Ali won the Rumble in the Jungle against George Foreman

Ali won the Rumble in the Jungle against George Foreman. The defeat by Frazier set up a title battle versus heavyweight champion George Foreman on October 30, 1974, in Kinshasa, Zaire (a bout nicknamed The Rumble in the Jungle). Foreman was regarded as one of the most powerful punchers in heavyweight history. Analysts noted that Joe Frazier and Ken Norton, who had given Ali four tough fights and won two of them, had both been knocked out in the second round by Foreman. Ali was 32 years old, and his quickness and reflexes had noticeably deteriorated since his twenties. In contrast to his subsequent demeanor, Foreman had a brooding and menacing presence at the time.

Ali started the fight by moving and scoring on Foreman's head with right crosses. To the chagrin of his corner, Ali retreated to the ropes in the second round and urged Foreman to strike him while covering up, clinching, and counter-punching as well as loudly taunting Foreman. The move, subsequently known as the "Rope-a-dope," so defied conventional boxing wisdom, letting one of boxing's hardest hitters strike at will, that ringside reporter George Plimpton assumed the bout had to be fixed.

As his temper grew, Foreman fired punches that were deflected and did not hit properly. As Foreman began to tire, Ali countered more frequently and efficiently with punches and flurries, electrifying the pro-Ali crowd. Ali felled a tired Foreman with a combination at the middle ring in the eighth round. Ali had reclaimed the title by knockout against all odds and in the midst of chaos in the ring.

In 1977, President Jimmy Carter greets Ali at a White House dinner. Ali had into the fight as a 4-1 underdog against the previously unbeaten, heavy-hitting Foreman. Ali's introduction of the rope-a-dope method made the bout legendary. A record-breaking television audience of one billion viewers worldwide tuned in to witness the battle. It was the most-watched live television broadcast in history at the time.