Conflict overshadows DRC’s legendary ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ legacy

It is half a century since two legends – Muhammad Ali and George Foreman – stepped into the ring in Kinshasa for the “Rumble in the Jungle”… regarded by many as the most famous boxing bout in history.

In the city which was then the capital of Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), they still remember the time the world’s cameras were on them – and not for the violence and civil war which had plagued the country since independence in 1960.

The match-up was financed by Zaire’s former dictator, Mobutu Sese Seko, as a massive public relations exercise… but it nevertheless turned into an extraordinary fight.

Using his “rope-a-dope” tactics to wear down the younger favourite, Foreman, Ali landed a left hook and straight right that sent Foreman to the canvas in the eighth round.

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Foreman tried to get to his feet, but the referee signalled the end of the fight and a knockout win for Ali. Foreman is still alive, but Ali died in 2016.

Zaire became the DRC and is still mired in conflict and bloodshed, which make it one of the world’s fastest-declining countries.

But, for a few bright moments in 1974, the country was an arena for giants.