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mastermindreader 1949 - 2017 Seattle, WA 12586 Posts |
The big difference is that Ali's punches, though fewer, were far more accurate and effective. Foreman's, for the most part, were deflected or simply absorbed thanks to Ali's incredible physical condition.
What's interesting in the article posted earlier, though, is that Ali's ring people dispute the old assertion that the ropes were loosened prior to the fight. They attributed the loosening to the humidity and stated that they even had to TIGHTEN the ropes between rounds because they were concerned that Ali would fall through them when he leaned back in the rope-a-dope. The fight was much more than a championship boxing match, though. Like Ali himself at the time, the fight was an international phenomenon that went completely beyond sports. That's why I consider it to be among the greatest of all time. |
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LobowolfXXX Inner circle La Famiglia 1196 Posts |
Quote:
On Oct 31, 2014, mastermindreader wrote: True...almost 30 years after the fact, the fight came in at #7 in a U.K.survey of the 100 greatest sporting events in history. Not bad for a fight in Africa between two Americans!
"Torture doesn't work" lol
Guess they forgot to tell Bill Buckley. "...as we reason and love, we are able to hope. And hope enables us to resist those things that would enslave us." |
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mastermindreader 1949 - 2017 Seattle, WA 12586 Posts |
The Rumble in the Jungle played no small role in Ali's being named "Athlete of the Century" by Sports Illustrated.
But, like I said, the glamor and impact of the event was felt around the world - and not just in boxing and sports circles. At that point in time, whether people loved him or hated him, Muhammed Ali was the most recognized man on earth. |
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Magnus Eisengrim Inner circle Sulla placed heads on 1053 Posts |
Your average person today couldn't name 3 active top flight professional fighters. EVERYBODY (in the west at least) in the 70s could name Ali, Frazier and Foreman, even if they'd never seen or wanted to see a pro fight.
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned; The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity.--Yeats |
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magicfish Inner circle 7004 Posts |
Those were great boxing days in the heavyweight division.
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mastermindreader 1949 - 2017 Seattle, WA 12586 Posts |
Yes- it was really the last Golden Age of heavyweight boxing. (Or just boxing, period)
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LobowolfXXX Inner circle La Famiglia 1196 Posts |
I think the 80's was a fantastic golden age for the same reason the 70's were - so many of the top-flight boxers were around the same weight and fought each other: Leonard, Duran, Hearns, Hagler, and even Wilfredo Benitez and Carlos Palomino.
"Torture doesn't work" lol
Guess they forgot to tell Bill Buckley. "...as we reason and love, we are able to hope. And hope enables us to resist those things that would enslave us." |
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mastermindreader 1949 - 2017 Seattle, WA 12586 Posts |
I consider the 80's as the latter part of the same Golden Age. It's not like one ended in 1979 and they started another in 1980.
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Magnus Eisengrim Inner circle Sulla placed heads on 1053 Posts |
Quote:
On Oct 31, 2014, LobowolfXXX wrote: Probably a more golden age in terms of talent. But even those guys couldn't match the 70s heavyweights for star power. But Leonard-Duran came very, very close.
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned; The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity.--Yeats |
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LobowolfXXX Inner circle La Famiglia 1196 Posts |
Quote:
On Oct 31, 2014, mastermindreader wrote: It almost is like that happened...Norton-Holmes was the last big heavyweight fight with a fighter of the 70s heavyweight superstars (save Foreman's brilliant comeback and Ali's tragic one against Holmes), and it took place in '78, when none of the big welterweight fights had yet occurred; the. leonard font Benitez and '79 and Duran in '80, and all of a sudden, the biggest names were in the middle weights, with super fights coming up all the time (Leonard-Hearns in '81 continued the tradition). It was really a seamless transition between the heavyweights and the welterweights, moving up to middleweight as they got bigger.
"Torture doesn't work" lol
Guess they forgot to tell Bill Buckley. "...as we reason and love, we are able to hope. And hope enables us to resist those things that would enslave us." |
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mastermindreader 1949 - 2017 Seattle, WA 12586 Posts |
Agreed. But the same Golden Age for boxing in general though. I think that with the fading of Ali, hand speed and fancy footwork basically was no longer to be found at the top of the heavyweight division. I consider Ali to be much more like Sugar Ray Leonard, for example, than he was to the sluggish and largely uninteresting heavyweights of the 80's.
And I think it was Ali, almost alone, who kept up the interest in heavyweight fights of the time. He was a stinging floating butterfly darting among lumbering behemoths. |
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Magnus Eisengrim Inner circle Sulla placed heads on 1053 Posts |
And, of course, Tyson was electrifying. But during the Tyson era, his is the only name that was ever on anyone's tongue.
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned; The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity.--Yeats |
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mastermindreader 1949 - 2017 Seattle, WA 12586 Posts |
The difference, though, is that Ali was an artist with power, while Tyson was seen mostly as a menacing thug. "Terrifying," I think, is a better word than "electrifying."
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