It has been 50 years since the “Rumble in the Jungle”, one of the most famous boxing matches in history. On October 30, 1974, in Kinshasa, Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo), Muhammad Ali and George Foreman brought a memorable match in every aspect, from tactics, ending, to photography. Enjoy the culture that the match left behind.
To this day, this match is referred to as “The Rumble in the Jungle” and is one of the greatest boxing matches of all time.
Ali became famous in the boxing world in the 1960s, but changes in life and a ban from competition caused him to enter the 1970s with a decline in performance. He is no longer as fast as before and has to rely on experience when competing with younger and stronger boxers.
Foreman is one such opponent. Foreman was only 25 years old in 1974 and had won all 40 professional boxing matches after winning gold at the 1968 Olympics. One of Foreman’s victories was against Joe Frazier, who before the match was still undefeated and had defeated Ali. .
Foreman intimidated all opponents with his superior strength, his punches had terrifying power, and at that time any puncher who could “survive” after 3 rounds with Foreman was considered a surprise. Frazier, then the world champion, only lasted 2 rounds before being knocked out by Foreman. Everyone believed that Ali would share the same fate.
Smart tactics
Foreman’s strength was something Ali understood well, but no one predicted that Ali would preemptively attack with a few punches aimed straight at Foreman’s head. Although Foreman was surprised, those punches were ineffective and Foreman began to counterattack at the end of the first round. However, Ali had his strategy in doing so.
Before the fight, Ali told his trainer that he had a strategy for dealing with Foreman. Starting in round 2, Ali often took a defensive position and leaned against the ring ropes, shielding his head and only letting Foreman punch him in the arms or body. That causes Foreman to waste energy with punches that either miss, or don’t count.
By round 8, Foreman’s face clearly showed many injuries from Ali’s punches. When Foreman intended to corner Ali against the ropes, Ali took the opportunity to repeatedly throw hooks. A very strong right hand punch caused Foreman to fall to the floor, and although he tried to stand up, Foreman could only stand on one leg, before the referee ended the fight and ruled Ali the winner.
After the match, Foreman angrily claimed that someone had drugged him in his drink, that the ring ropes were loosened by Ali’s side to allow Ali to carry out his tactics, and that the referee counted too quickly. However, these allegations were not proven, viewers even saw Foreman lying on the floor for about 11-12 seconds before being defeated.
The echo lasts forever
Ali returned as world heavyweight champion and continued to dominate until 1978, before retiring in 1981. Before his career ended, Ali began suffering from Parkinson’s disease, which he struggled with. the disease for the next three decades, before passing away in 2016.
Foreman sought to reclaim the belt but suddenly retired in 1977 due to poor health, conversion and a search for religious truth. Ten years later, Foreman returned to boxing and became the oldest heavyweight champion in boxing history at the age of 46, before hanging up his gloves in 1997 at the age of 48. In the final match, Foreman lost but lasted all 12 rounds, even public opinion said he deserved to win by points against his 26-year-old opponent.
The match between Ali and Foreman was watched by nearly 1 billion people on television channels worldwide, an unprecedented event in history. This match was also the inspiration for the documentary “When We Were Kings” released in 1996. This film won an Oscar, and during the awards ceremony, Foreman himself helped Ali up to receive the golden statue because Ali suffer from Parkinson’s disease.