Watched by as many as one billion people worldwide, the 1974 bout saw George Foreman undefeated in 40 fights—then the reigning heavyweight champion—overwhelming Muhammad Ali in the early rounds with his raw power.



George Foreman, the two-time heavyweight boxing champion who contended with Muhammad Ali in Africa’s first-ever heavyweight title fight, the Rumble in the Jungle, has died at the age of 76.



“With profound sorrow, we announce the passing of our beloved George Edward Foreman Sr., who peacefully departed on March 21, 2025, surrounded by loved ones,&#8221; Foreman&#8217;s family shared on Friday on his official Instagram page, requesting privacy as they mourn his loss.



The Rumble in the Jungle fight in Kinshasa, Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo), remains one of the most iconic sporting events in history. Ali, employing his now-famous rope-a-dope strategy, absorbed Foreman’s punches before launching a counterattack that led to an eighth-round knockout, cementing his own legacy.


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="612" src="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/GettyImages-117969243.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-64972" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/GettyImages-117969243.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/GettyImages-117969243-300x179.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/GettyImages-117969243-768x459.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">George Foreman poses at Imtech Arena on July 2, 2011 in Hamburg, Germany. (Photo by Martin Rose/Bongarts/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure></div>


Born in 1949 in Houston, Texas, Foreman found direction through the Job Corps program, where he discovered boxing. His talent quickly emerged, and at just 19, he won a gold medal in the super-heavyweight division at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, waving an American flag in the ring at a time of deep racial and political tensions in the U.S.



Foreman’s professional career skyrocketed when he annihilated Joe Frazier in just two rounds to win the heavyweight title in 1973. His combination of size, strength, and relentless aggression made him one of the most feared fighters of his era.



After his loss to Ali, Foreman continued to fight before retiring in 1977. He made a stunning comeback a decade later and, in 1994, at age 45, became the oldest heavyweight champion in history by knocking out Michael Moorer. Outside the ring, he became a global business icon, earning a fortune through the George Foreman Grill, which sold over 100 million units worldwide.



Holyfield once said whereas he is happy for Foreman, he will still remain Evander Holyfield and does not wish to trade places with Big George. Holyfield beat Foreman on points in April 1999 when he defended his three titles.



Reflecting on the 50th anniversary of Rumble in the Jungle, Foreman told The Telegraph, “It amazes me that it was 50 years ago and people are still talking about it, and the term rope-a-dope. I’m just happy that I can remember it, period. I have nothing but fond memories, but at the time, I was devastated at the defeat.’’



The fight was immortalized through the lens of filmmaker Leon Gast, whose Academy Award-winning documentary, When We Were Kings, brought new depth to its narrative. The documentary, featuring insights from cultural icons like Spike Lee and Norman Mailer, framed the match as a cultural and psychological duel, an enduring metaphor for triumph against the odds.

George Foreman in Fight Pose at Nassau Coliseum

Africa’s First-Ever Heavyweight Title Contender Dies At 76

Inspiring a lasting legacy,the world still resonates with Africa’s first-ever heavyweight title fight, Rumble in the Jungle, watched by as many as one billion people worldwide.



As first light crept over Kinshasa’s then Stade du 20 Mai (20th of May Stadium), the air electric and the world watching, Muhammad Ali, poised like a man who held the keys to destiny, prepared to face the undefeated juggernaut George Foreman, both men ready to etch their names into history.



Rumble in the Jungle, as the world would come to call it, was no ordinary boxing match. On October 30, 1974, the President of Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo), Mobutu Sese Seko had invested $10 million to bring the event to Kinshasa, a sum that was almost unthinkable in those days.



It was a visionary bid, meant not just to crown a champion but to spotlight Zaire as a cultural powerhouse.



For Ali and Foreman, the stakes went beyond titles or money. Undefeated in 40 fights, Foreman was the favorite and expected to dominate the night.



“It amazes me that it was 50 years ago and people are still talking about it, and the term rope-a-dope,” Foreman tells Telegraph Sport.



“I’m just happy that I can remember it, period. I have nothing but fond memories, but at the time, I was devastated at the defeat.’’



Ali had a plan, one as cunning as it was unorthodox. Knowing he couldn’t beat Foreman with raw power, he leaned into the ropes and let Foreman punch himself into exhaustion, an audacious tactic that would come to be known as the rope-a-dope.



This strategy wasn’t just a stroke of genius in the ring; it became a legendary lesson in patience, resilience, and mental fortitude. As Nigerian sports analyst Mustapha Shuaib put it, “Ali’s ability to innovate under the stress of a championship fight is a lesson for entrepreneurs today. When you’re backed into a corner, that’s when true creativity is unleashed.”



Promoter Don King, with his uncanny sense for the dramatic, orchestrated the fight with a flair that transformed it into an event of monumental proportions.



