40 years since Rumble in the Jungle

Eye-witness account of Ali’s greatest night

MUHAMMAD Ali became yesterday the second man in boxing history to regain the world heavyweight championship, with an eighth-round knockout of George Foreman. A few hours before dawn, the 32-year-old Ali sent his 25-yearold rival crashing to the floor of the ring with a left and a chopping right. It was a bee harassing a bear – stinging incessantly until his armweary adversary succumbed to sheer persistence.

Inspired by the chant of “Ali, bomaye”, meaning “Ali, kill him”, from the assembly of nearly 60,000 in the Stade du 20 Mai, boxing’s most controversial champion created the most bizarre chapter in his career in a bout in which each fighter earned about £2 million in Africa’s first heavyweight title meeting.

Ali, disdaining his usual butterfly tactics, took Foreman’s most powerful punches without flinching and without wobbling except for a brief moment in the second round. Suddenly, with Foreman stumbling on weary legs near the end of the eighth, Ali exploded a left-right combination.

Spinning backwards, Foreman flopped to the canvas. Ali had predicted that “after the tenth round, Foreman will fall on his face from exhaustion.” Iin the eighth, Foreman toppled on to his rump from exhaustion. Groping to his feet, he was led out by Zack Clayton, the referee, at 2 minutes 58 seconds.

“Foreman was humiliated,” Ali said later. “I did it. I told you he was nothing but did you listen? I told you I was going to jab him in the corners, I told you I was going to take all his shots. I told you he had no skill. I told you he didn’t like to be punched.”

Ali’s reaction was similar to his attitude in 1964 after he won the heavyweight title when Sonny Liston declined to come out for the seventh round of their Miami Beach bout. Then known as Cassius Clay, Ali was 7-1 underdog in the betting then. This time he was the 4-1 underdog to Foreman, unbeaten in 40 previous bouts.

“I lost the fight,” Foreman commented, “but I was not beaten. He’s now the champion. He has to be respected.”

Ali had mentioned that this would be his “last fight” but he evaded questions about retirement.

“Foreman was scared,” Ali said, “and who would want a rematch? I got to get $10 million (£4m) before I think about fighting.”

At the ringside, Joe Frazier, who outpointed Ali in a 15-round decision in 1971 but lost to him in 12 rounds early this year, hoped to arrange a title bout with him next year. “I’m ready for him,” said Frazier, also a former champion. “I know how to fight him now.”

Ali joined Floyd Patterson as the only heavyweight champion to recapture the title. Patterson was dethroned by Ingemar Johanssen in 1959 but knocked out the Swedish boxer the following year.

Ali has now won 45 out of 47 bouts, with 32 knockouts. His only losses were to Frazier and to Ken Norton, the Californian heavyweight who broke Ali’s jaw in winning a 12round decision early last year.

In his three title bouts, Foreman had needed only 11 minutes 35 seconds to dethrone Frazier and successfully defended his crown against Joe (King) Roman and Norton, but in the ring under a canopy in the Zaire capital’s football stadium, he was unable to pound Ali into submission.

At the bell, Foreman moved clumsily but quickly. He appeared to slow Ali with a long left hook to the body near the end of the first round. He also pinned him to the ropes and slammed punches to the rib cage. Ali covered up effectively.

When the second round started, Foreman again chased Ali, pinning him against the ropes. But Ali retaliated with a flurry of jabs. Midway in this round, Ali appeared to wobble and he grabbed Foreman’s shoulder momentarily. But quickly he swung a right cross and several jabs.

During the third, Ali was content to lay on the top rope and permit Foreman to pummel him almost at will. But every so often the old bee would sting the young bear.

In the fourth, Ali opened with quick flurries of jabs that jarred Foreman’s head, but was content to lay on the ropes again. Foreman’s legs appeared weary as he walked after Ali and often lunged ineffectively.

When the fifth began, Ali maintained his strange tactics. Other boxers had been toppled quickly by Foreman’s sledgehammer punches, but Ali obviously had prepared himself well for this.

During the intermission before the sixth, Ali’s trainer, Angelo Dundee, hurried across to where a Zarois boxing official was trying to tighten the top rope that Ali had been leaning against. But the official loosened it and the rope sagged.

Ali avoided the ropes during the sixth and jabbed Foreman effectively and often.

Foreman chased Ali throughout the seventh but Ali kept jabbing away. Foreman was hoping to measure Ali in the eighth for the big punch but his arms were powerless.

Suddenly, with the left-right combination, Ali produced the knockout. Moments later, perhaps overcome with emotion, he sat down for several moments as his supporters swarmed into the ring.

Not long after that the dawn broke here. Soon a heavy rain storm crashed over the stadium, but it was raining on an old and new champion.