Why did The Greatest lose to basically a one-armed fighter?

As stated above, a super motivated Frazier who had been taunted by Ali for a year or so, was the greatest fighter in the world on that particular night.

Ali had slowed down since his prime in 1966 and when a tank is coming at you that is trying to take your head off with each punch it makes you pretty wary. Frazier had a "Ali warm-up fight" with Jimmy Ellis and blasted him out with fast left hooks too....you think Angelo Dundee would have learned then what was in store for Ali since Ellis was a low grade Ali copy.

Big George said what he looked for was for Frazier to "dip" his shoulder ....which meant the hook was on the way. Foreman would then quickly raise his own right arm to block Frazier's hook while George moved inside to smash home a left uppercut to Frazier's chin.

After the Foreman-Frazier fight was over, George responded to a sportwriter's question by saying: "That thing was Joe's left hook?"..(indicating it didn't bother him what-so-ever)

It is all about styles...what was poison to Ali.....was a mosquito bite to Foreman.

 

Fights are all about styles and Frazier had the style to give Ali fits, period. That fight showcased the best each man had to offer. I don't think either man looked better in any any fight before or after that one.