'What If?' Series #3 - George Foreman wins 'The Rumble in the Jungle'

I was not yet born when the classic battle between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman took place in Zaire in 1974. But I happened to first catch the match on ESPN Classic many years ago. It was a bout that always intrigued me because many thought that Foreman had a chance to defeat "The Greatest." What I saw was a fight where Foreman tired himself out and eventually Ali was able to knock him out in the eighth round. But what if Foreman had executed a more solid strategy and overcame Ali?

While Foreman would go on to achieve a great name for himself in the world of boxing, it is interesting to think of what would have happened if he remained undefeated and successfully defended his world championship. He had come into the fight with wins of Joe Frazier and Ken Norton. A win over Ali would have perhaps allowed him to remain undefeated for quite some time. And perhaps we would have even seen a rematch between Foreman and Ali. I believe Foreman losing the championship and never receiving a rematch from Ali took something away from him and stopped the awesome momentum he had before.

When Ali was defeated by Frazier in 1971, it was his first defeat. It was the same Frazier that Foreman dominated to become the heavyweight champion. Had Ali lost to Foreman, perhaps more people may be talking about Foreman today rather than Ali. I believe that win by Ali over Foreman established that he was still a major player in the boxing world. Had he been defeated, it is questionable whether he would have ever regained the heavyweight championship again. And perhaps, the "Thrilla in the Manila" may have never happened. That battle with Frazier in 1975 and the punishment that both men took was likely the beginning of the end of Ali's career.

While reflecting back on this bout, I find myself remembering just how big heavyweight boxing was during the 1970s. Today's heavyweight division is nowhere near that today as unless Floyd Mayweather is part of a card, not many other boxers are drawing the way guys like Ali, Foreman and Frazier did years ago. What do you think?

Loving sports history,

LandoRigs