I am standing at the top of the ‘Rocky Steps’, from the iconic scene in the 1976 Rocky movie, where Rocky Balboa runs up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. It was a 72-step climb, described by a brochure as the “symbol of determination and triumph”.

I enjoyed the triumph of my determination, but truth be told, the steps were not quite a triumph for me – not even close. Instead, enduringly, as a schoolboy athlete, it was running up the stairs of the then Durban University’s Howard College campus, located along the Berea ridge that fitted that bill. In my ascent, I ran past the numerous ‘Free Mandela’ posters, and, towards the end, my legs were burning with lactic acid. Yes, I know it is technically lactate. I vividly recall that pain, but the memory endures as a personal triumph.

While gazing across Philadelphia, ‘the birthplace of America’, I pondered whether to purchase an overly priced T-shirt and other merchandise made in China, an irony not lost at the time – before the imposition of ‘reciprocal tariffs’, which were subsequently suspended for 90 days.

Fast forward a day, and I am on a bus to New York City when the news breaks that the former boxing world heavyweight champion, George Foreman, has just passed away. Although he might not have been the first to use the phrase, he is famed for saying, “Put up or shut up”. But let’s leave it there, as that’s not the story.

Enter another boxing great, to whom Foreman is inextricably linked – Muhammad Ali. He famously defeated the much-favoured Foreman in the ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ heavyweight title fight staged in Kinshasa, the capital city of the Democratic Republic of Congo, in October 1974 by employing the strategy that has become known as “rope-a-dope”. The strategy entails leaning against the ropes and absorbing your opponent’s punches, thereby tiring them out. If employed successfully, this ultimately leads to a knockout victory. In the eighth round, Ali saw his opportunity. Exploding off the ropes, he unleashed a flurry of punches that knocked Foreman out – and with that he reclaimed the World Heavyweight Championship.

Let me digress for a moment, because no mention of boxing would be complete without referencing Rocky Marchegiano, who you might better know as Rocky Marciano, owing to the ring announcer’s inability to pronounce his name in his first bout. The real Rocky was known for his exceptional physical conditioning, which allowed him to withstand punishment and maintain his relentless pressure throughout the fight. This, combined with his unwavering will to win and refusal to back down, was key to his success.

As for the “rope-a-dope” strategy, can it be applied in business or in government?

In a business context, it’s a strategy that is also known as strategic forbearance, where a company holds back instead of immediately retaliating against a competitor’s attack, allowing the competitor to exhaust its resources before striking back. A business might observe and analyse the situation, conserve resources by holding back on costly investments or large-scale responses, and prepare a more effective counterattack when the time is right.

This leads to the question: Could the South African government employ a “rope-a-dope” strategy, especially in light of US President Donald Trump’s recent ‘reciprocal tariffs’?

As for the stakes, they are very high. Aside from the US tariffs, the African Growth and Opportunity Act, a piece of legislation that the US Congress approved in May 2000, is set to expire in September. Given Trump’s disdain for nonreciprocal trade or free trade, it seems unlikely that it will be renewed.

It is evident that South Africa will need to find markets for its products currently destined for the US. Will it rely on countries with which it has trade agreements, or will it seek new markets? And if it’s the latter, how quickly can this be done?