Kinshasa, Zaire – now Democratic Republic of the Congo – hosted one of the most well-known boxing bouts of all time on October 30, 1974. May 20 Stadium, as it was known then, was the venue where American boxers George Foreman and Muhammad Ali clashed for the heavyweight crown, which Foreman held.
Don King promoted the bout. Knowing he needed to raise a $5 million purse to get the fighters into the ring, King, unable to provide the money from his own financial reserves, went about finding a host country willing to pay to hold the event.
Back then, Zaire was under the dictatorship of Mobutu Sese Seko. The dictator was advised that staging the event would generate interest in Zaire and help his regime be seen as positive at home and abroad. Mobutu was convinced and provided the payment. King had the finances he required. Foreman would defend his heavyweight title against Ali. The Rumble in the Jungle was on. From a sporting perspective, the bout carried huge significance.
Muhammad Ali had been trying to regain the heavyweight title he lost in 1967 when his boxing license was revoked following his refusal to be conscripted to the US Army during the Vietnam War. Ali spent nearly four years out of boxing and had already lost one attempt to win the title back when Joe Frazier defeated him in March 1971.
George Foreman had also had his eyes on the prize for a while, and he got his hands on it when he knocked out Frazier in January 1973.
Ali followed up his 1971 defeat to Frazier by going on a 13-1 run over his next 14 bouts. This included a win over Frazier in their rematch. He also beat Ken Norton in a rematch, avenging his only defeat during this time. This run of results led Ali to Foreman, who was 40-0 with 37 KOs on his record at the time and seemingly unbeatable, and Zaire.
Despite this, Ali, a 4-1 underdog, was able to pull off a shock victory. During the fight, Ali used a tactic known as the “rope-a-dope” – standing with his back on the ropes and beckoning Foreman to come to him. Ali absorbed Foreman’s punishing shots, blocking many of them with his arms, and was able to counter at times. Foreman was tired from constantly swinging at Ali, and in round eight, Muhammad connected with a swift combination that was too much for the exhausted Foreman. The champion went down and couldn’t get up. Ali had regained the heavyweight crown. It was a moment that added to Ali’s building legend at the time and is still referenced today.
For Foreman, it started the process which led to him taking a decade away from boxing between 1977 and 1987. From a cultural perspective, the significance of The Rumble in the Jungle was that it being regarded as an indication of resistance against imperialism and oppression.
Ali, mainly due to his stance on the Vietnam War, was regarded by many as a symbol of the anti-establishment movement. His victory in Zaire was seen as a victory for all fighting against injustice and inequality. Ironic that it took place in a country that was at the time under a dictatorship.
For further reading on the significance of The Rumble in the Jungle, The Fight by Norman Mailer goes into great detail on the fight and all aspects surrounding it. If watching a documentary is more your thing, check out the Leon Gast-directed, Oscar-winning documentary film When We Were Kings.
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