On 30 October 1974 the undefeated heavyweight champion of the world met the most famous boxer of all time in Kinshasa, the capital of Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo). The watching crowd of 60,000 included celebrities, literary figures, and Zaire's despotic ruler Mobutu Sese Seko. The bout between George Foreman and superstar challenger Muhammad Ali was dubbed the 'Rumble in the Jungle' by its flamboyant organiser Don King and is now considered to be one off the greatest sporting events of all time.
THE CONTENDERS
Untouchable during his early years, Ali's career had been derailed by a three-a-half-year ban for refusing the army draft in 1967. He returned to the ring in 1970, winning his first two comeback fights, but then lost a title shot against new heavyweight champ Joe Frazier in March 1971.
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