had no one to look to but himself. The character of a man is often defined by what he does when he has no one to rely on but himself. Ali's chosen strategy in the fight against Foreman demonstrated that he had a character as strong as iron.
Ali's strategy in the fight in Zaire demonstrates that he was not necessarily a good fighter because he threw heavy punches, which he occasionally did but most champions could land them heavier than he could. Ali was an expert boxer because he was forever planning ways to throw the other guy off his game. Ali knew that a fight could be won or lost before either man ever stepped in the ring if either man was mentally unprepared or distracted by fear. His use of this knowledge time and again also proves that Ali himself must have suffered from fear at many times in his career, because he seemed to understand quite well how to defeat it. Muhammad Ali is a great man because he had the strength of character to face his fears.
Muhammad Ali's Contribution to the Sport of Boxing
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