Prior to Muhammad Ali's epic fight against George Foreman in Kinshasa, Zaire, in 1974, many Ali fans - and boxing experts - were weary about Ali's chances against the seemingly invincible Foreman. Foreman was one of the strongest fighters the heavyweight boxing division had ever seen, and he had obliterated all but two of his professional opponents, After returning to the boxing ring in 1970 after a forced three-year layoff, Muhammad Ali was not the same fighter he had once been. He was slower, he was easier to hit, and he didn't have the same ability to move and dance for fifteen-rounds like he did when he was heavyweight champion. He had lost to Joe Frazier in a grueling fight in 1971, and then he was unexpectedly defeated by an up-and-coming fighter in Ken Norton two years later. And then along came George Foreman.
George Foreman, that menacing tower of power/1968 Olympic Gold Medalist, had bounced Joe Frazier on the canvas six times over the course of two of the most one-sided rounds in heavyweight history to win the heavyweight championship. The same Joe Frazier that handed Muhammad Ali his first loss - the Joe Frazier that dropped Ali in the 15th round of their epic fight - was treated like a rag doll by Foreman and thoroughly trounced. After the sixth knockdown, the referee, having seen enough of the unfolding carnage, stepped in to save Joe Frazier's life. There was a new heavyweight champion in George Foreman, and he looked as if he would reign for as long as he cared to.
And then to further bolster the assumption that Ali would have no chance against Foreman, Foreman knocked out Ken Norton in two rounds, the same guy that had beaten Muhammad Ali in 1973 - even breaking his jaw in the fight - and who fought a close, hotly-contested rematch with Ali six months later. Ali had fought a total of twenty-four rounds against Norton over the course of two fights; Foreman starched Norton in two rounds after barely breaking a sweat! No, Muhammad Ali's chances against George Foreman didn't look good at all. Besides the obvious concerns about Ali's career and about him losing, there were plenty of people who were deathly afraid of Ali getting seriously hurt by Foreman, even killed!
But Ali, being the great boxer and strategist that he was, knew that Foreman - and no man for that matter - was unbeatable. Every fighter has flaws and weaknesses - even George Foreman - and Ali did his best to exploit Foreman's. Foreman, although big and powerful, had not fought many fights that went into the later rounds; he was used to knocking guys out quick. As a result, his stamina and fortitude had never really been tested. And Ali planned a big test for him!
On fight night, Ali came out dancing and moving, but he quickly realized that Foreman was too aggressive and was too adept at cutting off the ring and cornering. So, Ali spent large parts of every round lying against the ropes, both absorbing and blocking Foreman's punches with his arms and body and countering with quick, accurate flurries of punches. It wasn't long before Foreman's punches started to lose steam; his movements became slower and more deliberate, and with each passing round he started to resemble a robot that was being de-programmed. By the eighth round, Foreman was a spent fighter, and Ali still had plenty left. Ali shot a quick combination to Foreman's head punctuated by a stiff right hand to the chin and Foreman, having never been knocked off his feet, fell to the canvas with a thud. As the referee counted to ten, George Foreman had been deposed, and Muhammad Ali was the heavyweight champion once more!