King secured $5 million for each fighter, setting a new standard for athlete compensation and possibly laying the foundation for the billion-dollar sports economy we know today. <a></a>



“Don King didn’t just promote a fight; he promoted a vision,” says Shuaib. “He understood that Ali wasn’t just a fighter—he was a global symbol. King packaged the fight as a cultural moment, a clash of personalities and ideals that resonated worldwide.”



The fight was immortalized through the lens of filmmaker Leon Gast, whose Academy Award-winning documentary, When We Were Kings, brought new depth to its narrative. The documentary, featuring insights from cultural icons like Spike Lee and Norman Mailer, framed the match as a cultural and psychological duel, an enduring metaphor for triumph against the odds.



‘’Rumble in the Jungle set the stage for a new era of sports marketing and broadcasting, showing how a well-told sports narrative could captivate the world and draw in global sponsors,’’ says Shuaib.

George Foreman Fighting Muhammed Ali

Fifty Years On, The Fight Between Muhammad Ali And George Foreman In Kinshasa Endures As A Tale Of Tactics And Triumph

So, ‘The Fight of the Century’ has come and gone. Normally after a fight of this magnitude, the loser is left wondering what might have been. He has to pick himself up, dust himself off and go back to the drawing board. But, in this case, it was the poor fans that wondered what could have been. Some, especially the non-boxing fans who were caught up in the hype, asked, “Is that it?”
Was that really the fight of the century?
What is a fight of the century anyway? To the hardcore boxing fan, such a fight is one where there are knockouts and knock downs; where there’s blood and tears, where there is drama. Fights that deserve that label are: Muhammad Ali vs George Foreman in 1974; Ali vs Joe Frazier in 1975; Sugar Ray Leonard vs Roberto Duran in 1980; Leonard vs Thomas Hearns in 1981; and Marvin Hagler vs Hearns in 1985.
With the much-awaited Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao fight, it was always going to depend on what the Filipino was going to bring to the table. In other words, it was up to Pacquiao to make or break the fight. As the famous ring announcer, Michael Buffer, said before the fight, “Pacman is going to have to come out like a Tasmanian devil if he hopes to upset Mayweather.” After Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach said that his fighter was ready to go 25 rounds, expectation was high, despite many believing the fight happened five years too late. When the fight started, fans were on the edge of their seats. Not because of what was happening in the ring, because of what they hoped could happen.
What was happening was that Pacquiao, a slugger, was trying to outbox a boxer in Mayweather. After 12 not so exciting rounds, Mayweather ran away with a unanimous decision. The result seemed to surprise Pacquiao who said after the fight that he thought he did enough to be awarded a decision. Mayweather will march into his reported 49th and final bout in September still undefeated. When the dust settles, this fight will only be remembered for its financial records. It became the highest selling pay-per-view sporting event of all time with a staggering 5.65 million buys. The previous record in terms of pure sales was the 2007 fight between Mayweather and Oscar De La Hoya at 2.48 million.
The fight generated well in excess of $400 million, much more than the Super Bowl.
The big question on everybody’s lips is whether there will be a rematch? Given that Pacquiao revealed he fought with an injured shoulder, chances are that a rematch could be on the cards. But it is doubtful that a second fight will generate even half as much interest.
Fans will remember the principle of once bitten twice shy. Simply put, most in the boxing fraternity were left underwhelmed.
<h2>Rich But Disappointing</h2>
The so-called Fight of the Century between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao was indeed the most expensive, but fell short of the high expectations.
“Mayweather did what he usually does – running away from his opponent. I expected a lot from them but they didn’t live up to my expectations. It was not a fight of the century; it could be one of the popular fights in the last 15 years. Mayweather should have knocked out Pacquiao but he fought like a coward,” says Alan Toweel, a boxing trainer in South Africa.
Toweel says what happened in Las Vegas was not good for boxing. He believes the knockout Pacquiaa suffered at the hands of Juan Manuel Marquez in 2012 finished him.
Ron Jackson, a boxing historian and journalist, agrees the fight was not a classic.
“I thought Pacquiao won the fight. It was very disappointing to see Mayweather running around. At least it could have been a draw,” he says.
A few days after Mayweather won his 48th fight and kept his unbeaten record, the American announced that his next fight will be in September and will be his last. Amir Khan, from Britain, is being touted as his next opponent. But this is yet to be confirmed.
“Hopefully it does happen. If it does, it will be an interesting fight because Khan is very good boxer. I don’t look forward to another Mayweather’s fight. He past his time,” says Toweel.

Tag: George Foreman

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Africa’s First-Ever Heavyweight Title Contender Dies At 76

Fifty Years On, The Fight Between Muhammad Ali And George Foreman In Kinshasa Endures As A Tale Of Tactics And Triumph

The $400-Million Flop Of The Century