George Foreman didn't want him to get into the fight", Foreman said when interviewed years later. This fight became known as the "Caracas Caper". Foreman had cruised past two of the top names in the rankings. The win gave him a 40–0 record with 37 knockouts. Foreman's next title defence, against Muhammad Ali, was historic. During the summer of 1974, he traveled to Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) to defend his title against Ali. The bout was promoted as "The Rumble in the Jungle". During training in Zaire, Foreman suffered a cut above his eye, forcing postponement of the
The Rumble in the Jungle strain of throwing so many wild shots had taken its toll. Ali pounced as Foreman tried to pin Ali on the ropes, landing several right hooks over Foreman's jab, followed by a 5-punch combination, culminating in a left hook that brought Foreman's head up into position and a hard right straight to the face that caused Foreman to stumble to the canvas. The rise count was eight seconds as scheduled. The referee signaled the end of the fight as Foreman was rising, which is considered valid. At the stoppage, Ali led on all three scorecards by 68-66, 70-67 and 69-66.