Muhammad Ali shocked the world when he beat George Foreman in Kinshasa, Zaire on October 30, 1974. The fight, known as 'The Rumble in the Jungle', ended with Ali stopping the world heavyweight champion in the eighth round.
Ali came into the fight as a heavy underdog. He'd had a lot of success in the 1960s, becoming heavyweight champion by beating Sonny Liston in 1964. But Foreman was seen as unbeatable.
From the opening bell, Foreman threw huge punches. Ali used a style called 'rope-a-dope' to soak up the punches. In the eighth round, Foreman ran out of energy and Ali took his chance to win.
In his autobiography, Ali described Foreman's power:
"I taunt George. I goad him.. You ain't got no punch, you phoney. George roars in like a mob. He's throwing punches with tonnage I never thought a fist could carry. A crowbar in George's right hand crashes through my guard into my head, knocks me into the room of half-dream. My head vibrates like a tuning fork. Neon lights flash on and off."
After the fight, Ali defended his title 10 times. He beat tough fighters like Earnie Shavers, Ron Lyle, and Joe Frazier. He lost to Leon Spinks in February 1978 but won the rematch seven months later.
The fight goes down as one of the most important in boxing history. Ali proved once again why people called him 'The Greatest'.
