DRC gears up for 50th anniversary of boxing’s ‘Rumble in the Jungle’

28 October 2024 - 18:17 By Ange Kasongo and Benoit Nyemba
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Heavyweight boxer Muhammad Ali (right), Republic of Zaire president Mobutu Sees Seko (centre) and promoter Don King (left) walking together prior to the WBA, WBC and Ring title fight billed as the 'Rumble in the Jungle' in Kinshasa, Zaire between Ali and George Forman scheduled for October 30 1974.
Heavyweight boxer Muhammad Ali (right), Republic of Zaire president Mobutu Sees Seko (centre) and promoter Don King (left) walking together prior to the WBA, WBC and Ring title fight billed as the 'Rumble in the Jungle' in Kinshasa, Zaire between Ali and George Forman scheduled for October 30 1974.
Image: Focus on Sport/Getty Images

Fifty years since the “Rumble in the Jungle” was beamed around the world from Kinshasa, the city is preparing for anniversary celebrations to mark the heavyweight showdown that inspired a generation of boxers.

Underdog Muhammad Ali triumphed over the then-undefeated champion George Foreman on October 30 1974 in a match that became legend.

Before the festivities being organised by the Democratic Republic of Congo's presidency and the US Embassy, about 20 boxers from around Africa recalled the fight as they sparred at a sports ground in Kinshasa during an amateur championship this month.

“The fight of the century is a great memory for us. It's a cause for great celebration for the Congolese because it happened here,” said Tshilombo Mukadi, coach of he DRC's national boxing team.

“It means a lot to the young people, we encourage them with this so as not to erase history.”

Mukadi's boxers were among those ducking and weaving in the dusky light at the open air ground, gearing up for the 21st African Amateur Boxing Championship.

“Muhammad Ali was more technical and made an impressive spectacle. We can learn a lot from following his movements,” said Zadia Modestine, a boxer from Kinshasa who Mukadi had earlier put through her paces.

The televised fight attracted some of the world's most prominent figures to a country known by most westerners at the time only for its periodic bouts of instability.

In victory, Ali regained the world title seven years after it was stripped from him for refusing to be drafted to fight in Vietnam, cementing his iconic status which has endured to this day.

Reuters


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