Fifty years on from the famous fight in Zaire no athletic contest in history has inspired as much global joy as Muhammad Ali’s win over George Foreman
Photograph: ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content/Getty ImagesPhotograph: ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content/Getty Imageshirty-five years ago, I sat on the sofa in my living room watching a tape of The Rumble in the Jungle with
But Ali was more than a fighter. He was a beacon of hope for oppressed people all over the world. Every time he looked in the mirror and preened, “I’m so pretty,” he was saying “Black is beautiful” at a time when many people of color thought it was better to be white. When he refused induction into the United States Army during the height of the war in Vietnam, he stood up for the principle that, unless there’s a very good reason for killing people, war is wrong.
Ali avenged his defeats to Frazier and Norton. But by then, a new king had been crowned. George Foreman’s professional record stood at 40 wins with no losses and 37 knockouts. His eight most recent bouts had ended in the first or second round. His victims in those fights included Frazier and Norton. This was the mountain that Ali had to climb.
In round one, Ali tested Foreman at long range. Then, 30 seconds into the second stanza, he retreated to the ropes. Conventional wisdom dictated that the ropes were the last place an opponent wanted to be against the most feared puncher in boxing. Ali’s corner was screaming at him to dance. But Muhammad remained in place, determined to fight out of a defensive posture, blocking some punches, leaning back against the ropes to avoid others, and absorbing the sledgehammer blows that landed.
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