ONE NIGHT ON THE CONGO

There might never have been a more extraordinary night in sport than the “Rumble in the Jungle” 45 years ago, when Muhammad Ali challenged George Foreman for the Heavyweight title of the world along the banks of the river Congo in Kinshasa, which was the captial city of what was then Zaire (and is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo).

Zaire was a peculiar choice of venue, particularly as the country was controlled at the time by the murderous and corrupt dictatorship of Mobutu Sese Seko, who dealt with political rivals by publically hanging them. But the bout was organized by the controversial promoter Don King, who had persuaded the embezzling ruler to afford a $10 million purse.

A fascinating occasion for so many reasons, it features in our contemplation of sport’s greatest comebacks—a tribute to indefatigable human spirit.