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The Rumble in the Jungle

Updated: 12/10/2025, 10:22:08 AM Wikipedia source

George Foreman vs. Muhammad Ali, billed as The Rumble in the Jungle, was a heavyweight championship boxing match on October 30, 1974, at the 20th of May Stadium in Kinshasa, Zaire (now Democratic Republic of the Congo), between undefeated and undisputed heavyweight champion George Foreman and Muhammad Ali. The event had an attendance of 60,000 people and was one of the most watched televised events at the time. Ali won by knockout in the eighth round. It has been called "arguably the greatest sporting event of the 20th century" and was a major upset, with Ali coming in as a 4–1 underdog against the unbeaten, heavy-hitting Foreman. The fight is famous for Ali's introduction of the rope-a-dope tactic. Some sources estimate that the fight was watched by as many as one billion television viewers around the world, becoming the world's most-watched live television broadcast at the time. This included a record estimated 50 million viewers watching the fight on pay-per-view or closed-circuit theatre TV. The fight grossed an estimated $100 million (inflation-adjusted $600 million) in worldwide revenue. Decades later, the bout would be the subject of the Academy Award winning documentary film When We Were Kings.

Infobox

Date
October 30, 1974; 51 years ago (October 30, 1974)
Venue
Stade du 20 Mai, Kinshasa, Zaire
Title(s) on the line
WBA, WBC, and The Ring undisputed heavyweight titles
Boxer
George Foreman
Nickname
Big George
Hometown
Houston, Texas, U.S.
Pre-fight record
40–0 (37 KO)
Age
25 years, 9 months
Height
6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
Weight
220 lb (100 kg)
Style
Orthodox
Recognition
WBA, WBC and The Ring undisputedHeavyweight Champion

Tables

· External links
Preceded byvs. Joe Frazier II
Preceded byvs. Joe Frazier II
Preceded byvs. Ken Norton
Preceded byvs. Joe Frazier II
George Foreman's bouts 30 October 1974
Muhammad Ali's bouts 30 October 1974
Succeeded byvs. Ron Lyle
Succeeded byvs. Chuck Wepner
Awards
Awards
Preceded byvs. Ken Norton
Awards
Preceded byJoe Frazier vs. George Foreman
Preceded byJoe Frazier vs. George Foreman
Preceded byvs. Ken Norton
Preceded byJoe Frazier vs. George Foreman
George Foreman's bouts 30 October 1974
The Ring Fight of the Year 1974
Succeeded byvs. Ron Lyle
Succeeded byMuhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier III
Preceded byJoe Frazier vs. George ForemanRound 2
Preceded byJoe Frazier vs. George ForemanRound 2
Preceded byvs. Ken Norton
Preceded byJoe Frazier vs. George ForemanRound 2
George Foreman's bouts 30 October 1974
The Ring Round of the YearRound 8 1974
Succeeded byvs. Ron Lyle
Succeeded byMuhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier IIIRound 12
Preceded byMuhammad Ali vs. Ken Norton
Preceded byMuhammad Ali vs. Ken Norton
Preceded byvs. Ken Norton
Preceded byMuhammad Ali vs. Ken Norton
George Foreman's bouts 30 October 1974
The Ring Upset of the Year 1974
Succeeded byvs. Ron Lyle
Succeeded byJohn H. Stracey vs. Jose Napoles
Preceded byvs. Ken Norton
George Foreman's bouts 30 October 1974
Succeeded byvs. Ron Lyle
Preceded byvs. Joe Frazier II
Muhammad Ali's bouts 30 October 1974
Succeeded byvs. Chuck Wepner
Awards
Preceded byJoe Frazier vs. George Foreman
The Ring Fight of the Year 1974
Succeeded byMuhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier III
Preceded byJoe Frazier vs. George ForemanRound 2
The Ring Round of the YearRound 8 1974
Succeeded byMuhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier IIIRound 12
Preceded byMuhammad Ali vs. Ken Norton
The Ring Upset of the Year 1974
Succeeded byJohn H. Stracey vs. Jose Napoles

