No one but Ali would have thought of that .... much less attempted it. Big George was viewed as the "second coming" of Sonny Liston. Now, Cassius Clay could not have done this in Miami, nor could Muhammad Ali have done it in Lewiston; Sonny Liston was a different opponent than Foreman. More, Ali could not have danced around George, as he had Liston. So: what to do?
"Rope-a-Dope" displayed Muhammad's physical strength, but even more, his absolute understanding of "how" George fought, and "why" he flatten most people (including Frazier and Norton in brutal fashion). He figured out -- both how and why -- he could defeat the most devastating fighter of the era. .... in the absolutely most unexpected manner.
When can even apply the part about "moving your head" to this (and other) Ali fights. When Cassius Clay fought, and bent back at the waist to avoid punches, people thought he was crazy. But, if you look back, even in doing so, he tucked his chin. One of the few times he failed to tuck that chin, England's Henry Cooper landed that vicious left hook. Luckily, it was at the end of the round; young Cassius got up and destroyed Cooper in the next round.
The reason to move your head in a fight is to avoid getting hit on your chin. A punch may still land -- though your chances of blocking it are increased, and even better, having it miss, so that you can counter. The young fighter that my son and I knew most of "how," as he had pretty good moves. But that darned chin was up, and so his movement wasn't just wasted, but it put him in a position where he was easier to hit with a punch which was far more likely to knock him off balance -- or hurt him, because you can't roll with it then, meaning you can't avoid absorbing its impact.
The crazy thing was that Floyd Mayweather, Sr., was in the guy's corner. Now, he knows. Why let your fighter do something that way?
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