Fifty years ago, in what was arguably the greatest sporting moment of the 20th century, Muhammad Ali regained the heavyweight championship of the world by scoring an eighth-round knockout of the supposedly invincible George Foreman in Kinshasa, Zaire. The encounter will forever be known as “The Rumble in the Jungle.”
The fight had everything: the two best heavyweights in the world, the mysterious locale, incredible action, and a storybook ending. However, this showdown is also remembered for the winner executing the most astonishing example of ring genius in the sport’s long history.
Before “The Greatest” found the punches required to cement his legend, he drained Foreman of all his energy and strength by placing himself in incredible jeopardy. Against an opponent with 37 knockouts in 40 straight wins, the challenger stood with his back to the ropes, feet planted, and subtly defused the lethal bombs coming his way.
The Sporting News takes a deep dive into Muhammad Ali’s unique ring strategy – the rope-a-dope.
What is rope-a-dope?
Invented by Muhammad Ali, the “rope-a-dope” is a defensive shell used to tire an opponent out.
With gloves high and appearing to be languishing against the ropes or in a corner, Ali would catch the majority of Foreman’s concussive bombs on the guard and pick off pulverizing body shots on the elbows. When a shot did get through, Ali possessed the requisite recovery powers to survive and reset.
Frequently on the ropes from round two onward, Ali allowed Foreman to pound away with enormous blows to head and body. Timing his moments to fire back, the challenger counterpunched beautifully and nailed Foreman flush while whispering insults in his ear. In the eighth, Ali suddenly burst out of his own corner and released a multi-punch combination punctuated by a perfect right hand that put an exhausted Foreman down for the count.
Labelled a “suicidal” approach by ringsiders, Ali utilized incredible reflexes and ring IQ to outsmart and outmanoeuvre the more powerful fighter.
Were the ropes loose in “The Rumble in the Jungle”?
Opinions vary on the myth that the ropes were purposefully loosened in the Foreman vs. Ali bout.
Ali’s trainer, Angelo Dundee, was accused of tampering with the ropes but always staunchly denied it. “It’s not true, I tried to tighten the ropes,” Dundee told the BBC in 1994. “We had 24-foot ropes for a 20-foot ring and when we got there, the ropes [were loose]. We tried to tighten them.”
However, British journalist Ken Jones, who covered the fight from ringside had a quite different take. “Angelo loosened the ropes, but that wasn’t unusual,” Jones said. “Angelo didn’t let anything go by. He knew every trick.”
Did Muhammad Ali use rope-a-dope in any other fights?
Ali’s spectacular win over Foreman gave birth to the term “rope-a-dope.” However, “The Greatest” had attempted that strategy before that… unsuccessfully.
In his 1971 “Fight of the Century” with Joe Frazier, Ali quickly realized that his nemesis had superior stamina and endurance. In an attempt to drain Frazier of his resources, Ali went to the ropes several times for long periods, but the strategy backfired.
Frazier, a better punch picker than Foreman, battered Ali relentlessly to the body and whipped in his patented left hook whenever there was an opening. Instead of tiring Frazier out, Ali gave the Philly powerhouse momentum and suffered a 15-round unanimous decision loss.
Following his win over Foreman, Ali fell in love with the rope-a-dope routine and overused it. As well as Frazier in a brutal third encounter, fighters such as Ken Norton, Earnie Shavers and Leon Spinks found holes in the great champion’s defensive posture and dished out tremendous punishment. Ali would also unwisely employ rope-a-dope in sparring.
It would be accurate to say that the improvisational strategy that Ali used to achieve his crowning moment became his greatest liability and ultimately contributed to the damage he suffered in later life.
