Customer Reviews

The Rumble in the Jungle [VHS]

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Ali himself has said that the "Thrilla in Manila" against Frazier was his best fight, and it may in fact have been the toughest and most action-packed, but for sheer drama none of his fights can top the "Rumble in the Jungle" against Foreman. For anyone who doesn't remember the buildup to that fight in 1974, it would be impossible to imagine how awesome Foreman seemed at the time. He wasn't just beating every opponent, he was knocking them around the ring like rag dolls. His demolition of Frazier to capture the championship was one of the most one-sided fights in boxing history. Going into the fight (as an 8-1 underdog), Ali seemed to have lost a lot of the speed that had made him so unbeatable before his forced 3-year layoff, and many of his fans hoped only that he could get through the Foreman fight without getting seriously injured. A win seemed out of the question. Yet, in many ways, this may have turned out to be Ali's greatest fight, and magnified all the more by the fearsomeness of his opponent. As one of the ringside announcers said before the fight, Ali seemed to be the only one in the arena who wasn't nervous, and his confidence only grew as the fight went on. Whereas the "Thrilla in Manila" was a slugfest, this fight against Foreman shows the many sides of Ali's complete mastery as a boxer --- from the "rope-a-dope," to his sudden flurries of punches that threw Foreman off balance, to the way he chose his spots to suddenly stand his ground and go toe-to-toe with Foreman in the middle of the ring, to the final stunning knockout. If you want to see "The Greatest" in his masterpiece, this is the tape to buy.

Only a year before his sensational comeback, it appeared as if Muhammad Ali were finished for good: Norton had smashed his jaw, a rematch against Frazier was nowhere in sight, and there was a new champion: George Foreman, who had humiliated Frazier by knocking him down six times during the first two rounds.

By early 1974 however, Ali had secured two close decisions against Frazier and Norton two become the number one contender against Foreman who in the meantime had done away with Norton, too - again in two rounds. Flying off to Kinshasa, Ali was the 1:8 underdog, since Foreman had convincingly beaten precisely the two men ever to inflict a defeat on Ali. Considered the hardest puncher in the history of boxing (including Mike Tyson), he thought he was practically given the prize money for nothing ($5 mill. for both fighters, considered astronomical at the time), since Ali was eight years older than him and had never been considered a particularly hard hitter.

Before the bout, Ali rode on a wave of unseen popularity in Zaire while Foreman didn't seem to be able to adjust. When the fight started, he adjusted even less. Ali duped him with right-hand leads in the first round, quick combinations in the second through fourth, a strong and unexpected finish in the fifth and sluggish slumping in the sixth through eighth. At the end of that eighth round, Ali threw himself into a rapid flurry, the last punch of which Foreman didn't see.

Followed by a remarkable post-fight interview with Ali ("All you critics crawl! All you suckers who write the ring magazines ... all you suckers bow!"), the tape transpires the tension and excitement surrounding this memorable bout, from the pre-fight interview with Frazier through his in-between-rounds remarks to the hectic, almost frantic commentary by Bob Sheridan and David Frost who, upon realizing it's all over, yells at the top of his voice, "Muhammad Ali has done it! The great man has done it!"

While it is frequently held that Ali completely outwitted Foreman that day, he actually had no concrete fight plan. Realizing that although he had clocked Foreman a couple of times in the first round, if he went on at this pace he would be tired by the fifth. He thus allowed Foreman to bang away at him from rounds two through five, at the end of which he countered with a number of strong blows himself. In the meantime, Foreman rained "some of the hardest punches I'd ever delivered on a man" on Ali who took a serious going over, especially to the body. On top of that, Ali got hit on the jaw with two excellent right hands during the fight yet managed to conceal his pain, conning Foreman into believing he would take even more.

Foreman contended that he was counted out unjustly, and if you look at the film closely, you will see that he had merely been knocked down, not out - waiting for his corner to tell him to get up. Timing it a bit tightly, he was on his feet at nine. Graciously, he later admitted that on that day, Muhammad Ali would have probably won, anyway - maybe knocking him out later.

In retrospect, both men seem to have gained in stature: Ali by pulling off a miracle, Foreman by overcoming the defeat and following his true calling. In 1994, Foreman recaptured the heavyweight crown, becoming the oldest champion in the division.

