Muhammad Ali - The Rope-a-Dope Con........

Yeah, I can see what you are saying. I also don't think that Ali decided before the fight "let him pound on me for 8 rounds, and then I'll hope that he is tired. And then.."

I don't think so.

I think Ali went with the flow, and at some point decided that protecting himself and hoping that Foreman would tire so that he would have an opportunity later was the best thing he could do. Not too different from what Froch must have been thinking against Taylor actually. There is an interview on youtube where Froch says something like this. In the end Foreman did tire and Ali knocked him out. And in the end Taylor did tire and Froch knocked him out.

 

Ali didnt let foreman pound on him. He let Foreman eat punches coming in. Look at foremans face at the end of the fight, then look at Ali's. Someone was getting pounded on, and it wasnt Ali.

 

The ropes were looose, Dundee even admitted it in documentary. Read my post again--slowly--and let it sink in. I gave facts, and some insight. Read it, and learn.

 

ali was doing rope-a-dope before the foreman fight. he tried it with frazier but it didnt work as well. frazier was a well schooled pressure fight. ali started staying on the ropes as he got older and was as elusive as he was when he was younger. but ti just so happens it was just right to expose foreman as a very sloppy puncher.

 

Ali was the far far superior boxer.[/quote]

JJ was the superior fighter.

He was practically blind and couldn't see the other guy, so he sat back in a corner and suckered him in -- a murderous puncher's superiority can be displayed with one punch and a little bit of savvy to lure his prey into the trap.

 

I had Ali ahead at the time of the KO.

And if you watch the fight carefully, he tried to execute his plan and end matters in round five.

He found that Foreman's goose was not quite cooked yet, so he pulled in his horns and bided his time for three more rounds.

In the eighth, Foreman was done like dinner and Ali delivered the coup de grace.

 

Well said. Foreman got his ass kicked. He wasnt outsmarted he was just out fought.

 

Yep, and he also tried it afterwards, against Ron Lyle. As a result, a relatively crude hitter like Lyle was ahead on the cards after 11 rounds with Ali. The rope-a-dope strategy is one that doesn't work 99,99% of the time... the way Foreman humiliated himself was an awesome achievement from Ali, not just physically but also mentally.... however, i can't think of any top30 HW who would fall the same way for the rope-a-dope.

 

I have long considered that fight a semi fix* for the reasons you gave. The ref wasn't exactly unbiased either. The loose ropes were absurd - it gave Ali's desperate r-a-d tactic a good chance to work. And GF accomodated Ali to an extent. I don't know why but Foreman didn't look right throughout that fight. King & others wanted Ali to regain the title b/c he was a much better showman than (at that time) the sullen GF. When Norton was robbed in his 3rd fight vs Ali, he said that Ali was bigger than boxing. Ken was right. There's no conspiracy here for those that want to look beyond the myth.

Ali was a top guy, the top HW in his era... but he has been mythologized to absurd levels.

* By semi fix I mean GF was not in on it - did not throw the fight. If I was GF I wouldn't have even agreed to fight in Zaire, although similar circumstances could have happened elsewhere.

 

I agree, and I forgot about that ref, Zack Clayton I think. It is never bought up anymore how troops of dictator there would not let Foreman leave after he got cut in training. They were afraid he would not come back, and try to switch fight to states.

 

I train fighting off the ropes as well, but I that does not mean I plan on using in a fight unless I have no other options left. I think that was the case for Ali, Foreman forced him into that strategy.

 

Em/Dre - greatest Dynamic Duo around.

 

Man Alive that chick by the pool is raping me with her eyes. i wish!