TODAY is the 50th anniversary of the Rumble in the Jungle, when Muhammad Ali confirmed his immortality by knocking out George Foreman to regain the world heavyweight championship.
That fabulous, mind-blowing fight that took place before an African dawn broke over Kinshasa has been described as the greatest sporting event of the 20th Century.
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It has been 50 years since the epic Rumble in the Jungle between Muhammad Ali and George ForemanCredit: Alamy
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Colin Hart is the last British reporter alive who was at the historic fightCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
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SunSport’s man was ringside as Ali regained his heavyweight crownCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
Sadly, I’m the only British journalist who was at ringside that night who is still alive to tell the tale of what occurred before, during and after that epic battle where heroic Ali plotted his greatest triumph and Foreman met his Waterloo.
It may have happened half a century ago but it’s a fair bet if you should mention the Rumble in the Jungle from Angola to Zanzibar, most people will know what you are talking about.
Unquestionably it is the most written and talked about contest ever and the saga for me actually began nine months before in Caracas, when there was a press conference on the eve of Foreman’s title defence against Ken Norton.
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It was chaired by a strange-looking and very loud American promoter, whose hair was standing straight up as if he’d been scared out of his wits at seeing a ghost. It was my first introduction to Don King.
King announced Foreman would be making his third defence against Ali in an open-air stadium in Kinshasa, Zaire — the first bell would sound at 4am and the two men would each be paid $5million.
He also explained that Zaire’s President Mobutu Sese Seko was putting up the money — the idea was to attract tourism to his country and for Ali and Foreman to return to their African roots.
I found it difficult not to laugh out loud at the absurdity of it. George took less than two rounds to dispose of Norton and, come the autumn, I was in Kinshasa about to experience the most bizarre ten days of my working life.
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Mobutu was probably the most terrifying, murderous dictator who ever ruled a nation on the African continent — and with Uganda’s Idi Amin as a rival, that is saying something.
His presence was all-pervading — giant photographs of him were on every street corner and, when the local TV station was turned on in the evening, the opening three hours were devoted to his speeches.
The Zairians were scared to death of him, with good reason. Soon after he came to power, he had the Prime Minister and three cabinet ministers publicly hanged in front of a 50,000 crowd.
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The heartbreaking chance meeting between Muhammad Ali and Colin Hart where boxing legend revealed ‘I’m not scared to die’
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Ali and Foreman’s fight is the most analysed in historyCredit: AP:Associated Press
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Ali showed he was still the top dog in the ringCredit: AP:Associated Press
When we were given a tour of the 20th of May Stadium where the fight took place, we came across a wall pock-marked by dozens of holes.
We asked Tishimpupu Wa Tishimpupu, the Minister of Publicity, how the holes came to be there and he told us matter-of-factly that was where Mobutu had dissidents and coup plotters executed by firing squad.
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To say communications between Kinshasa and London were difficult is an under-statement. Nobody could get telephone calls to their offices and, during the build-up to the fight, stories had to be sent by telex.
The problem was many telex-operators used to disappear to have a sleep. The foreign press complained to Tishimpupu, who sent our displeasure on to Mobutu himself.
The President’s unequivocal edict to the workers was “the next telex operator who is found asleep when he should be on duty will be shot”.
They knew he meant it and it had the required effect. From that moment, they were beavering away non-stop.
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Frustratingly, the trouble was many messages ended up at the wrong address. The Times correspondent, Neil Allen, sent a 2,000-word fight preview which was somehow found spewing out of a machine in a Cambridgeshire woodyard’s office.
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There were many incredible moments from the bout
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Foreman and Ali went on to become palsCredit: AP:Associated Press
Such was the magnitude of the Ali-Foreman clash around the globe, three of America’s literary giants — Norman Mailer, Budd Schulberg and George Plimpton — were there to cover it for various high-class publications in the States.
