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By exaggerating, Ali made Joe think that he was fooling. He conned him | By exaggerating, Ali made Joe think that he was fooling. He conned him | ||
good.” | good.” | ||
Ali did eventually regain the championship, and he did so by again digging into his bag of tricks. He prevailed over George Foreman by fighting a | Ali did eventually regain the championship, and he did so by again digging into his bag of tricks. He prevailed over George Foreman by fighting a very different fight than most expected. Rather than dancing around the | ||
very different fight than most expected. Rather than dancing around the | |||
ring, using his speed to outmaneuver the famously hard-hitting Foremen, Ali | ring, using his speed to outmaneuver the famously hard-hitting Foremen, Ali | ||
positioned himself on the ropes, allowing Forman to tire himself out throwing punches. While the “rope-a-dope” might not have been a good practice if concern for long-term health had been a primary concern, it was a successful tactic that morning in Zaire. Looking back on “Rumble in the Jungle,” Foreman conceded that Ali had him fooled. | positioned himself on the ropes, allowing Forman to tire himself out throwing punches. While the “rope-a-dope” might not have been a good practice if concern for long-term health had been a primary concern, it was a successful tactic that morning in Zaire. Looking back on “Rumble in the Jungle,” Foreman conceded that Ali had him fooled. | ||
The sport, as Ali so skillfully showed, shares elements with confidence | The sport, as Ali so skillfully showed, shares elements with confidence | ||
games. In The Big Con: The Story of the Confidence Man, David Mauer | games. In ''The Big Con: The Story of the Confidence Man'', David Mauer | ||
observes that such deceptions are not as simple as unscrupulous exploitation of the naïve. Con men prey not on the gullible and good but on the | observes that such deceptions are not as simple as unscrupulous exploitation of the naïve. Con men prey not on the gullible and good but on the devious. A mark must have more than money ready for the taking. As Mauer | ||
devious. A mark must have more than money ready for the taking. As Mauer | |||
puts it, “he must also have what grifters term ‘larceny in his veins’—in other | puts it, “he must also have what grifters term ‘larceny in his veins’—in other | ||
words, he must want something for nothing, or be willing to participate in | words, he must want something for nothing, or be willing to participate in | ||
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cause some to doubt that Torres actually wrote his books ~he also published | cause some to doubt that Torres actually wrote his books ~he also published | ||
a biography of Tyson!. A rumor suggested that Mailer actually wrote Torres’s | a biography of Tyson!. A rumor suggested that Mailer actually wrote Torres’s | ||
portions of the Ali book. Jonathan Rendell, in his brilliantly titled This | portions of the Ali book. Jonathan Rendell, in his brilliantly titled ''This'' | ||
Bloody Mary Is the Last Thing I Own, recounts hearing a version of it.“Mailer | ''Bloody Mary Is the Last Thing I Own'', recounts hearing a version of it.“Mailer | ||
wrote it for him,” the man on the next barstool explained to Rendell. “That | wrote it for him,” the man on the next barstool explained to Rendell. “That | ||
was the deal they had. Torres taught Mailer how to box and Mailer wrote | was the deal they had. Torres taught Mailer how to box and Mailer wrote | ||
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give the novelist some boxing pointers. Still, Mailer insists that the book is | give the novelist some boxing pointers. Still, Mailer insists that the book is | ||
genuine and not another instance of a boxer’s con game. For he did share his | genuine and not another instance of a boxer’s con game. For he did share his | ||
friend’s views about pugilistic trickery. In his 1975 account of the AliForeman fight, Mailer explicitly invokes the D’Amato-Torres philosophy, a | friend’s views about pugilistic trickery. In his 1975 account of the AliForeman fight, Mailer explicitly invokes the D’Amato-Torres philosophy, a key component of which is that a skilled boxer can block or evade any punch | ||
key component of which is that a skilled boxer can block or evade any punch | they can see coming. “Champions were great liars,” Mailer explains in ''The''''Fight''. “They had to be. Once you knew what they thought, you could hit them. So their personalities became masterpieces of concealment.” | ||
they can see coming. “Champions were great liars,” Mailer explains in The | |||
Fight. “They had to be. Once you knew what they thought, you could hit | |||
them. So their personalities became masterpieces of concealment.” | |||
However, Mailer elsewhere expresses the other widely held view of boxing, the one in which fighters are heroic warriors, which is precisely how | However, Mailer elsewhere expresses the other widely held view of boxing, the one in which fighters are heroic warriors, which is precisely how | ||