regarding Ali - Foreman When we look back on this fight we appreciate the greatness of Ali, but back then what did the critics of Ali make of this? What excuses were made about his win? this is just a question out of curiosity, because i see a lot of wins nowadays where people are quick to not give out credit, but in future we will look back on the same fights and appreciate the winner. But i genuinely want to know what people made of this Ali victory!
I'd like to know that as well, seeing as the majority felt Ali was coming home in a body bag, even his corner feared for him!
Personally, I thought it was one of the worst reffed fights in the history of the division. Ali got away with more illegal and borderline illegal tactics than I have ever seen in a high profile fight. Today, people complain if a fighter slips three or four times in a fight. Ali layed against the ropes, which most refs considered illegal. He also grabbed Foreman behind the head all night. It was a briiliant tactic, but it was illegal. I recently rewatched the fight and I was amazed by what I saw. Foreman had this bad habit of lowering his head when he charged in to deliver those devasting hooks to the body. And what Ali did to prevent these attacks was grab George on the back of the head and then initiate a clinch. It was, as I said, a brilliant tactic, but it was 100 percent illegal. No fighter would get away with that today. And no fight that was not named Ali could have gotten away with it then. The reason for the prefential treatment was simple: Ali was a huge, huge crowd favorite and unless he would've put a horseshoe in his glove, the ref wasn't about to reprimand him for anything.
I've never seen a fighter penalised for going against the ropes in my life and a lot of fighters use it as part of their game - Matthew Saad Muhammad for example! I can't argue with the clinching but Foreman couldn't match him that night and if Ali had been warned, as he was in Manila, the result would have been the same. Also, Big George couldn't complain. He wasn't always clean himself. See Norton....
what he means is leaning all the way back on the ropes it can be seen as support especially for the amount of time ali spent on there and not throwin back alot of fights these days wud have been stopped early on some of the stuff i heard about foreman tho was ****ed up the heat and people ****ing cursing him
When the fight was first announced Ali was a huge underdog, but the night of the fight most boxing writers actually picked Ali to win. I'm not sure what the actual odds were the night of the fight but I know they became really close. Of course when Ali did win he pretty much shut everybody up. The story behind why there was no rematch is sort of complicated and I'm honestly entirely sure of why it didn't take place, in late 76' Foreman was clearly still a huge threat.
Foreman could've got his rematch but lost to Jimmy Young in an eliminator and then had his come to Jesus moment, it's a myth Ali denied him the rematch.
Yep, watch too many documentaries and read books about the fight and you'd get that impression, watch the fight and you find Ali surprisingly in control, countering Foreman and had him where he wanted him. I wouldn't say he was winning easily and he WAS taking some big shots, but not the pounding same will have you believe.
I was pretty young then but I remember afterward most critics complained that Ali did'nt fight like a real man, instead he played chicken and possum this new rope a dope game until George got tired. When I finally watched the fight myself years later I was surprised how great a fight it was and that Ali and Foreman were way more than the critics stated.
