The Fix In The Jungle?

Seems like a strange time to be digging up this thread. Actually Foreman was down for 11 seconds, the commentator just lost track of the referee's count.

 

Haven't read the thread but no l don't think the fight was fixed, but ropes were certainly deficient. But hard to imagine that this was planned.

 

if it was fixed, someone shouldda told big George, he'd have had an easier time.

 

JC! Of course the fight was not fixed in any way shape or form. It was ALI who walked into a smallish ring with a heavily padded canvas. A PUNCHERS RING. Very easy for a punchers to step foreword and dig his feet into the canvas but very hard for a boxer to move. It's murder on the legs tiring them out very quickly.

Foreman WAS COUNTED OUT. PERIOD! Yes he was down for ten seconds. The announcers at ringside because the the crowds cheers lost track of the count. When they said eight the ref was at TEN.

Sadler working in Ali's corner two years later means nothing. Sadler was not working with George any longer. Ali hired him to help in training for that fight.

 

Murder on the legs when moving side to side which was Ali's plan. The soft canvas was a main reason he went to the ropes at the start of round two.

 

The only thing about this fight was rope-a-dope was coined by David Frost not Ali/Dundee. As mentioned Ali was going to use his legs but could not, so laid on the ropes until a new plan can be hatched. Dundee was screaming at Ali to get off the ropes.

Frost came up with the "So you roped yourself a dope!" when interviewing Ali post fight.

 

Not truly fixed, but unfair advantages were at play for Ali.

 

Well, it probably wasn't fixed but some dodgy things might have taken place.
It's impossible to know for sure.

Boxing is a bit crooked at the best of times.
And putting on a $10 million dollar heavyweight title fight in Mobutu's Zaire is hardly worthy of a vote of confidence, is it ?

 

voted probably not because i'm not a fan of absolutes.

 

What is fixed though?

Nobody wants to take a fight unless they know they can win. Having inside information, a plan, a secret training method, a friendly doctor, a friendly official, deliberately scupper the opponents training by rescheduling, a spy in their camp, being the house fighter, etc, etc,

 

I don't think it was fixed, in that Foreman would've had to have been in on it if it was a true fix. But I think there were lots of crooked things afoot. The government of Zaire wouldn't let Foreman go back to the USA after he was cut in training, and wouldn't allow the fight to be postponed long enough for the cut to heal fully and properly.

Furthermore, Dundee has admitted --proudly-- to loosening the ropes.

Ali fought a great fight. This was his best in my opinion.

But given these unfair intangibles, and George's stature before the fight, Foreman definitely deserved a rematch. I do not buy at all the view of many Ali fans who claim George would have had no chance in a second fight.

 

Ali had an unfair advantage? A small ring and heavily padded ring canvas does not favor a boxer. If anything the shoe was on the other foot. I have never heard Dundee say he loosened the ropes. In fact he says just the opposite that I between rounds he tried tighning the ropes since he feared Ali would fall out of the ring. The reason why the ropes were loose was it was an 18 foot ring and the ropes designed for a 20 footer.

 

It's hard to know what's real and what isn't, but I had read once about Dundee arriving in the afternoon of the fight and loosening the ropes.

 

Watch the fight, rope-a-dope or not, Ali was schooling George before he knocked him out I score the rounds 5-2 Ali before the KO.

 

Here's the good oil - Foreman later retracted his silly accusation that Dundee loosened the ropes.

It's that simple. Dundee had no idea whatsoever Ali would end up laying on the ropes as a tactic so it's a very confusing allegation.

I have heard nothing about Dundee admitting to loosening any ropes and if it's out there it's BS.