In 1974 Muhammad Ali and George Foreman contested one of the most famous boxing matches of the 20th century, The Rumble in the Jungle. Fought in Kinshasa, Zaire, the event pitted the younger, undefeated and undisputed heavyweight champion of the world George Foreman vs Muhammad Ali, already past his prime at 32-years-old. The buildup to the fight was incredible, with the Dictator of Zaire Mobute Sese Seko pulling out all the stops to make the fight memorable. He flew in musical acts such as James Brown, Celia Cruz, and B.B. King to put on a show unlike any seen before on the African continent.

     Before the match, Ali spent his days training and interacting with the locals of Kinshasa, who adopted him as one of their own. The local children would chant at Ali, “Ali boma ye!”, which meant “Ali, kill him (Foreman)”, and 60,000 Kinshasa citizens watched “The Rumble in the Jungle” even though it started at 4:00 am Kinshasa time.

     This picture shows the victor of the Rumble in the Jungle, Muhammad Ali, standing in front of the “Le Militant” statue in Kinshasa. With his right fist raised, Ali is emulating the statue that rises behind him. Ali signed this photograph in blue marker. This item comes with a full LOA from PSA/DNA, who have graded his signature a GEM MT 10, the highest grade possible. This photograph also comes with a Muhammad Ali authenticated hologram (A1331426).

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