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On October 30, 1974 one of the greatest fights to be fought in Africa took place. Muhammad Ali and George Foreman fought in Kinshasa, Zaire, in what has popularly become known as The Rumble in the Jungle.
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At the time of the fight, Ali was 32 & Foreman 25. Foreman had never lost a fight. His record at the time was 40-0, with 37 being KOs. Ali on the other hand had 44 fights, 31 were KOs & 2 losses.The two men were the same height. One was a hard puncher, the other a fast dancer.
Foreman was feared in the ring. He'd already defeated the only two people to have beaten Muhammad Ali. There was enough reason for everyone to believe an old Ali would lose the fight. Besides, for three years Ali hadn't fought after being banned in 1967, and his title stripped.
The paradox of Congo would be this: Congo would experience the greatest assassination of the 20th century, the death of Patrice Lumumba, and The Rumble in the Jungle would be referred to as "arguably the greatest sporting event of the 20th century." Congo was Zaire in 1974.
In 1973, in 2 rounds, Foreman defeated Joe Frazier to become the new undisputed heavyweight champion. In 2 rounds, Foreman knocked down Frazier six times. Foreman faced Ken Norton who had just defeated Ali in 1973. Foreman's fight with Norton would also last less than 2 rounds.
Typical of Ali's boastful talk, he said prior to the fight, "You think the world was shocked when Nixon resigned, wait till I whup George Foreman's behind." This statement was taken at a light note, considering Ali's age & Foreman's power. Besides, Foreman's record spoke for him.
Bill Caplan, Foreman's public relations man in Zaire said "People were praying before the fight that Ali doesn't get killed. No one thought Ali had a chance, and that included George." Mobutu Sese Seko hosted the fight in a bid to bring goodwill to his country & boost its profile
Ali asked his right hand man Gene Kilroy what the Congolese hated most. Kilroy said the Congolese hated white people. Ali couldn't tell the Congolese that Foreman was white. At Kilroy' s suggestion that the Congolese hated the Belgians, Ali told the Congolese, Foreman was Belgian
When Ali announced George Foreman is a Belgian! The Congolese responded by chanting, "Ali boma ye, Ali boma ye." (Ali, kill him). This chant would follow Ali and Foreman to the ring. Foreman's first mistake in Zaire was to come with his German Shepherd dog to keep him company.
The German Shepherd dog in Zaire was a representation of the brutal colonial rule in Belgium. It was a dog many colonial settlers used in suppressing the natives, be it in Kenya or apartheid South Africa. George Foreman with a German Shepherd fitted Ali's description of a Belgian
The Rumble in the Jungle gave both fighters $5 million. An estimated TV audience of 1 billion viewers worldwide watched the fight, becoming the world's most-watched live television broadcast at the time. Including 50 million viewers who watched the fight pay-per-view
on closed-circuit theatre TV. The fight grossed an estimated $100 million (inflation-adjusted $500 million) in worldwide revenue. It was a big fight.
Unlike Joe Frazier and Ken Norton that Foreman had both knocked out in two rounds, Ali wasn't going down so fast. In the first round, Foreman's punches unsettled Ali. Foreman would later say, "What I remember most about the fight was, I went out and hit Muhammad with the hardest
shot to the body I ever delivered to any opponent."
Foreman told Ali's biographer Thomas Hauser in Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times, "Anybody else in the world would have crumbled. Muhammad cringed; I could see it hurt. And then he looked at me. He had that look in his eyes, like
Foreman told Ali's biographer Thomas Hauser in Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times, "Anybody else in the world would have crumbled. Muhammad cringed; I could see it hurt. And then he looked at me. He had that look in his eyes, like
he was saying 'I'm not going to let you hurt me.'"
Ali, while leaning on Foreman would whisper to Foreman's ears, "Is that all you got George?"
The psychological Ali was always at play, and he adopted a tactic he called rope-a-dope, leaning on the ropes and allowing Foreman punch
Ali, while leaning on Foreman would whisper to Foreman's ears, "Is that all you got George?"
The psychological Ali was always at play, and he adopted a tactic he called rope-a-dope, leaning on the ropes and allowing Foreman punch
Foreman expended so much energy.
Prior to the fight, Ali's camp was low in spirit and tensed. It was Ali that boosted the morale of his camp. He said, "This ain't nothing but another day in the dramatic life of Muhammad Ali. Do I look scared?"
Prior to the fight, Ali's camp was low in spirit and tensed. It was Ali that boosted the morale of his camp. He said, "This ain't nothing but another day in the dramatic life of Muhammad Ali. Do I look scared?"
In another interview Ali said, "But if I think about me? Just me and George Foreman. Knocked out Joe Frazier like he was God. Knocked out Ken Norton. . ."
A night to the fight, Foreman was tipped at 3-1 to Ali.
A night to the fight, Foreman was tipped at 3-1 to Ali.
Foreman's tactic was to have Ali on the ropes. Ali's team wanted him to dance. They told him to stay off the ropes, to which Ali responded, "I know what I'm doing."
Unfortunately for Foreman, Ali was on the ropes on his own volition.
Unfortunately for Foreman, Ali was on the ropes on his own volition.
To understand the power of Foreman's punch, Archie Moore said in the book At the Fights, "I was praying, and in great sincerity, that George wouldn't kill Ali. I really felt that was a possibility. George truly doesn't know his own strength."
Within the first two rounds, Ali did not fall. Instead whenever they clung to each other, Ali would lean on Foreman and support himself, further weakening Foreman. He would whisper all sorts to Foreman. If Ali proved anything, it was that he could take a punch.
For every jab Foreman threw, the crowd was silent. For every jab Ali landed on Foreman the crowd was wild shouting in Lingala, Boma ye, kill him!
While Foreman's punches were terrible, they landed mostly on Ali's body. Ali protected his face. He would give Foreman a flurry of jabs to his face and go back to the ropes. Foreman's face was swollen long before he knew it. He was tiring too. This wasn't a two round affair.
By the 8th round, Foreman's punches were everywhere. Ali, who looked like an underdog to a formidable Foreman came alive. Quick jabs to Foreman's face & the big puncher was on the floor. Ali came to Africa and became King of boxing. Both boxers became good friends later on.
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