Did Ali cheat against Foreman?

Grabbing your opponents arm is legal grabbing their body or putting them in a head lock is against the rules.

 

There were loads of ATGs that fought dirty, Ali was no saint with his grabbing tactics. Foreman was quite dirty at times, himself.

 

There’s been numerous claims of fighters being poisoned through boxing history - I don’t know that even one has ever been proven.

I assume the claims often pivot themselves on the fighter not “feeling himself” on the occasions in question.

However, that sensation is often accompanied by unique circumstances and unprecedented challenge.

It was hot in Zaire, perhaps Foreman was a bit mentally addled at any rate BUT, the big thing is, Ali was putting it to George from the outset and didn’t fall upon Foreman’s first few solid connections.

All of this was alien to Foreman so it’s no wonder he wasn’t feeling himself - but it was essentially by Ali’s hand - not to do with any improper conduct.

Yes, Ali did fight rough - preemptively, as Foreman was known to fight rough in his previous engagements.

Ali did no worse than what Foreman had previously done or would do in Zaire IF he had the opportunity - Ali simply robbed him of that opportunity.

 

Here's a very very simple question back........

If he was waiting for the poison to set in why on mother earth would he go straight at Foreman in the very first round? Such a strategy was absolute suicide in the eyes of most everyone and played into Foreman's hands as a fast starting early KO monster.

So we can scratch that accusation/insinuation right out of existence.

 

That ref didn't seem to have a care in the World about Ali pulling down on the back of Foreman's head, which he did all night long.

 

That is the one very valid observation.
I do not know that Foreman would have cheated vs. Ali-he was not a small swarmer trying to get inside like Frazier, so it would be a dubious strategy.
However someone

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have cheated never can justify your own cheating.

It is absurd to fault Ali for using the ropes, fully legal, clever strategy (that backfired other times like vs. Frazier).
Nor is their any rational cause to consider anyone poisoned Foreman, as pointed out ably here.

However frequent holding & especially pulling your opponents head down hard illegally thwarts offense & is exhausting.
There is no reasonable cause to excuse this other than favoritism.
However great the win still was & is, it still is a valid complaint that could have tipped the balance of the fight.

 

The ref let them settle it.

Not directing this to you personally, but some people would like to have a three-man referee crew and deduct a few points and DQ fighters three or four times on ever card. They claim they’d be happier if half the fights in history — important fights like this — were DQs.

It seems to always be the guy a poster likes the want DQ’d and never the one they don’t. Roberto Duran and Mike Tyson were absolute rule-breakers but, nah, let’s make it about Ray Leonard legally negotiating for a larger ring or Evander Holyfield coming out the better when their heads clash, etc.

There’s no sport in which some athlete in most every contest doesn’t break a rule. Here’s how it works: you push the envelope to see what you can get away with.

 

He was slow cos hd been chucking leather at Ali s body, and had it in his mind that he should be crumpled on the floor a round ago.

 

Yeah but it is really not fair nor sportsmanlike to win a fight because you consciously try to get away with a lot of cheating that is either unseen, or for some reason the rules unenforced-especially when it may make the difference in a fight you may otherwise have LOST.

Some rule bending, especially when folks are not trying to do so, but instinctively trying to survive in grueling circumstances in very distinct from what say Wlad did to Povetkin or Ali to Frazier in their second fight.
IF Frazier's team did not insist on preventing the insane 133 clinches in 12 rounds, & Ali was not warned twice early...

We never would have had the superb classic Thrilla in Manilla.
And even if Ali won again, we would then have TWO victories we never would know if he deserved under fair officiating.

I reserve judgement if it is an accurate description that Holyfield just "came out better" in their clashes, as opposed to flagrant cheating-which Tyson certainly sometimes indulged upon besides chewing off part of an ear.

But it is to the detriment & shame of boxing & the fans & the loser IF a referee allows a lot of cheating, especially one sided!
YES some are blatantly hypocritical about what they bemoan or ignore.
That does not change the validity of enforcing the rules, & in a balanced way.

That there is some grey area in intention or severity does not excuse not working hard to make boxing non-corrupt-or just not blind & ignorant to result-changing potential infractions.

Oh & I would not be so quick to say very many fights would need to be DQs...
Because IF fighters are warned strongly early, have a point taken away...
That is likely usually enough to alter the behavior of those effectively cheating in significant ways, since they do not want to lose ( a bit digracefully)...
So like in Manilla it becomes a fair contest.

 

Ali got away with that with Joe Frazier, and other fighters too.
No wonder Frazier suffered with a bad back.

 

George has since admitted that he was forever clutching at straws for a long time after Zaire. The "I was drugged" schtick was just another excuse. He slowed up simply because he was burning himself out.