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They were all extremely famous award-winning authors but just as enthusiastic fight fans as the regulars at York Hall — drinking with them most evenings in the casino bar and talking boxing was another unforgettable experience.
There couldn’t have been a greater contrast between Ali and Foreman — Beauty and the Beast perhaps sums them up best.
Ali, being his usual garrulous self, was adored wherever he went from the moment he set foot in Zaire. He was worshipped by the entire population.
His training camp was at N’Sele, 30 miles from Kinshasa, and thousands of men, women and children would come out of the bush to line the road and wait for hours just to get a glimpse of him as he was driven to the capital.
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Foreman at 25 wasn’t the smiling carefree giant who resembles a benign Buddha that we see today. He was surly, extremely bad tempered and far from lovable.
Having won 37 of his 40 fights by knockout — his fists were like two wrecking balls and menace seemed to ooze from every pore — he made Sonny Liston look like a soft, cuddly teddy bear.
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New ways of looking at the fight keep coming to lightCredit: AP:Associated Press
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In another 50 years it will still be analysed by boxing expertsCredit: AP
Ali at 32 was far from the first flush of youth. Hardened veterans who had been connected to boxing all their lives were among many who genuinely feared for his health and safety.
It was even seriously suggested The Greatest was likely to be bludgeoned into A&E or even worse by the time Foreman had finished his demolition job on him.
As they made the long walk from the dressing room to the ring the exotic setting was perfect for Ali, with throbbing tribal drums and 60,000 frenzied fans chanting “Ali, Boma ye” — Ali, kill him.
Having been close to the action and seen the film of the fight many times since, I still shake my head in disbelief that Ali allowed one of the most powerful men who ever laced on the gloves to punch himself out on his body.
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Tactics that appeared suicidal and had his trainer Angelo Dundee going mental.
Medals are usually handed out on battlefields for that kind of calculated bravery.
The end came for the utterly exhausted and demoralised Foreman in the eighth round, when a five-punch combination sent him spinning to the canvas to be counted out.
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Hart reckons it was the most bizarre fight of his careerCredit: Heritage Auctions
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Our man brought you all the news on the event in 1974Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
Ali had defied logic by winning back the crown he first held ten years before. I had a gut-feeling Big George lacked stamina, which is why in SunSport I picked Ali to beat him in nine rounds.
My Fleet Street colleagues, who to a man had gone for Foreman, thought I’d taken leave of my senses.
As Foreman, bewildered and broken, was being led back to his corner, I shamefully behaved unprofessionally by leaping out of my seat and punched the air.
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Like Ali, I was elated at being proved right against all the odds.
But I was quickly brought down to earth when I got a cable from my sports editor — the incomparable Frank Nicklin — which said “Why wrong round?”.
A heartbroken Foreman summed up his defeat, saying: “I felt totally empty. I hadn’t just lost the title, I’d lost what defined me as a man. I felt as if my core had evaporated.”
I know George well enough to realise he has never fully got over being humiliated by Ali, despite ending up friends with his rival.
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And I wouldn’t be surprised when the 100th anniversary of the Rumble in the Jungle comes around that boxing fans will be just as eager to find out what went on at the sport’s most surreal and historic episode.
The Pittsburgh Steelers made it three wins in a row as Calvin Austin III scored two touchdowns in a 26-18 win against the New York Giants on Monday.
The 25-year-old wide receiver scored the Steelers’ first punt return touchdown in nearly five years during the third quarter.
The victory was tied up in the fourth quarter when quarterback Russell Wilson found Austin with his signature ‘moon ball’ throw.
“I try to give the guys a chance,” Wilson said.
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“They always do a good job of making me look halfway decent, and they have great plays.
“I’ve been definitely throwing it up to the moon for a long time, and let it come down and let them have a chance to make a great play.”
The scores were locked at 9-9 at half-time, but the Steelers went into the final quarter with a 16-9 lead.
