ring so small and ropes that didn’t match.

 

Zach Clayton said he couldn't believe Ali agreed to fight George Foreman in a telephone booth. He didn't.

 

Sixteen foot rings are used in a lot of amateur bouts. Blame Mobutu and King.