Transcription
The rumble in the jungle is one of the most iconic and exciting fights of all time, and it ended with arguably the greatest knockout ever captured on film. After eight brutal rounds, Ali came off the ropes and hit Foreman with a lightning-fast combination that sent him tumbling towards the ground. Instead of throwing follow-up punches, Ali stared Foreman down as he seemed to fall in slow motion towards the floor.
No one at the time had given Ali much of a chance, despite all of his talent and experience. This was mostly because of Foreman's immense power. Big George had walked through almost every competitor he had ever faced, with his longest fight being an epic slugfest with Ron Lyle that lasted just five rounds. Ali knew he couldn't outmuscle Foreman; if he wanted to win, he had to outsmart him.
Foreman's style was built upon controlling his opponent's arms to set up his punches. He would hold his hands far out and paw at his competitor's guard, looking to smother them, knock them off balance, and pull down their hands and head. But from the opening bell, Ali had a way to turn all of Foreman's best tricks against him. When Foreman extended his hands to paw at Ali, he created an opening in his guard. Ali was able to time Foreman and throw a quick straight punch in between the narrow space.
When Foreman tried to pull down and trap one of Ali's hands, Ali simply pulled his hand back. He could depend on his incredible head movement to keep him safe, while Foreman barely ever moved his head at all. Without trapping Ali's hand, Foreman had only succeeded in opening himself up for attack.
One of the most effective techniques Foreman used in his many fights was to set up his punches by pushing his opponent's head or shoulder. This would knock his competitors off balance and give Foreman time to load up on a powerful blow. But Ali had made a career out of slipping his head past his opponent's jab and throwing a cross over their shoulder. When Foreman left his arm extended to push at Ali, it was the easiest thing in the world for him to treat it like a slow jab and throw his right hand over it.
While Ali's strategy to use Foreman's wrestling against him was working incredibly well, it soon became clear that he had underestimated Foreman's skill at cutting off the ring. Foreman was able to repeatedly corner Ali and land powerful blows. At first, Ali tried his best to get off the ropes with mixed results. But then he did something that nobody expected.
He leaned back on the ropes and began to taunt Foreman, daring him to punch harder, saying he was covering up because he was hurt. “And boy, I went to finish him. I threw everything I had. One round, two rounds, three rounds—he'd cover up again, hit me, and cover up again. After about the sixth round, I hit him with some good shots. He fell on me, really. I thought he was giving up, and he said, ‘George, then all you got?’ George showed me something, and I realized all those punches were basically a waste.”
Ali wasn't just taking punishment; he was deflecting blows off of his forearms and elbows, using the lax ropes to slip punches and wrestling Foreman to tire him out. Almost every time Foreman went to the body, Ali would pull his head down to take away his stability. No stability, no power. Still, Ali was taking more damage with each passing round. After about the sixth round, he hit Foreman with some good shots.
But after the brutal rounds, Ali's plan paid off. Foreman was on unstable footing, plodding forward on willpower alone but barely any energy left. “Right now, the most tired I've ever been in my life, I don't understand. That fight was going to go on for another five rounds, and so I didn't—I don't know if I would have made it anyway.”
Let's take a look at the last exchange. Foreman opens up his guard to paw, desperate to control Ali's hands to set up a fight-ending punch with the little energy he has left. Ali fires a quick one-two in between Foreman's hands. Foreman has managed to get a hand on Ali's shoulder, but Ali pushes Foreman away and jabs to get some distance. Foreman probes with his lead hand to try to control Ali's head, but Ali slips and pulls Foreman's hand over his shoulder, taking hold of the back of Foreman's head and turning him.
Foreman is now in a terrible position, unable to attack, defend, or even see his opponent. Ali hits him with a hard right. Foreman throws an uppercut that deflects off of Ali's elbow and again extends his hand to try to gain some control. Ali repeats the same sequence used a second ago, this time turning Foreman all the way onto the ropes. Dazed and desperate, Foreman again opens his guard to try to clinch, and Ali dances away, attacking with short, tight punches.
Ali circles around as he punches, keeping Foreman off-balance. He connects with an angled whipping hook loaded up from behind his back. At this point, Foreman has done all he can. Ali finishes the job with the cross and watches the man the world told him could not be beaten fall to the floor. It's one of the greatest knockdowns from one of the most epic fights between two of the most skilled fighters to ever enter the ring.
Let us know in the comment section what fights you'd like to see broken down from boxing, kickboxing, or MMA.
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For the Modern Martial Artist, this has been David Christian wishing you happy training.