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‘A mighty oak has fallen’
JOHN WIGHT pays tribute to the late great George Foreman who defied the odds throughout his life and career to become a household name and legend of the sport
George Foreman yells, October 15, 1974, in N'Sele, Kinshasa, Zaire
In a town shaped by hardship and history, a grassroots boxing club led by Andrew McFarlane gives purpose to the next generation — including a rising champion, writes JOHN WIGHT
A MIGHTY oak has fallen.
On a certain level it could be argued that George Foreman, who died last week at age 76, spent his entire adult life in boxing and beyond as the man who lost to Muhammad Ali in 1974 in Zaire (Democratic Republic of the Congo) in the most epic heavyweight contest ever to take place.
Known to the world and to sports history as “The Rumble in the Jungle,” Foreman filled the role of villain relative to Ali’s sheriff in the eyes of a world desperate for something to believe in as the Vietnam war stuttered on in a post-colonial age. Where before Ali had filled the former role over his stance in opposition to Vietnam, by 1974 he’d been reborn as a fighter-philosopher revered the world over.
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ROGER McKENZIE writes about late boxing legend Foreman’s legacy, from his part in Rumble in the Jungle to becoming world heavyweight champion at 45
JOHN WIGHT explains how the eighth-round stoppage back in 1974 remains among the most important moments in the entire history of sports
