The Rumble in Jungle is a famous fight between the Legendary Muhammad Ali (a former heavyweight champion) and George Foreman, who before the match was an undefeated World Heavyweight Champion. The heavyweight championship match happened on October 30, 1974, in Kinshasa Zaire (now known as the Democratic Republic of Congo). The boxing fight is hyped as one of the most significant sporting events in history. Read on to find out reasons that led to the fight, the legacy the fight left and the aftermath of both great boxers.
One of the Greatest Sporting Figures of All Time
Muhammad Ali was an American professional boxer. Ali is one of the most influential and celebrated sports icons of the 20th century.
In this photo taken on October 19, 1974, shows US boxing heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali (L) (born Cassius Clay) 11 days before the heavyweight world championship in Kinshasa. On October 30, 1974, Muhammad Ali knocked out George Foreman in a clash of titans known as the ‘Rumble in the Jungle’, watched by 60 000 people in the stadium in Kinshasa and millions elsewhere. Photo credit STRINGER/AFP/Getty Images
As at the time of the fight, he was banned from boxing in 1967 for three years and was stripped of his world title because he refused to be drafted into the US military. During the time of his ban, Ali became an African-American civil activist and philanthropist. Ali was 32 years old and had lost the speed and reflexes he had when he was younger. Many people believed the former champion had no chance of winning his contest with George Foreman. Ali died at 74 years old after battling Parkinson’s disease for more than 30 years.