Muhammad Ali and George Foreman’s meeting in 1974 is one of the most iconic boxing matches of all time.
The ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ took place in Zaire, Africa, which is now known as the Democratic Republic of Congo. Ali was looking to regain the world heavyweight crown, while Foreman was aiming to defend his WBA and WBC titles.
Foreman was undefeated at the time, boasting an incredible 40-0 record. As for Ali, he went into the bout as an underdog, with a record of 44-2.
However, Ali had one of the best showcases of his career in what was not an easy fight between two of the greatest heavyweights of all time.
Muhammad Ali explains his thoughts during his fight with George Foreman
Speaking to Thomas Hauser of The Guardian, Ali sat down and rewatched his fight with Foreman, detailing his thoughts on the epic bout.
Ali said that he “didn’t really plan what happened that night,” in terms of how the fight played out. “When a fighter gets in the ring, he has to adjust to the condition he faces.”
‘The Greatest’ said that due to the fact he was constantly being hunted by Foreman, he couldn’t use his famous footwork as much as usual. “Against George, the ring was slow. Dancing all night, my legs would have got tired. And George was following me too close, cutting off the ring. In the first round, I used more energy staying away from him than he used chasing me.”
It was this that caused a change of approach from Ali. Instead of using his movement, he said he would aim to tire out Foreman by using strategic defense. It was this that led to the famous ‘rope-a-dope’ tactic.
Although the rumor that the ropes were loosened for Ali was debunked, it was this approach that allowed him to get the victory.
However, despite delivering a knockout blow in round eight, Ali admitted, “He hit hard. A couple of times, he shook me bad, especially with the right hand.”
Muhammad Ali began to taunt a tired George Foreman
Speaking to Hauser while rewatching the fight, Ali revealed that as Foreman began to tire, his punches became less threatening.
“[After] each round, his punches got slower and hurt less when they landed.”
This was when Ali began to speak to Foreman, taunting the heavyweight champion. Ali said, “I started talking to him. ‘Hit harder! Show me something, George. That don’t hurt. I thought you were supposed to be bad.’”
Foreman also revealed Ali whispered to him in the fight, when the two men were close inside the ring before the knockout occurred.
The stoppage loss would be the first of ‘Big George’s’ career. However, Foreman would win the world heavyweight title again at 45 years old in incredible fashion.