Ali's Greatest Fights: The Clash Against Zora Foley

The great ones battles on Ali: The collision withrest Dawn Foley

The last match of the champion before his refusal to participate in the war in Vietnam

“Well, if it wasn't for the Vietnam War!” A sentence that the most loyal fans of Muhammad Ali can say a thousand times, because their favorite would most likely become the number one boxer of all time. The years before Ali refused to enlist in the United States Army were years of dominance, complete supremacy over every single opponent, and a class that is still hard to find in any combat sports competitor. In the following lines, we will recall his last match before the 3-year career break, after the revocation of his license.

The date is March 22, 1967. and few people know what will happen in less than a month. After 28 victories, 22 of them by knockout, from all 28 professional fights, Muhammad Ali will face a much more experienced boxer in the person of Zora Foley. A competitor who is again 5 centimeters and 4 kilograms shorter than the world heavyweight champion, but has 85 fights in his career and has won 74 of them, including 40 by knockout. The hopes are that this time there will be someone to lean on Ali.

Everyone at Madison Square Garden is anticipating the biggest combat sports event of the year. New York wants to know if they have finally found an opponent tough enough to stop Muhammad Ali's reign. The answer is no!

While the world title contender has some surprising moves and nice jabs in his arsenal, they find Ali's body more than his head. The champion again shows incredible speed, and his youth is far from a vice. Better and better footwork, more and more freshness, even as the individual parts flow. It should be noted that Foley also defends well, does not take unnecessary risks and, perhaps, this is the reason why he spent almost 21 minutes in the ring against Ali.

The fourth round is one of the most memorable of the match. Then we see one of Ali's most popular shots. In response to a hook from the challenger, the champion finds the head of Foley with a powerful right and the challenger is on the ground. After a few seconds, Foley is on his feet, but Ali already knows how to hurt his opponent, but he must have the necessary patience, because this time he has against him an experienced, smart and, above all, thinking boxer.

In the middle of round number seven comes the moment that Muhammad Ali has been waiting for all game. The moment he lands another heavy right and Foley is on the ground for the second time, but this time with no chance to get to his feet. Victory number 29 is a fact! Knockout number 21 for Muhammad Ali.

The match will be remembered for several things. This is the last match before the World Heavyweight Champion's license is revoked. This is a clash in which Ali's opponent manages to make it very difficult for him. This is a fight that was watched by an incredibly large number of viewers on television and offered an astonishing quality to the fans. But not a match for Muhammad Ali to lose.

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