THRILLA IN MANILA GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY 6 - ALI KNOCKS FOREMAN OUT IN RUMBLE IN THE JUNGLE
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 03 Jun 2025
George Foreman arrived in Zaire at the peak of his boxing greatness. He won the heavyweight gold medal at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics then turned professional and won his first 37 fights. Foreman had stopped the then undefeated Joe Frazier easily, within only two rounds to wrest the title from the champion.
Foreman was seen as a perfect match for Ali. Foreman was reserved while Ali, the former champion, was arrogant and relentless. Foreman was seen as a nationalist, while Ali was a known Black loyalist. During the coming of the “Rumble in the Jungle,” Foreman was considered as an unstoppable fighter and Ali as an elderly icon. Ali was a 4-1 underdog leading to the fight.
The "Rumble in the Jungle" was conceived by Don King, who promised $5 million purse to both Foreman and Ali for their involvement in the super fight, that time a considerable amount. However, King did not have enough funds, so he needed someone to back up financially his promotion. He found a benefactor in Mobutu Sese Seko, Zaire’s dictator. Mobutu hoped that hosting Africa’s first heavyweight championship would attract international attention and market his novice state.
King promoted the bout as a back-to-Africa event. He had initially dubbed the fight “From the Slave Ship to the Championship” but Mobutu rejected the title. It was later named “Rumble in the Jungle” a phrase Ali had coined during training.
The fight was supposed to be scheduled to happen on September 25 but had to be postponed because Foreman’s eye was cut during a sparring session. The fighters and their entourage had to stay in Zaire for an additional five weeks. Furthermore, much to King’s disappointment, fewer than 50 high-paying foreign fight fans were in the crowd, as the majority of seats had been sold to locals, who could only afford to sit far from the ring. Most money was made in selling television rights to venues in other markets. Worldwide, more than $100 million was brought in from the closed-circuit and broadcasting sales.
The fight began at 4:00 am local time to accommodate the American viewers, who could then watch the fight during prime time. Ali was expected to fight with the style during his youth, with his signature quick footwork and flamboyance, as he told the press.
However, on the course of the match, Ali fought with a slower and a more technical fight. In the first round, he attacked Foreman ruthlessly before then retreated to the ropes and allowed his opponent to throw punches and eventually tire his foe, a tactic he later called “rope-a-dope.”
Ali defended and evaded many of Foreman’s blows in these early rounds but endured several arm and body punches. Ultimately, Ali’s style succeeded. Foreman was obviously tired. And in the eighth, Ali went on the offensive, knocking Foreman out with a combination of high speed punches, stunning everyone with the world watching them.
Ali became the second fighter at that time to reclaim the heavyweight title. In the aftermath of the Rumble in the Jungle, as the Vietnam War came to a close, Ali’s public image began to recover, and he became an American icon at the time of his death.
Despite repeated calls for a rematch with Ali, Foreman was unable to secure a return bout so Foreman decided to retire after a loss to Jimmy Young in 1977. Ali was not in a hurry to arrange a rematch, and instead made title defenses against unknown opponents such as Jean Pierre Coopman and Richard Dunn. However, he declared several times that his rematch with Foreman was one of the great fights he wanted to acquire before hanging up his gloves.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.
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