This is a must own not just for sports fans but for anyone interested in watching one of the greatest events ever. This tape is well over an hour and a half and shows Ali approaching the ring and warming up--you can almost feel the pressure this great man must have felt before the fight--then Foreman enters the ring, the crowd is going wild, Ali is shouting at George the whole time--never have i seen a boxer or any other athlete destroy another man mentally like Ali did to Foreman, the fight is incredible! It is the original version, very clear. And the post fight interview is incredible--it gives you Ali in his prime after the greatest fight he ever fought and Ali in the interview is both moving and proud. Ali is the greatest fighter of all time and one of the greatest men of all time. Buy it!

Of course, this is the fight were the rope-a-dope style became legendary. Not only does ALI takes tremendous punishment to the body from Foreman, but he constantly taughts his opponent, driving Foreman into a frenzy. During one of the pre-fight conferences, ALI notes that most of Forman's fights don't go past the 3rd round. ALI, being one of the smartest boxers of any era, wanted to extend the fight and make Foreman work, which none of his previous opponents were able to do. What happens in the last round is MAGIC. This tape is must for those who cherish watching a mastermind at work. There is no doubt that ALI is the "Greatest of All Time". Don't miss the post fight interview!!! It ALI at his best...

In the early 1990's NBC sports produced its Greatest Fights of All-Time series that aired on Saturday mornings. Hosted by Marv Albert and the fight doctor Ferdie Pachecho, this series was a huge success for NBC, and due to its quality production, its central character of Muhammad Ali, and is a must for all boxing fans.

In the "Rumble In The Jungle", Muhammad Ali, 34 years old, challenges Champion George Foreman, age 24 and the hardest hitting heavyweight since Sonny Liston, for the greatest title in all sports, the Heavyweight Boxing Championship of the world. Arguably Ali's greatest fight, as he was not favored to beat the hard hitting and seemingly invincible Big Bad George Foreman, Ali is inspired by the surroundings in central Africa to overcome the youthful power of Foreman to register a stunning KO in round 8.

The fight is presented round by round with insightful commentary from central figures involved in the fight, George Foreman, Angelo Dundee, and Foreman's advisor Archie Moore. Pachecho opens the program with a return to Zaire, Africa, to the site of the famous Rumble in the Jungle. He recounts what it was like for an eye-witness to see the events unfold firsthand.

The only negative of the program is the lack of information from the Greatest himself, Ali, who chose not to participate in this documentary. One suspects that his disability was such that he was not able to comment about the fight on film. This is too bad, as his insights would have made a great program even better, like raising a grade from an "A" to an "A+"!

Like the other fights in this series, this is a wonderfully produced program and I highly recommend it to boxing fans.

Jim "Konedog" Koenig, Boxing enthusiast

this is the Kind of Boxing Match that many Fighters now&ahead should watch.this shows the Complex&Chess like Vibe involved in Boxing.Ali used Rope a Dope to Defeat Foreman something that many a Fighter wouldn't dare do.because with the Power of Forman's Punches chances are they would have been knocked thru the Ropes.Ali made a Major Statement with this Fight that Forever Crowned Him into His Legacy.You gotta See it what a time Period&Fight.

the rope-a-dope destroys the unbeatable foreman. i wouldn't have believed it if i didn't buy it to see it. this is when it meant something to be the champ.

The first boxing matches I ever saw were related to Muhammad Ali, so I grew up admiring him. The combination of skills and personality were unique, and still remain as the reflex of a person larger than life.
Ali worked hard to be at his peak, because everybody believed Foreman would make smashed potatoes with him. It shows us how important strategy is over impulses.
I absolutely recommend to box fans this fight, but if you are curious about the surrounding aspects of this bout, and you want to know a little more about Ali's personality, buy or rent the documentary "When we were Kings".

I haved loved Ali from the beginning. From Liston thru all of the others. When the fight came up with Forman in Zaire, everyone I knew said Ali would lose. I beleived... and guess what, he won. It blew my mind.

I was in Chicago at a sports convention and Ali was there promoting a rope a dope skipping rope. I was lucky enough to have one of my business cards signed by him. It is one of my most prized posessions.

I am in the music business and meet a lot of celebrities and have the opportunities for autographs. My standard statement is, I've got Muhhamed Ali's autograph, it doesn't get better than that.

George

Rumble In The Jungle -Ali vs Foreman 1974 VHS was a gift for my hubby.He had an old one and it got borrowed and was lost.Woes from my hubby had me scrambling to find a replacement. This was part of a trilogy of Ali fights he owned.He was sure this Rumble was lost to him forever.LOL.(he probably wore the old one out by watching it so much)
~~~~~This copy contains so much more than his original.This is definitely a keeper..The Greatest! Thank you Amazon.com...........I know the place to go for any lost items such as this.