I'm stoopid (again) - What does 'rope-a-dope' mean?

[DustMolecule]

I keep hearing this expression (it's a 'technique', I gather) and I don't know what it means. Could someone please explain? Thanks in advance.

[quinnox]

1. I believe it goes to Ali

And how he used to use the ropes as a defensive technique in the ring.

[Syrinx]

2. I'm no boxing expert

But it's a term Muhammed Ali came up with. He would maneuver his opponents against the ropes, and sorta corner them so that they couldn't move around.

[CoonDawg]

3. It does come from Ali...

but it applies to a deceptive tactic wherein you lead the opponent to believe by your fighting style that you are tired out and on your last leg. Then you let loose a vicious combination of blows and (at least theoretically) knock your opponent's ass the Phuck out!

Ernie B.

[DemMother]

4. You pretend you're up against the ropes while

your opponent is flailing away wearing himself out.

[priller]

5. From Ali

The "rope-a-dope" technique was where Ali would basically let himself get pounded by his opponent (was it Foreman?), and Ali would sit there "on the ropes" and just take it, guarding himself and moving a little, but mostly getting pounded. The idea was that his bigger, stronger opponent would wear himself out punching over several rounds, then Ali would come to life and finish off the "dope".

[DustMolecule]

6. I see....

...thank you all! :-) :think:

[necso]

7. From the Muhammed Ali - Foreman fight in Zaire

Leading with his "wrong" hand and playing "rope-a-dope" by leaning far back on the ropes (that had supposedly been loosened by Dundee), Ali absorbed everything Foreman could throw at him, whilst only occasionally throwing counter punches. By the end of the sixth round, Foreman had punched himself out and Ali was able to attack a little more. Foreman kept advancing, but his blows were much less effective and near the end of the eighth, Ali's right hand finally sent the exhausted Foreman to the floor.

Basically a tactic to wear out your more powerful opponent by taking all his punches without taking much damage. It helps if your opponent doesn't recognize what is going on and change his tactics in response.

[cornfedyank]

8. it's the way ali beat george foreman

foreman was a big puncher. knocked people out on a couple rounds.. Ali put his back to the ropes and just rocked back. tucked in his arms to protect his ribs. and let foreman wale away. after a few rounds george was spent and ali KO'ed him. a great upset.

[Sandpiper]

9. The Rope-A-Dope

ALI VS. FOREMAN
OCTOBER 30, 1974
MUHAMMED ALI USES THE "ROPE-A-DOPE" TO KO HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION GEORGE FOREMAN IN THE "RUMBLE IN THE JUNGLE"

It was highly unusual for the great, already legendary Muhammed Ali, to walk into the ring as an underdog. But in 1974, he was a 32-year old former world champion. He had lost to Joe Frazier in 1971, and had his jaw broken by Ken Norton in ’73. Ali’s opponent was undefeated Heavyweight Champion, George Foreman. He took out Joe Frazier and Ken Norton—each in only two rounds. This was not the smiling, teddy bear we know today. Many were concerned for Ali’s safety, feeling he could get seriously hurt.

Promoter Don King had come up with the notion of having the fight take place in Zaire, and labeled it the "Rumble in the Jungle." As with any huge international event, this one had extraordinary subtext. Ali’s flamboyant nature, good looks, endless sound bites, and strong pro-African beliefs, made him a huge favorite in Zaire. By contrast, George Foreman surrounded himself with his entourage, and isolated himself from the African people. By the time the fighters entered the ring, the crowd was yelling "Ali, boma ye!," meaning "Ali, kill him!"

Ali had boasted that Foreman couldn’t keep up with his speed. To prove that point in the first round, he threw lead rights at Foreman from across his body. The lead right from a right-handed fighter is the easiest punch to see coming, so in a sense, Ali was openly taunting Foreman. In the second round, Ali fell into a strategy few had ever seen.

Ali fell back against the ropes, and waved Foreman to come get him. He protected his head, but Foreman pounded away at his ribs and his gut. Round after round, quite possibly the hardest hitting heavyweight in boxing history unleashed his fury. Only the ropes kept Ali from being launched into the ringside seats. Under the thudding attack of Foreman’s sledgehammer fists, to Ali, every three-minute round must have seemed an hour long.

But there was a nefarious method to Ali’s madness. After several rounds of relentlessly throwing leather, Foreman began to tire, his arms began to drop. In the seventh round, Ali let Foreman in on his secret. "I beat him for one, two, three, four rounds—beat him good", Foreman said. "At about the seventh round, I had him beaten, I knew I had him, he fell on my side and whispered, ‘Is that all you got George?’ I knew something strange was happening in my life especially because that was all I had."

<snip>

http://www.hboppv.com/web_exclusives/boxing_history/ali_foreman.shtml