Ali's Rope A Dope MagicContinued from Previous Page:
Muhammad Ali then 32years of regained his World heavyweight Crown in 1974, defeating Foreman in the African country of Zaire in a boxing match entitled "The Rumble in the Jungle". Using a style he dubbed as the Rope-a-Dope, Muhammad Ali slumped against the ropes of the ring and let George Foreman punch him over and over with very little counter-attack coming from Ali in return. On that night of boxing George Foreman wore himself out throwing punches and Muhammad Ali scored a stunning eighth-round knockout. Age and injury took their toll on Muhammad Ali, however, and he lost the title to an unheard of Leon Spinks in 1978. Muhammad Ali later regained the heavyweight title, then retired from the ring but came out of retirement to challenge Larry Holmes who was now an established world heavyweight champion. In that fight with Holmes, Muhammad Ali lost every round. With Muhammad Ali showing early signs of Parkinson disease in his fight with Holmes. Ali retired from the ring for good in 1981 after losing to Trevor Berbick. A String of Dissipated Second Rated Heavyweight TitleholdersLarry Holmes was a most consistent and talented heavyweight of his time, winning 20 straight title fights between 1978 and 1985. But during his reign as champion, boxing itself began to slip into directorial organised chaos. Holmes had swapped his WBC title for the IBF. By the mid-1980s, the three major boxing organisations WBA, WBC and IBF were basically hand picking and anointing their chosen champions. The boxers that were challengers were often denied big fights while the has been unqualified boxers were thrust into the limelight. This resulted in a whole bungle of dissipated second rated heavyweight titleholders, reminiscent of the early 1930s. During the 1980s fighters in the lighter weight divisions captured the public’s attention in more ways than once compared to the heavyweights of that decade were performing their pugilistic roles in the rings as mediocre bums. Heavyweight bouts were everlastingly boring and most of all was extraordinarily appalling to watch. Boxing fans were charged good hard earned money to see ordinary second rate low grade heavyweights in the boxing ring of which the 1980's were no different. There Were Few Better Finishers in Boxing Than Sugar Ray Leonard!In the 80s boxers in the lighter weight divisions of the boxing arena, captured the attention of boxing spectators on a whole hearted scale. This came from a combination of personable fighters who emerged from the 1976 and 1980 Olympic Games, the ascendancy of stupendous outstanding Hispanic fighters, and some memorable bouts between evenly matched combatants in the welterweight, middleweight and lightweight divisions such as Iron Fists Roberto Duran of Panama and Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler, and Thomas Hitman Hearns of the United States. These 4 boxers illuminated the boxing world with some of the greatest boxing matches ever seen. Equipped with speed, agility and charisma, Sugar Ray Leonard, filled the boxing void left when Muhammad Ali retired. He won an unprecedented five world titles in five weight classes and competed in some of the era's most memorable contests never to be forgotten. Sugar Ray Leonard was best at analyzing his opponents and devising a strategy to overcome them. Leonard found a way to beat the stylists, the fighters, the sluggers and the brawlers and beneath that flashy surface of his was a competitor with the remorseless ability to put away an opponent when they were hurt. There were few better finishers in boxing. |
Stagnant Heavyweight Division Needed a Big JoltThe stagnant heavyweight division received a needed jolt with the emergence of Mike Tyson in 1985. A New York City street hoodlum as a youth. Tyson was rescued from the juvenile criminal system by Cus D’Amato the legendary boxing trainer who once guided Floyd Patterson to the heavyweight title. A short, bull-like fighter with devastating speed and power, Tyson became the youngest man ever to win the heavyweight championship title in 1987 at the age of 20. Tyson unified the title and reigned it until 1990, when he was knocked out by James “Buster” Douglas in one of boxing’s greatest upsets. Tyson’s efforts to reclaim the championship were derailed by a series of problems, including a three-year prison sentence for rape in 1992. | |
