On This Date in Sports October 30, 1974: Rumble in the Jungle
In collaboration with the Sportsecyclopedia.com
Muhammad Ali regains the heavyweight championship by beating George Foreman in an eighth-round knockout in the “Rumble in the Jungle.” Ali had been stripped of the title seven years earlier, for refusal to answer the draft. After losses to Joe Frazier and Ken Norton, Muhammad Ali was an underdog in the fight held in Zaire. However, using the rope-a-dope, Ali was able to hand Foreman his first career loss.
Muhammad Ali was unbeaten when his boxing career came to a halt in 1967. Born Cassius Clay, the brash fighter born January 17, 1942, in Louisville, Kentucky was never afraid of controversy. Especially after converting to Islam and changing his name. When he was drafted into the Army, Muhammad Ali claimed to be contentious objector and refused service. This drew the ire of the government, which led to a five-year prison sentence and a $10,000 fine. As a result, Ali’s boxing license was suspended, causing him to lose his heavyweight title. Muhammad would miss nearly three years during the prime of his career as his appeal went to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court would rule in his favor tossing out the conviction and allowing his boxing career to resume.
Muhammad Ali attempted to regain his title in a fight against Joe Frazier but lost a 15-round decision on March 8, 1971, in what was called the fight of the century. Ali looked to get a rematch with Frazier but was momentarily derailed by a loss at the hands of Ken Norton in 1973. After beating Norton in a rematch, Ali prepared for a second title fight with Frazier, only to see Frazier lose the title to George Foreman. After beating Frazier, Ali was granted a shot at George Foreman for the heavyweight title.
George Foreman was born on January 10, 1949, in Marshall, Texas. After winning a Gold Medal at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, Foreman tore through the heavyweight division, beating Joe Frazier in a stunning second-round knockout on January 22, 1973. At 40-0, it looked as if Foreman could not be stopped as he signed on to take on Ali, the former champion in a match in Zaire.
Don King, a fast-rising promoter, came up with the idea of staging a grand title fight in Africa. The fight would air at 10 pm EST on closed-circuit television sets, meaning in Zaire people had to get up at 4 AM to attend the fight, which was billed as “The Rumble in the Jungle.” Initially, the fight was to be apart of Zaire74, a three-day music festival featuring some of the top R&B and soul performers of the day. It was to be a sign of solidarity between African Americans and Africa. However, after Foreman suffered an injury during training, the fight had to be pushed up five weeks, separating the match from the music festival.
Upon arriving in Africa, Muhammad Ali was moved by the reaction from the people of Zaire, who greatly admired his stance against the Vietnam War and his willing to fight the system. Despite this popularity, Ali was a 4-1 underdog as most believed he would be unable to handle the punching power of George Foreman.
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After landing a few big blows in the first round, Muhammad Ali began working out the strategy he called the “rope-a-dope.” Instead of standing toe-to-toe with George Foreman, Ali chose to lie against the ropes and absorb the blows given by the champion. To those scoring at home, it appeared the Foreman was in control. Though Ali had roped everyone in as the punches had little effect, meanwhile Foreman used to quick knockouts began to run out of gas. By the seventh round, the champion was exhausted. This was when Ali made his move, unleashing a series of blows that put Forman on the canvas in the eighth round. Already tied, he was unable to get up before the count of ten, allowing Muhammad Ali to celebrate a second reign as heavyweight champion of the world.