Did Muhammad Ali knockout George Foreman? Did Ali hurt Foreman?

On October 30, 1974, Muhammad Ali, then 32 years old became the heavyweight champion of the world for the second time when he knocked out 25-year-old champ George Foreman in the eighth round of the “Rumble in the Jungle,” a match in Kinshasa, Zaire.

Seven years prior to the famous victory, Ali had lost his title when the government accused him of draft-dodging and the boxing commission took away his license.

Ali’s victory in Zaire at the time made him only the second dethroned champ in history to regain his belt.

Ali’s strategy in winning the fight was to lean on the ropes and cover up, letting Foreman punch him on the arms and body (a strategy Ali later dubbed the rope-a-dope).

As a result, Foreman spent his energy throwing punches (without earning points) that either did not hit Ali or were deflected in a way that made Foreman hitting Ali’s head difficult, while sapping Foreman’s strength due to the large number of punches he threw.

Did Ali hurt Foreman?

By the fifth round, Ali’s rope-a-dope tactic began to wear down the Foreman.

Foreman’s powerful punches became glances and taps.

And in the eighth round, like “a bee harassing a bear,” as one Times reporter wrote, Ali peeled himself off the ropes and unleashed a barrage of quick punches which caught Foreman by surprise.

A hard left and chopping right caused the champ’s weary legs to buckle, and he plopped down on the mat. The referee counted him out with just two seconds to go in the round.

Years later, speaking of the defeat Foreman said:

“He never hurt me. Never. I was hitting on him, he squeezed and turned around and hit me with a combination, a one-two punch. I braced myself to stop the fall and hit the floor. It was a good shot.”