Zaire..was this Ali's greatest hour ?

Foreman was the perfect foil and a sharp boxing guy knew he could be exposed and Ali did a great job handling the mission

 

NO doubt his finest hour ... not his best performance but most dramatic victory.

 

Ali said it in a post-fight locker room interview with David Frost.
He says stuff like "Did it look like a hard fight to y'all?" etc etc One of the all-time great sports interviews!
Bound to be on youtube.......

 

Had to look it up after writing this, still makes me laugh:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5nlheJoCSQ

He was hurt though, hence the coughing etc but he's on such a hype!

"I wanna say hello to my friend Hugh Hefner!" Ha ha ha, genius!

 

For those who didn't see Ali-Joe 2, Ali had it won at the final bell tho not by any wide margin. A lot of talk about Ali's big right in the second that froze Frazier and the ref separated them, perhaps prematurely. Make your own call for those who have seen it.
The Manilla fight was a great fight but what many fail to accept is that it was simply a war of two war-torn past prime greats! Neither were even close to their best.
OK, here I go again, Spinks 2? How about Spinks 1 where Ali LET Leon cop a decision knowing the 7-0-1 ignorant newbie would give him an Immediate rematch for.....big bucks! That's the point were the titles splintered. Did Ali want Holmes, or even another Norton? Playing the public for fools. **** on his 3-time champ BS. Patterson's effort against Ellis in Stockholm in Sept. 68 is a much more deserving effort at regaining the HW title for a 3rd time than Ali's post-Foreman song and dance.

 

It was really the third Joe Frazier fight in Manilla that had Ali pissing blood for days as that fight was more physically hellacious for Ali and of course went six hot grueling rounds longer than "Rumble in the Jungle" against Foreman.

And besides even if Goerge had beaten the count it's not like he would have gotten a second wind against Ali and eventually won. Ali still would've taken him by no more than the 10th round. Foreman, by overlooking Ali as an old 32-year past his prime fighter, didn't get himself in shape to go a full 15-rounds with a dancing Ali and even before the contracts were singed for the fight anyone who knew boxing at the time and wasn't brainwashed by George's aura of powerpunching invincibility knew George had never been tested going a full 15-round fight like Ali had been already and that's where Muhammad had him psycologically going in.

 

Yes. As you know, I'm no Ali fan, but he was masterful this night.

 

This. It's forgotten how much punishment Ali took in this fight particularly downstairs. As for the loose ropes theory if they did this why was Dundee repeatedly screaming at Ali to get off the ropes if that was the game plan?
Let's face it after walking through and demolishing Frazier and Norton they thought they would do the same to the come backing Ali.
When his best shots were having no effect, with Ali saying "is that all ya got George" and being countered with lightning quick combinations George simply disintegrated mentally.
To me this is his greatest achievement, just edging out the first Liston fight which now has become a criminally underrated performance.

 

The Foreman fight was definitely Muhammad's greatest victory. Maybe not his best performance,technically,but the achievement was way out of the stratosphere



"If you wanna know anything about boxing....Don't go to no Ring Magazine......Don't go to no Las Vegas boxing clubs......Don't go to no Jimmy the Greek....Come to Muhammad Ali ! I am the man" !!

 

Compared to the first and third Frazier fights,Ali did n't take that much punishment at all. Pissing blood happens frequently to fighters,so I hear.

 

I don't think he was in Ali's corner that much. Certainly never featured in a prominent role

 

Taken at face value....yes.