Muhammad Ali's Amazing Triumph Over the Seemingly Indestructible George Foreman

George Foreman was never a likable fellow during his first stint as champion. He was sullen and brooding. He would scowl and frown, and he would revel in his toughness and his menacing aura. Every fight that he had he was like a predator stalking its prey; George's idea of fine boxing skill was to knock his opponent senseless. If a fight happened to go the distance and Foreman had to settle for a decision win, he was disappointed and felt as though he had lost. He loved the knockout. And boy, did he score some spectacular ones along the way. Who can forget the two-round annihilation of Joe Frazier, a fight in which Foreman sent Frazier to the canvas six times in two rounds, in Kingston, Jamaica in 1973. Joe Frazier entered the arena that night as undisputed champion, but less than six minutes after the fight started, he was a former champion; losing his title and his aura of invincibility to the heavy-handed Foreman. Then there was Foreman's blowout of highly-ranked Ken Norton in Caracas, Venezuela; a fight that ended after two rounds and left Norton in a heap wondering what day it was. And Norton was no pushover; he fought the great Muhammad Ali twice, breaking Ali's jaw and winning a decision in their first fight, and then losing a very close and hotly-contested rematch. Norton was formidable and George made him look like a tomato can. To those in the know, it appeared that George Foreman could reign as champion for as long as he cared to; he appeared that unbeatable.

But a funny thing happened to Big George, a nickname bestowed upon Foreman by his loyal followers and admirers; he ran into Muhammad Ali. Muhammad Ali, who first won the heavyweight championship in 1964 when he outfoxed and out boxed Charles Sonny Liston, was stripped of his title when he refused induction into the armed forces on the basis that it was against his religion. After returning to boxing in 1970, after his forced three-year layoff from boxing , Ali had worked his way back into title contention.He was offered a shot to regain his heavyweight championship against George Foreman in Kinshasa, Zaire, in October of 1974. Ali was still a very good and formidable fighter, but he had clearly lost a step or two since his championship days. He was slower; he didn't move as fast, and he didn't have the same stamina that had enabled him to "dance" all night long in previous years. But he was still a very good fighter. But most people felt he wasn't good enough to last against the heavy fists of George Foreman. To further bolster this view were the fights that Muhammad Ali had lost to Joe Frazier and Ken Norton; two fighters that George Foreman had crushed easily. How was Ali expected to beat George Foreman when he had struggled against the two opponents that Foreman had brushed aside so easily? Ken Norton had even gone so far as to break Ali's jaw. If Norton could do that to Ali, what would Foreman do to him? There were many people who were fearful of Ali getting seriously injured against Foreman. But Ali was confident. He said all along that Foreman could be beat. But most people didn't think it was Ali who would be the one to accomplish it.

Early in the second round as Ali leaned against the ropes and allowed Foreman to flail away, most observers at ringside felt that the end of the fight was near. Ali had moved smartly in the first round, evading most of George's big, ponderous blows, but he had exerted an awful lot of energy to do so. It was assumed, with good reason, that George had tracked Ali down and was now going in for the kill. Ali covered up and let Foreman flail away. George was scoring, but he was also wasting a lot of energy; and Ali was blocking many of George's shots. Every once in a while, Ali would spring off the ropes and nail George with quick combinations to the head that sent sweat flying. George looked surprised. This scenario would repeat itself round after round. George would flail away, Ali would block, dodge, and turn, and then he'd open up with quick combinations to George's head. The spectators at ringside started to worry less about Ali's well-being as the rounds started to mount. George was starting to look tired, and Ali still looked fresh. George Foreman, who had only fought ten rounds on two prior occasions, was not known for his stamina and late-rounds fighting ability. He had scored so many quick knockouts that he had little experience with pacing himself during a fight. Ali, on the other hand, was an old pro who had fought fifteen rounds numerous times; he knew what it was like to fight late into a fight.

By the eighth round, George Foreman was spent. His punches, never the fastest to begin with, were now painfully slow and telegraphed. As Foreman attempted one last charge, Ali spun off the ropes and hit George with a sneaky five-punch combination that knocked George to the canvas, the first time that he had ever been knocked off his feet! As George struggled to regain his feet, and as the crowd went wild with the unspectacular sight of George Foreman being knocked to the canvas, the referee, Zack Clayton, counted to ten before George regained his feet. The fight was over. The invincible and seemingly indestructible George Foreman had been knocked out. Muhammad Ali had done the impossible and regained his heavyweight championship of the world. In one of boxing's greatest upsets, Ali shocked the world and George Foreman!