Rumble in the Jungle so epic it needed a name (The Associated Press)
Muhammad Ali gave it one, and then gave boxing one of its most memorable moments when he stopped the fearsome George Foreman to recapture the heavyweight title in the impoverished African nation of Zaire. Forty years have passed since the two men met just before dawn on Oct. 30, 1974 to earn $5 million put up by dictator Mobutu Sese Seko, but time has done nothing to diminish its place in boxing history. Foreman was the brooding heavyweight champion who destroyed Joe Frazier and Ken Norton without breaking a sweat. ”Wait till I whup George Foreman’s behind.” Few believed the bombastic Ali, whose oratorical skills at the time seemed better than his boxing skills.