Shrewd taming of the beast

It is 30 years since Muhammad Ali recaptured the world heavyweight boxing title by defeating champion George Foreman in one of the most dramatic sporting events of modern times. Ali, a 32-year-old underdog going into the fight, astonished the world with a stunning eighth-round knockout of the previously unbeaten Foreman. Billed as the 'Rumble in the Jungle' - the bout took place in Kinshasa, Zaire. The fight was a David and Goliath battle, culminating in the triumph of ring savvy and experience over brute strength. Sports Illustrated writer Mark Kram described it as 'Ali in his most cerebral fight - a virtuoso performance over the stone-age matter of Foreman'. It also marked the culmination of a seven-year comeback by Ali - after he had been stripped of the title in 1967 for refusing induction into the United States Army during the Vietnam War. Ali had become champion as Cassius Clay in 1964. He had converted to Islam and adopted the name Muhammad Ali in 1965. For the next two years, he proved one of the fastest and most skilled heavyweights ever. Ali was allowed to fight again in 1970. His long comeback included two points losses: to heavyweight champion Joe Frazier in the 1971 'Fight of the Century' and to leading contender Ken Norton in 1973. That year, George Foreman - a gold medallist at the 1968 Olympics - had become champion with a devastating second-round knockout, sending Frazier to the canvas six times. In 1974, Foreman demolished Ken Norton in less than two rounds. Immensely powerful, the 25-year-old Foreman was regarded as one of history's hardest punchers. His ease in despatching heavyweights made him appear superhuman. 'If you looked at George Foreman,' remembered journalist Jerry Izenberg, 'you said: this is truly the beast that swallowed Tokyo'. The Ali-Foreman fight could not have happened without the promotional flair of Don King. The event transformed King from an opportunistic ex-convict into one of America's leading fight promoters. Zaire's president, Mobutu Sese Soko, also wanted to use the fight to raise the profile of the former Belgian Congo. Mobutu had come to power after overthrowing the country's first Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba in 1960. Lumumba was executed in 1961. By 1974, Mobutu presided over a corrupt, brutal regime. It was rumoured in the run-up to the fight, he had murdered scores of petty criminals in Kinshasa - fearing they might hurt Zaire's image. Don King had persuaded Mobutu to provide US$10 million - US$5 million for each fighter. A black music festival, featuring performers, such as James Brown, was also planned. The shadowy presence of Mobutu and his henchmen added to the extraordinary atmosphere. Jack Newfield, wrote in Only In America The Life and Crimes of Don King that 'although he ordered a 40-foot portrait of himself hung over the grandstand, Mobuto was so paranoid about being in the open air with 70,000 of his countrymen that he watched the fight in his mansion, on closed circuit, with Idi Amin, the mad tyrant of Uganda, as his guest.' Most experts believed Ali could not beat Foreman. Journalist Hugh McIlvanney recalled: 'People who thought he would beat Foreman were just not talking sense. By that time his legs had gone - when he came back after 31/2 years out - he had lost the leg speed, he was able to be hit in the head by moderate heavyweights'. 'Now Joe Frazier was liable to get to him, but the guy you thought who was bound to get to him - with calamitous results was Foreman - who had this great wrecking-ball of a right hand and you thought when that right hand hits Muhammad - what's going to happen? I know that most of his camp were terrified, they were dreading that fight.' Boxing historian Bert Randolph Sugar said: 'When he was matched up against Foreman ... we feared for his very life.' But Ali was confident. In a year which had seen the resignation of US president Richard Nixon over the Watergate scandal, he promised more excitement. 'I am the fastest heavyweight, the most elegant, the most scientific, the most artistic of all time ... and if you think the world was surprised when Nixon resigned, wait till I whip Foreman's behind!' Ali's magnetic personality generated enormous interest in the fight. 'He went over to Zaire,' remembered Sugar, 'and he captivated the crowd and captured them over with his charisma; and they were shouting in Zaireois language 'Ali Kill him, Ali boma ye'. 'For Foreman they had nothing; for Ali they had everything. Muhammad Ali, at the point, was on the cusp of becoming the most popular man in the world.' Foreman had alienated the locals by arriving in Zaire with his pet alsatian. The Zairians hated the dogs because the Belgians had often terrorised them with alsatians during colonial times. Four days before the fight was originally scheduled, Foreman cut his eye sparring. The bout was postponed for six weeks and re-scheduled for October 30. Ali and Foreman stayed in Zaire for this period. There were rumours Mobutu had forbidden them to leave. After Foreman's cut healed, the two boxers entered the ring on October 30, 1974 at 4am (Zaire time). for the convenience of US viewers. Ali weighed 216 pounds - five pounds lighter than Foreman. When round one began Foreman attacked immediately. But Ali used his legs and reach to keep away. He countered with punches of his own - and threw right-hand leads - to show he was not intimidated. In round two, Foreman again stalked Ali. The challenger realised he could not fight Foreman for 15 rounds by moving around the ring. So Ali began resting on the ropes, leaning on them and encouraging the champion to hit him. 'This dancing master that we knew,' said Bert Randolph Sugar, 'now went against the ropes ... and round after round was taking Foreman's heaviest blows.' But at the end of each round, Ali often threw fast, accurate punches. Writer Norman Mailer was at ringside. He wrote in The Fight that 'for 10 years Ali had been practising to fight powerful sluggers ... so he took up his station with confidence, shoulders parallel to the edge of the ring.' Ali later described this as the 'rope a dope' strategy. While it enabled him to conserve his energy, it was also very punishing. 'George hit him with some terrible blows,' observed Hugh McIlvanney. This continued into the fourth and fifth, with Foreman attempting to end the fight, with a barrage of lethal blows. Some landed, but Ali was able to take them better than Foreman's previous opponents. 'There was no change in Foreman's tactics,' wrote journalist George Plimpton, 'he kept it up, this useless exhaustion of energy; he threw his punches in immense parabolas - one almost heard him sigh with futility as he began them ...' Years later, Foreman recalled his frustration fighting Ali: 'I beat him up the first round, beat him up the second, third, fourth, but he is still there talking to me in the fifth. 'that's all you got' - I thought what in the world have I run into, this guy was still confident, he was getting more confident - I had a fight on my hands.' By the sixth and seventh, Foreman was slowing down. 'You could see Foreman,' remembered Bert Randolph Sugar, 'like a water hose that has been turned off, flaccidly going down, down, and Ali shouting: 'Is that as hard as you can hit', and Foreman trying harder.' By the eighth, Foreman was exhausted. In the final minute, Ali suddenly attacked - launching himself off the ropes and hitting the champion with a series of punches. 'Foreman's arms flew out to the side like a man with a parachute jumping out of a plane,' wrote Mailer. Foreman remembered: 'I was down on the floor; I got ready to get up, my manager told me to get up, I jumped up and the fight was over. I had lost my title.' The crowd erupted. British broadcaster David Frost was shouting: 'This is an incredible scene, the place is going wild, Muhammad Ali has won, Muhammad Ali has won.' Foreman was stunned. 'I had never been so devastated in my life to lose the title ... it took me a long time, maybe a year before I could sleep at night.' Ali remained heavyweight champion until 1979. Foreman continued as a top contender until retiring in 1977. Ten years later in 1994, he regained the heavyweight title at 45 - the oldest man to do so. In 1997, an Academy award-winning documentary on the fight, When We Were Kings directed by Leon Gast, captivated audiences.