Ali v Foreman: battle of the greats
JOHN WIGHT explains how the eighth-round stoppage back in 1974 remains among the most important moments in the entire history of sports
Perspiration flies from the head of George Foreman as he takes a right from challenger Muhammad Ali in the seventh round in the match dubbed Rumble in the Jungle in Kinshasa, Zaire on Oct. 30, 1974
“ATTENTION! Stop talkin’ now!”
These were the opening words of Muhammad Ali’s impromptu post-fight press conference, soon after producing the second “I shook up the world” moment of his long career.
His first such moment had come a decade previously with his victory over Sonny Liston in Miami to become the youngest heavyweight world champion at that time. This second one had come after his stunning victory over an in-prime, fearsomely fearsome George Foreman in Kinshasa, Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) on October 30 1974.
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