Rookie running back Tyrone Tracy Jr got the Giants back in it with a 45-yard touchdown, but Steelers cornerback Beanie Bishop Jr sealed the win by intercepting on the Giants’ final drive.
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The win takes the Steelers to the top of the AFC North table, while the Giants are rooted to the bottom of the NFC East.
With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best submissions from October 2024: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s Submission of the Month award for October.
At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting for your choice.
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Nominees
Nominee: Court McGee def. Tim Means at UFC 307
Court McGee (22-13 MMA, 11-12 UFC) the job done at home when he arguably needed to most against Tim Means (33-17-1 MMA, 15-14 UFC) for his first octagon finish since October 2010.
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McGee’s game plan appeared to be executed to a tee. He dragged Means from the clinch to the ground, largely avoiding damage, and worked for the back of Means, which he eventually found for the rear-naked choke and tap.
Nominee: Ryan Spann def Ovince Saint Preux at UFC 307
Ryan Spann (22-10 MMA, 8-5 UFC) once again showed what he’s capable of when he’s on top of his game with a vicious finish of Ovince Saint Preux (27-18 MMA, 15-13 UFC).
With his back against the wall on a three-fight losing skid, Spann came out of the gate and hurt Saint Preux early in the light heavyweight bout. As his opponent tried to recover, Spann snatched the neck and forced his way on top with a guillotine choke that forced Saint Preux to frantically tap out in just 95 seconds.
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Nominee: Taha Bendaoud def. Tariq Ismail at PFL: Battle of the Giants
Taha Bendaoud (4-0) pulled off a remarkable comeback against Tariq Ismail (8-1), rallying from a tough pair of rounds to pull off a miraculous submission late in the second of the featherweight contest.
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Nominee: Jonathan Micallef def. Mohamed Ado at Dana White’s Contender Series 76
In a transition-filled grapple-fest, Jonathan Micallef put Mohamed Ado to sleep to earn a UFC contract in their welterweight clash.
Micallef (7-1) locked in a slick triangle choke at the midway point of the opening round and in a matter of seconds Ado (5-1) was taking a nap on the canvas while the winner celebrated his big moment.
The winner
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The winner: Khamzat Chimaev def. Robert Whittaker at UFC 308
Chimaev (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) ran through former champion Robert Whittaker (27-8 MMA, 17-6 UFC) to secure a face crank submission at the 3:34 mark of Round 1. The middleweight bout was the UFC 308 co-main event at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
Less than 20 seconds into the fight, Chimaev stormed in with a takedown. He was able to get one hook in as he worked for the rear-naked choke. Whittaker defended well, as Chimaev continously tried to drag him down. Chimaev finally took his back, but Whittaker exploded out. However, Chimaev was able to jump on his back again. His pressure proved to be too much as he was finally able to get across Whittaker’s face, forcing him to tap quickly.
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Still undefeated, Chimaev matched his energy on the mic, urging the UFC to give him a title shot.
Be sure to visit the MMA Junkie Instagram page and YouTube channel to discuss this and more content with fans of mixed martial arts.
There was plenty of change against South Africa, as promised by Wiegman this week, and she said it led to some of the sloppiness on show.
England were caught out on numerous occasions at the back, with not just Williamson making errors.
“We swapped players in different positions so that’s not easy to adapt to and to get the right connections,” said Wiegman.
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“Maya le Tissier moved from the right side to the left side and Ella Toone came into a different position [in midfield]. That needs some time.
“I saw some struggles so we have to get through that and try to take the sloppiness out.
“We want to keep playing forward and getting better connected with players in different positions. I ask a lot from them.”
Earlier this week, Wiegman said England needed to deal with criticism as expectations have grown around her side.
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As well as claiming the Euro 2022 crown on home soil, they reached the Women’s World Cup final in 2023.
While these two friendly performances did not assure supporters they will be up to scratch when Euro 2025 kicks off next July, there is certainly no need to panic.
