Muhammad Ali vs. George Foreman Review
The Infamous 'Rumble in the Jungle' Promoted by Don King
Aug 6, 2009
This was to be Don King's first venture into boxing promotion. He guaranteed both fighters a then unheard of $5 million each; money which he didn't have. As a result, he looked for a country other than the USA who were willing to sponsor the fight and take this massive burden off him. The president of Zaire was interested, and the stage was set - the two fighters were to battle it out in Kinhasa, Zaire.
Ali and Foreman - The Two Best Heavyweights in the World
At this time, while the heavyweight division was stacked, these two stood out as the top contenders. Ali was coming off a unanimous decision win over Joe Frazier and Foreman was considered to be an absolute wrecking machine. Going into this fight, he had amassed a 40-0 record, with 37 of those wins coming by way of knockout.
People realised Foreman was for real when he obliterated 'Smokin' Joe Frazier in two rounds, knocking him down six times in the process. Also, in the fight previous to his encounter with Ali, he destroyed Ken Norton, a very respectable heavyweight in two rounds. While the public wanted Ali to win, many people thought Foreman would be too much for him.
How 'The Rumble in the Jungle' Went
The opening round was the most tentative of the fight for both men. However, Ali did well, utilising his speed and jabbing from the outside well. Foreman managed a few decent body shots at the end of the round, but this belonged to Ali.
The second session probably went Foreman's way though. Ali was starting to use the infamous 'rope-a-dope' tactic, but at this stage, Foreman was outworking him, and throwing some really good hooks to the body.
Foreman carried on his excellent body work in the fourth, but he probably lost this round as Ali had now woken up. Ali opened up with some head shots, including a very tasty left hook which rocked Foreman.
The legs of Foreman seemed tired in the fourth, probably because of the immense heat in Zaire. However, he put a big effort into this round, and nicked it with more body work.
In the fifth though, Ali confused Foreman to no end. 'Rope-a-dope' was working beautifully, and Foreman was looking exhausted. Ali couldn't get careless though as Foreman was naturally heavy handed, and his corner grilled him for staying on the ropes at the end of the round.
Foreman was so tired in the sixth that even when he had Ali against the ropes he couldn't do any serious damage. Ali's fantastic speed was telling now, and it was starting to become apparent that Foreman was really slowing down.
To his credit though, Foreman took the seventh on workrate alone. He dug down deep, and while he didn't have an amazing round, Ali did very little, basically giving the round to his foe.
The eighth was to be the last round of the fight. Foreman dominated this round, punishing Ali brutally on the ropes. However, he punched himself out, and when Ali managed to get off the ropes, he unleashed a combination of the head of Foreman which put him down. Foreman got up, but couldn't beat the ten count, and Muhammad Ali was crowned the WBC and WBA Heavyweight Champion of the world.
Implications of this Fight for Ali and Foreman
After this fight, Ali went undefeated all the way until 1978, by which time he had been in several wars and was past it. This fight alone solidified Ali as an all time great though, as most people predicted that the strong, undefeated Foreman would win.
This wasn't the end of the road for Foreman either though. While it took Foreman until 1994 to become a World Champion again, he mixed in quality opposition during that time, and was never stopped again in his career.
This was a match between two legends of the sport, and one that will never be forgotten. This was truly a 'classic' fight.
How to Watch 'The Rumble in the Jungle'
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