Muhammad Ali vs George Foreman Battle in the "Rumble in the Jungle"

The Rumble in the Jungle was a historic boxing event that took place on 30 October 1974, in the Mai 20 Stadium in Kinshasa, Zaire (now Democratic Republic of the Congo). It pitted then world Heavyweight champion George Foreman against former world champion and challenger Muhammad Ali.

The event was one of Don King's first ventures as a professional boxing promoter. He managed to get both Ali and Foreman to sign separate contracts saying they would fight for him if he could get $5 million to be their pay. However, King did not have the money. So he began looking for an outside country to sponsor the event. Zaire's flamboyant president Mobutu Sésé Seko asked for the fight to be held in his country, eager for the publicity such a high-profile event would bring. King had pulled together a consortium that included a Panamanian company called Risnelia Investment, the Hemdale Film Corporation, a British company founded by film producer John Daly and the actor David Hemmings, Video Techniques Incorporated of New York and Don King Productions. Although King is most closely associated with the fight it is Hemdale and Video Techniques Inc., with whom King was a director, who were the official co-promoters of the fight.

Ali started the first round attacking Foreman with the unconventional (and provocative) 'right-hand leads'. This was notable, as Ali was famed for his speed and technical skills, while Foreman's raw power was his greatest strength; close range fighting would, it seemed, inevitably favour Foreman and leave too great a chance that Ali would be stunned by one or more of Foreman's powerful haymakers. Ali made use of the right-hand lead punch (striking with the right hand without setting up with the left) in a further effort to disorient Foreman. However, while this aggressive tactic may have surprised Foreman and it did allow Ali to hit him solidly a number of times, it failed to significantly hurt him. Before the end of the first round, Foreman caught up t...

Venue: 20th May Stadium, Kinshasa, Zaire. 30th October, 1974.

Muhammad Ali was a major underdog, boxingfaded prince at 32 years of age. Many boxing commentators felt that Ali had reached the end of the road. Between Ali and the title was a bigger, younger and stronger man, who had never lost and had knocked out 37 of his 40 opponents. His laste eight fights had all ended inside six minutes. Foreman had destroyed Joe Frazier and Ken Norton, the two men who had beaten Muhammad Ali. He was surely unbeatable in the same way that Sonny Liston had been.

This was the great promotion by Don King who had managed to raise a purse of $10 million (to be split equally) from the president of Zaire, Joseph Mobutu. Mobutu was a dictator who ruled his country through fear.

Muhammad Ali soon settled into Africa. He was recognised even in the remotest parts of the country. He soon learned the phrase that became his mantra, "Ali Boma Ye" wich translated into "Ali Kill Him." Foreman, surly and uncommunitive soon lost the PR battle. Just as Ali had painted Frazier as the outsider in his own land, he did the same to Foreman in Africa. Very quickly Ali had the whole country behind him.

Then eight days before the fight, Foreman's sparring partner Bill Murray accidentally caught him with an elbow and cut him over his right eye. THe bout was off. The fight would be postponed for almost five weeks and everyone would remain in Zaire while Foreman healed.

This of course gave Ali the chance to work his mind games on his opponent. With a captive press corps, he characterized Foreman as the Mummy, and mocked his straight up and down style. Ali claimed he would dance rings around Foreman when fight night came.

The weather before the fight was oppressive as the rainy season was fast approaching. The ropes of the ring would stretch in the heat and the songe mat softened and would be harder for Ali to move about. The mood in Ali's camp darkened.

The fighters entered t...

This was to be Don King's first venture into boxing promotion. He guaranteed both fighters a then unheard of $5 million each; money which he didn't have. As a result, he looked for a country other than the USA who were willing to sponsor the fight and take this massive burden off him. The president of Zaire was interested, and the stage was set - the two fighters were to battle it out in Kinhasa, Zaire.

Ali and Foreman - The Two Best Heavyweights in the World
At this time, while the heavyweight division was stacked, these two stood out as the top contenders. Ali was coming off a unanimous decision win over Joe Frazier and Foreman was considered to be an absolute wrecking machine. Going into this fight, he had amassed a 40-0 record, with 37 of those wins coming by way of knockout.

People realised Foreman was for real when he obliterated 'Smokin' Joe Frazier in two rounds, knocking him down six times in the process. Also, in the fight previous to his encounter with Ali, he destroyed Ken Norton, a very respectable heavyweight in two rounds. While the public wanted Ali to win, many people thought Foreman would be too much for him.

How 'The Rumble in the Jungle' Went
The opening round was the most tentative of the fight for both men. However, Ali did well, utilising his speed and jabbing from the outside well. Foreman managed a few decent body shots at the end of the round, but this belonged to Ali.

The second session probably went Foreman's way though. Ali was starting to use the infamous 'rope-a-dope' tactic, but at this stage, Foreman was outworking him, and throwing some really good hooks to the body.

Foreman carried on his excellent body work in the fourth, but he probably lost this round as Ali had now woken up. Ali opened up with some head shots, including a very tasty left hook which rocked Foreman.

The legs of Foreman seemed tired in the fourth, probably because of the immense heat in Zaire. However, he put a big effort into this round, an...