Featured Exhibit
Muhammad Ali vs. George Foreman All World Sports Card, 1991
Donated by Butch Zurbriggen in 2023.
The Fight Bell Rings
As the bell of the first round rang, Ali rushed Foreman's corner in a flash, sizing him up before quickly backing away. It appeared as though Ali would dance around Foreman the whole fight, avoiding his punches just as he foretold.
Early in the round, Ali surprised Foreman by landing a right-handed punch to his face, quickly followed by others. While Foreman was cautious for the first few seconds, he backed Ali into the back right corner landing several uppercuts and jabs to his body. Luckily, Ali slipped away from the corner towards the middle as the referee separated them. There, Ali landed yet another (and riskier) right-handed punch to Foreman; while this punch made Ali vulnerable, Foreman did not expect it.
Throughout the rest of the first round, Ali threw twelve additional hard-hitting right-hand punches. Instead of knocking out Foreman, or even stunning him, it only led to further aggravation and an onslaught of hefty punches. During the last fifteen seconds of the round, Ali was backed against the ropes taking damage from Foreman.
According to journalist Norman Mailer who documented the entire fight, he saw fear in Ali's eyes for the only time in his career as he realized he could not dominate Foreman. Yet, he nodded to himself and pulled himself together, turned to the crowd and screamed "Ali bomaye" remembering what was at stake: this fight was much bigger than himself and had the potential to inspire Black citizens transnationally.
