50 Years Later: the Rumble in the Jungle and Zaire 74

During the second round, as Dundee feared, Ali shifted his style to what was considered a death sentence in boxing, especially against Foreman: he laid on the ropes. For Foreman, this was exactly where he wanted Ali to be. After retreating to the ropes after the first thirty seconds of the second round, Ali’s cornermen screamed for him to dance, as they had desired. Yet, Ali continued to lay on them as he had intended, absorbing many heavy blows. This tactic became known as the "rope-a-dope" since Ali "laid on the ropes like a dope."

Ali continued using this tactic for the following six rounds, shocking most spectators and commentators that he lasted so long against Foreman who had knocked most opponents out within a few rounds. While Ali was able to block or counter a portion of the shots with his arms and elbows, he still absorbed dozens of others, causing extensive pain. According to Foreman, he landed the hardest punches of any fight on Ali during these rounds. 

Still, Ali taunted him during the fight's entirety, with witty comments like "They told me you could punch George!" Even after a barrage of punches, Ali berated Foreman asking, "That all you got George?"

Regardless of the force Foreman exerted, Ali was at an advantage. Since the ring ropes were loosened due to mistakes in construction, many believe Ali used this elasticity to his advantage. Secondly, since most of Foreman's punches were launched near Ali's body, they caused less substantial damage. Most importantly, Ali's plan allowed him to push Foreman to utter exhaustion, with clear signs of this by the 5th and 6th rounds. At this point, spectators realized Ali had a genuine chance of slaying the giant and that the riskiness of his plan could pay off.

Muhammad Ali vs. George Foreman Photograph, October 30, 1974