Fifty years ago this week, Muhammad Ali and George Foreman met in a boxing ring in Africa.
Ali’s stunning knockout victory still echoes today.
“The Rumble in the Jungle,” as Ali dubbed the bout, was one of the most important sporting events of the 20th century. Sport intersected with culture, music and the political legacy of colonialism in an unforgettable promotion that culminated in a thrilling main event.
The two Americans met in Kinshasa, Congo – then known as Zaire – on Oct. 30, 1974, for a heavyweight title and the biggest purse in boxing history at the time. Their sport was in the tail end of its glamorous heyday, and this matchup between the charismatic Ali and the intimidating Foreman was watched by an estimated 1 billion people — a quarter of the globe’s population at the time.
After weeks of chaos and delays, Foreman was a significant betting favorite when the fighters finally reached the ring. Ali then put on a masterclass, demonstrating his sublime blend of elusiveness and counterpunching now known as “rope-a-dope” while he frustrated, wore down and eventually finished the frustrated Foreman in the eighth round.
Associated Press photographers documented every moment of this historic fight. Here is what they saw.
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AP boxing: https://apnews.com/boxing
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