Rematch! Ali vs Foreman 1976

Foreman`s confidence and maybe even his identity was stripped away after Zaire. I would say Ali get to him the same way maybe a shade sooner. He didn't believe Ali could hurt him in Zaire but going into a rematch he would have had more respect for him. Foreman may use the jab more in the beginning but I think he would eventually revert back to swinging away.

 

Foreman would be pissed. He would fight a smarter fight, not punch himself out and KO Ali sometime during the fight,, I think would also be ahead on points.

 

Ali was done by 76. This would have been horrible. If George was tentative at first he would have grown in confidence as the fight progressed and would have subjected Ali to a fearsome beating. For all we say George was in a bad way in 76 he was actually The Ring fighter of the year.

Without the humidity and long training camp, he doesn't have the disadvantages of Zaire and, after Manila, I don't think Ali can go to the well again.

 

I may have to rethink my position. Ali did have hand issues and they got worse as the 70s went on. By the late 70s he wasn't hitting with much force at all. I don't think he even stopped anyone after Richard Dunn. Manila did take a lot away from Ali though I still think he had the right style to throw George off.

 

Foreman has learned his lesson and patiently jabs at ali. Ali trys the ropeadope but foreman doesn't endlessly bang away. In fact for much of the fight nothing much changes. Ali still manages to get some quick shots off but foreman is playing the long game. He knows he has to after rumble. The crowd are getting restless after 12 rounds. Despite the relatively mundane fight both men's faces show signs of damage. Going to the 13 round foreman is starting to tire again. His jab has nothing behind it and any rights he throws are easily absorbed by ali. Foreman is well in front and his corner beg him to play safe and keep the jab going. Suddenly in the 14 th ali throws a fast right and foremen is stunned. A quick combination from Ali and foremen spins through the ropes. He attempts to climb up but his legs have gone. Afterwards George cry s in his corner and ali vows to retire!

 

If Foreman had fought smart the first time there wouldn't have been a need for a rematch.

 

After Manila Foreman has the physical advantages. By 1976 Ali is 34 and feeling it while George is only 27. However it is the mentality of both men which will be the key. Muhammad would get into George's head and make him doubt himself and he would be confused about what tactics to employ against his conqueror and tormentor. The supreme irony being that Foreman's best chance is to fight exactly as he did in Zaire. Ali no longer had the supremely honed body that he had in Kinshasa and he would n't be able to avoid the amount of shots that he did on that remarkable African night. Also,Ali's handspeed had slowed considerably over that two year period.

It's my strongly held opinion,however,that Foreman does n't have the confidence to employ that strategy again and tries to pace himself. This allows Ali to dictate the tempo of the fight and George is mentally drained in consequence. Ali wins again by decision or late tko.

 

Ali had his number in Zaire no matter how George would have approached the fight.

 

Ali was winning in Zaire well before Foreman gassed.

He was ahead at the time of stoppage.

In the rematch (Not 1976, when Ali had left more than half his body and soul in Manila, but 1975 ), Ali wins again, this time, probably by decision against a more gun-shy Foreman, who simply gets outboxed.

 

Ali easy. several reasons:

George confidence was shot after losing to Ali. Was not the same fighter.

George never showed the ability to beat a boxer at Ali's level.

Ali already knocked George out for a ten count. George was not going to turn all that around in a rematch.

 

Foreman's fight with Jimmy Young is a marker for a second one with Ali,imo.

 

I agree that George was not gonna improve that much. He wasn't mentally that together at that time of his career. Ali had the style and tools to always beat him. The question mark is how much Ali had slipped physically. His timing wasn't the same and he lost the pop in his punches that he did have. Kenny Norton made the comment that Ali didn't hit him hard once their whole fight in `76. Either way I don't see Foreman stopping Ali.

 

Foreman by decision if his head is on-straight and fights with common sense.