October 30 1974 CE – Rumble in the Jungle Between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman Happens in Kinshasa, Zaire

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The President of Zaire (now Democratic Republic of Congo), Mobutu Sese Seko, had a unique opportunity to draw attention to his central African nation: boxing promoter Don King was looking for a place to stage a mammoth heavyweight title fight. Following a long summer training in the tropical country, world champion George Foreman and challenger Muhammad Ali met in a ring at the Mai 20 Stadium in Kinshasa on October 30, 1974. One of the most famous matches of all time, the Rumble in the Jungle was part sport, part spectacle. King, working to secure a major event to bolster his career scheduling fights, laid the foundation for the historic match by managing to get Foreman and Ali to consent to duel for $5 million each. The promoter, happy to know he would be able to add the next heavyweight title bout to his list of credits, went in search of the money he didn’t have. Ceding the official rights for advertising to a pair of investors, he sought out a foreign nation to host the epic battle. Mobutu jumped at the chance, providing the prize money. The 25-year-old Foreman seemed a heavy favorite. Building on his triumph at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, he had strung together an impressive collection of victories on his way to claiming the overall title for the weight class. At 6-foot-4, Foreman’s reach and muscular frame allowed him to thump opponents with punishing jabs and devastating crosses. Once he had demolished the only two men to defeat Ali, Joe Frazier and Ken Norton, the pundits and bettors had plenty of reason to consider the fight Foreman’s to lose. Ali, on the other hand, had slipped into his thirties without much to celebrate. Following a three-and-a-half year ban for refusing to serve in Vietnam with the USA Army, he had lost to Frazier before fighting his way back into contention for a title shot in 1974. Now 32, Ali had left many journalists wondering if he had lost a step, particularly knowing the brute strength at Foreman’s disposal. Physically, however, the two measured out as nearly a perfect match, with a slight reach advantage favoring Ali. The two men spent much of the summer training in Africa, passing long hours in the gym sharpening up their skills under oppressive heat. With the fight scheduled for the end of September, Ali had weeks to put on a show for the traveling press, sending verbal jabs over to Foreman through the gathered media in order to gain ground on the mental battlefield. As part of the spectacle, the match would be the culmination of a huge festival at the Mai 20 Stadium, set to follow a three-day concert series featuring some of the best-known musicians in the world — until Foreman suffered a cut above his eye during a sparring session, that is. Though the show would go on, the boxing match would have to wait another few weeks. What transpired on October 30, 1974 would become the stuff of sporting legend. Buoyed by a 60,000-strong crowd shouting “Ali Bomaye!” (“Ali, kill him!”), the challenger opted to use his brains to defeat Foreman’s brawn. Opening the fight with an unconventional approach — attacking with his right instead of the more traditional left jab — Ali soon figured out his opponent’s strategy and decided to make it work against him. (Foreman aimed to pin Ali to one side of the ring and rain punches on him.) In an action-packed first round, both fighters landed crushing blows. From the second round on, however, Ali shifted his style to wear Foreman out. Leaning on the ropes in a defensive posture, Ali prevented his opponent from landing shots to his head while sneaking in punches to Foreman’s face. When the boxers moved toward the center of the ring, Ali would find ways to wrap Foreman up, leaning on the younger fighter with all his weight and shouting taunts into his ear until the referee split the two of them up. Foreman was furious. Through another several rounds, he threw all his energy into each jab and cross. Nothing seemed to have an affect on Ali, who shouted “They told me you could punch, George!” over and over. Doing his best to answer with his fists, Foreman swung with all his might again and again. Tired out near the end of the 8th round, the heavyweight champion took a 5-punch combination from Ali that sent him to the canvas. Foreman managed to regain his feet just after the referee finished the count — Ali had regained the title. The stadium erupted in exultant joy. One of Ali’s two most famous fights, alongside his title defense — the Thrilla in Manilla — against Frazier the following year, the hoopla surrounding the event is documented in the 1996 Oscar-winning movie When We Were Kings. Also On This Day: 758 – Guangzhou, China is sacked by Arab and Persian pirates 1821 – Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevsky is born 1941 – United States President Franklin Delano Roosevelt approves a $1 billion aid package to the Allies as part of the Lend-Lease Act 1961 – The Soviet Union detonates Tsar Bomba, a 50-megaton nuclear weapon, the largest device ever detonated 1973 – The Bosporus Bridge is completed, linking Europe and Asia by road for the first time