England have two more friendlies this year against Olympic gold medallists the United States – managed by former Chelsea boss Emma Hayes – and Euro 2025 hosts Switzerland on 30 November and 3 December respectively.
Wiegman insists she wants to use these matches to “gain information” that will help them at Euro 2025, and has been pleased with what she has gathered so far.
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“I think we still have more questions, but that was what we said to each other before this camp. We don’t need to have all the answers now,” said Wiegman.
“We have two more games [this year] and we’re just trying to get as much information as possible. We want to see more players.
“Some players have to be a little more patient than others but we are moving forward and we need these games to try out different things to be better later on.
“We put players in other positions that we wanted to see [against South Africa]. This is the moment to do that.
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“Some things I was really happy with, and in other moments, of course, we can improve.”
CRISTIANO RONALDO blazed a stoppage-time penalty over the bar as Al-Nassr were dumped out of Saudi Arabia’s biggest cup competition.
Ronaldo and Co hosted Al-Taawoun on Tuesday night in the last 16 of The King Cup.
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Cristiano Ronaldo had a penalty to equalise in stoppage time
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The Al-Nassr forward stepped up and blasted his spot kick over the bar
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Al-Nassr lost 1-0 as Al-Taawoun dumped them out of The King Cup
Al-Nassr sit seven points above Al-Taawoun in the Saudi Pro League and were expected to book their place in the quarter-finals.
But they fell behind with 19 minutes remaining as Waleed Al-Ahmed gave the visitors a shock lead.
Ronaldo, who scored and assisted against Al-Taawoun in the Saudi Super Cup back in August, was given the perfect opportunity to equalise in added time when Al-Nassr were awarded a penalty.
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But he stepped up and fired well over the bar from 12 yards as Al-Nassr crashed out.
READ MORE ON CRISTIANO RONALDO
Manchester United and Real Madrid icon Ronaldo, who has nine goals in 12 games this season, was left with his head in his hands after his late miss.
Reacting to the penalty, one fan said: “Madrid fans need a break 😂.”
While another added: “No way he missed a pen and knocked his team out of the competition 😭😭.”
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A third replied: “Gifted him a penalty to level the game and he roofed it!”
But Kop boss Slot, who had only started him in two of the ten previous games since taking over from Jurgen Klopp, admits he is “worried” about the loss of Jota and Chiesa ahead of a punishing spell.
Former Feyenoord gaffer Slot brushed off suggestions Chiesa could return to Italy on loan in January.
And he was not jumping for joy at being forced to turn to Nunez, who has just 35 goals in 106 appearances since arriving from Benfica more than two years ago.
How Arteta dominated Liverpool with stealth Havertz trick before genius Slot switch saved the day
Slot added: “About Darwin, I gave him credit for the fact he worked so hard in previous weeks when he didn’t play a lot to be able to play three games in a row.
“Three games in eight days, so that says a lot about him.
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“But it also says a lot about the quality of our performance staff and medical staff that we were able to give him the right sessions to prepare him in the right way.
“You always need the player to buy in because you can give him the right sessions but if he doesn’t give everything then it is very difficult for him to do what he did.”
He played against Peru and Ecuador last month, with Slot saying: “It was a good thing his ban for the Uruguay team was cancelled so he could play.
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“That has probably really helped him to play the way that he did in the last three games.
“I’m not talking about the quality he played with, but the intensity he played with. The quality was also good — so that was a positive thing.”
Slot is planning on making changes on Wednesday night as Liverpool host Brighton in the Prem on Saturday, as well as ex-Kop hero Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League before a visit from Aston Villa.
Seagulls boss Fabian Hurzeler is without defender Lewis Dunk who has a “small muscle issue” and conceded his captain is “not easy to replace”.
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Hurzeler added: “He’s a great healer, so we have to go day by day. For sure, we can’t take any risks with him — but he’s keen on coming back as soon as possible.”
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