References

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    https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=CXhQAAAAIBAJ&pg=7038%2C3116876
  2. Grantland
    http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/9123674/don-king-faces-end-career
  3. The Morning Herald
    https://web.archive.org/web/20240115100043/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-morning-herald/138782533/
  4. The New York Times
    https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/big/1030.html
  5. The Guardian
    https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/oct/29/rumble-in-the-jungle-muhammad-ali-george-foreman-book-extract
  6. USA Today
    https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/boxing/2014/10/29/muhammad-ali-george-foreman-rumble-in-the-jungle-40th-anniversary/18097587/
  7. "Oct 30, 1974 CE: Rumble in the Jungle"
    https://www.nationalgeographic.org/thisday/oct30/rumble-jungle/
  8. briefly.co.za
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  9. New Times
    https://books.google.com/books?id=XltXAAAAYAAJ&q=ali+foreman+100+million
  10. Ali/Foreman: le combat du siècle à Kinshasa, 29–30 octobre 1974 : introduit par une étude sur la République du Zaïre
    https://books.google.com/books?id=O74KAQAAIAAJ
  11. "When We Were Kings (1996)"
    https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118147/
  12. METV Special Report Don King
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHf458Xs9W8&t=179
  13. Awful Announcing
    https://awfulannouncing.com/2016/ranking-the-5-best-films-about-muhammad-ali.html
  14. www.rootsoffight.com
    https://www.rootsoffight.com/
  15. The Guardian
    https://www.theguardian.com/film/2008/nov/10/john-daly
  16. The New York Times
    https://www.nytimes.com/1973/09/12/archives/the-greatest-is-now-the-tiredest-dave-anderson-closing-the-show-the.html
  17. Top 5 Reasons You Can't Blame George Foreman For Losing To Muhammad Ali
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTgIKE5w74k&t=866
  18. The New York Times
    https://movies.nytimes.com/2009/07/10/movies/10soul.html
  19. The Boxing Register: International Boxing Hall of Fame Official Record Book.
  20. Fight card completed for show, The Berkshire Eagle, September 16, 1974, p. 23.
    https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/55149966/
  21. Boys' Club audience sees two boxing champions fall by Bill Mahan, The Berkshire Eagle, October 30, 1974, p. 32.
    https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/55172934/
  22. "George Foreman on why Muhammad Ali was so much more than a 'boxer'"
    http://www.shortlist.com/entertainment/sport/george-foreman-on-ali
  23. YouTube
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBHYqH9qaUc
  24. The Daily Telegraph
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/boxing/9013722/George-Foreman-I-didnt-want-to-be-the-champion-I-wanted-to-be-the-man-who-beat-Muhammad-Ali.html
  25. Bloody Elbow
    https://web.archive.org/web/20230326024027/https://www.bloodyelbow.com/2017/8/24/16170894/history-of-prizefightings-biggest-money-fights-boxing-mma-ufc
  26. Daily Mirror
    https://web.archive.org/web/20140207131646/http://videos.icnetwork.co.uk/m4/RumbleintheJungle-Page1.pdf
  27. "Daily Mirror"
    https://books.google.com/books?id=9tkZAQAAMAAJ&q=26+million
  28. "Vital Statistics: Population and Health Reference Tables"
    https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationestimates/datasets/vitalstatisticspopulationandhealthreferencetables/current/annualreferencetablesummer2016final.xls
  29. Jet
    https://books.google.com/books?id=fTkDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA46
  30. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs
    https://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/Download/Standard/Population/
  31. CNN
    https://edition.cnn.com/2012/01/17/sport/sport-boxing-muhammad-ali/index.html
  32. The New York Times
    https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/11/sports/a-comeback-chant-ali-bomaye.html
  33. "rumble in the jungle | Kushfilms"
    http://www.kushfilms.com/tag/rumble-in-the-jungle/
  34. "100 Greatest Sporting Moments – Results"
    https://web.archive.org/web/20020204090913/http://www.channel4.com/entertainment/tv/microsites/G/greatest_sporting/results.html
  35. The New York Times
    https://www.nytimes.com/books/98/10/25/specials/ali-greatest.html
  36. Time
    https://web.archive.org/web/20080704232801/http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1820266,00.html
  37. Smithsonian Institution
    http://historywired.si.edu/object.cfm?ID=77
  38. BBC
    https://web.archive.org/web/20190204020740/https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/tracks/nnpp25
  39. Discogs
    https://api.discogs.com/artists/692420
  40. mtv.com
    https://web.archive.org/web/20161226055418/http://www.mtv.com/news/508556/fugees-james-brown-others-on-fight-film-soundtrack/
  41. AllMusic
    http://www.allmusic.com/album/when-we-were-kings-mw0000085025
  42. "Rumble in the Jungle – full Official Chart History – Official Charts Company"
    http://www.officialcharts.com/search/singles/rumble%20in%20the%20jungle/
  43. The Irish Charts
    http://www.irishcharts.ie/search/placement
  44. charts.nz
    https://charts.nz/showitem.asp?interpret=Fugees&titel=Rumble+In+The+Jungle&cat=s
  45. Songfacts
    https://www.songfacts.com/facts/the-hours/ali-in-the-jungle
  46. Genius
    https://genius.com/11821018/Fleet-foxes-i-should-see-memphis/Cassius-in-rome-or-in-kinshasa
  47. YouTube
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=404&v=kJdwENVcfxk&feature=youtu.be
Image
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