Nobody gave him much of a chance.

On October 30, 1974, Muhammad Ali stepped into the ring in Kinshasa, Zaire (today the Democratic Republic of the Congo), to face George Foreman, the unbeaten heavyweight champion with a 40–0 record. Ali was a 4–1 underdog.

The fight began at 4 a.m. local time so it could air live in the United States. Ali surprised everyone: he leaned back on the ropes, covered up and let Foreman throw punch after punch. By the eighth round Foreman was exhausted, and Ali won by knockout to reclaim the title.

The tactic became known as the rope-a-dope, and the night is still remembered as one of the greatest upsets in sports.

What do you think made Ali's strategy so hard to see coming?

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