Was the Rope-A-Dope planned? Foreman-Ali

[KOComplaints]

Ali said he planned to rope-a-dope him,but for some reason I am not so sure.

In the first round Ali tried to dance but George cut off the ring so he had nowhere to go, in the 2nd round onward he started to press him onto the ropes.

Do you think Ali tried to rope-a-dope him from the beginning or was it just a happy accident?

[The Old LefHook]

Necessity is the mother of invention.

[dan_cov]

28.44 the fight starts listen to Ali commentating.

[Caught Square]

I think he just didn't have the legs he used to before the 3 and a half years out. Even in the first Frazier fight he fought on the ropes a lot and lost.

[OctoberRed]

I don't believe it was. Just a tactic at the moment, making an adjustment.

[Anthony342]

Yeah, you can't really plan that beforehand. Going into a fight, you want to throw more punches and after the first couple of rounds, ease into a rhythm like that.

[Sugarj]

I think he probably did train to dance and move......as he did for the Norton rematch in 73 and the Frazier rematch in 74. He spent a lot of time telling everyone that was what he was going to do.

But; if you take a look at the sparring footage of Ali against Holmes prior to the Foreman fight, Ali did spend plenty of time letting Larry hit him repeatedly to the body and head while he lay on the ropes. I don't doubt that 'rope a dope' was his back up strategy....but kept that to himself!

Clearly Angelo Dundee wasn't impressed at all with Ali's tactics during the fight; I seriously doubt that 'rope a dope' or working off the ropes full stop was part of their game plan.

Ali said it best in 'Champions Forever' when he said after round one 'after seven rounds of this I'd be finished', 'so I realised this, so I stopped and let him burn his energy while I lay on the ropes doing the gimmick called rope a dope'.

Makes sense......Foreman's pressure in round one and ability to cut the ring off did offset Ali's dancing.

[Anthony342]

Is cutting off the ring really a lost art these days. You'd think big punchers would consider it something important to learn and know how to do.

[The Old LefHook]

Is cutting off the ring really a lost art these days. You'd think big punchers would consider it something important to learn and know how to do.

Well, watch most top level fighters today struggle with it, Tony. You would think a technique that obviously important would be secure within their medicine bag early on.

I do not think it is a lost art but must definitely be one that is fading in many training circles.

A favorite money making operation for doctors used to be removing tonsils. You don't need 'em, was the word they promoted. Now the fashion has changed--it's the gall bladder you do not need and they would love to remove from anyone with a hangnail.

I think it is obvious that most boxers do not practice it very much, because they would be better at it if they did, since the technique is quite basic. I would say learning to throw a good lef hook is a lot more involved, requiring more practice.

Cutting the ring off seems to barely be in the mindset of a lot of boxers who could really use the idea. I just do not think it is that hard to figure out and perform. It has to be your intention, though. To be your intention it has to be strongly in your mindset. Instead of just imagining themselves winning, a la Norman Vincent Peale, I think they need to imagine themselves cutting of the ring first in their mental preparations. This will make them learn the simple idea that must precede bombing out evasive runners.

Without this technique secure, I see too many aggressive boxers that remind me of a man on his knees with cupped hands trying to capture a field mouse.

[TBear]

I believe Foreman gave him no choice. If it were planned, Dundee would not be yelling from the corner, "Get off the ropes!" "Get off the ropes!"