Legendary boxer George Foreman has died at the age of 76 years old, according to a statement released Friday by his family on his official Instagram account.
In 1994, Foreman became the oldest world heavyweight champion in history by knocking out Michael Moorer at age 46 years and 169 days old. He retired in 1997 at the age of 48 and was inducted into both the World Boxing Hall of Fame and the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
Foreman had 81 fights during his career with an overall record of 76-5 (68 wins by knockout), but arguably his most notable bout of his career happened when he battled against Muhammad Ali on Oct. 30, 1974. The fight was known as the ‘Rumble in the Jungle.’
What was the Rumble in the Jungle?
George Foreman put his heavyweight championships on the line against Muhammad Ali at Stade Tata Raphaël, a stadium in Africa, and the fight was billed as the ‘Rumble in the Jungle.’
The fight was watched by 50 million people using closed-circuit television, according to an article in The Hartford Courant. The bout was named the 1974 Ring Magazine Fight of the Year.
How did Muhammad Ali beat George Foreman?
Foreman was undefeated before the fight but was knocked out by Ali in the eighth round. Ali earned the WBA, WBC, and The Ring undisputed heavyweight titles.
Ali used his ‘rope-a-dope’ tactics by leaning against the ropes to dodge some of Foreman’s strikes and draining his energy before capitalizing on an opportunity to bring the champion down.
The fight was once considered the most-watched live televised broadcast event at that time.
‘It was really strange,’ Foreman said during an interview with CBS while reflecting on his fight with Ali. ‘I thought I would knock him out in one or two rounds but in the third round, I’d hit him and he fell on me and I thought, ‘That’s it.’ And he started screaming, ‘That’s all you got George, show me something.’ And I knew then I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.’
How did Rumble in the Jungle impact other fighters?
Lennox Lewis fought Hasim Rahman in a heavyweight championship match in South Africa in 2001.
‘I remember watching the (Rumble in the Jungle) fight and it was like a Super Bowl,’ Lewis told Box Nation. ‘It stood in my memory for so long that I said to myself, ‘As a champion I want to fight in Africa.’
‘My outcome wasn’t like Muhammad Ali’s but I still fought in Africa.’
Rahman was the betting underdog but produced another upset Africa, knocking out Lewis in the fifth round.