By Ange Kasongo and Benoit Nyemba
KINSHASA (Reuters) – A half century since the “Rumble in the Jungle” was beamed around the world from the Congolese capital, the city is preparing for anniversary celebrations to mark the heavyweight showdown that inspired a generation of boxers.
Underdog Muhammad Ali triumphed over the then-undefeated champion George Foreman on Oct. 30, 1974 in a match that became legend.
Ahead of the festivities being organised by the Democratic Republic of Congo’s presidency and the U.S. Embassy, about 20 boxers from across Africa recalled the fight as they sparred at a sports ground in Kinshasa during an amateur championship this month.
“The fight of the century … is a great memory for us. It’s a cause for great celebration for the Congolese because it happened here,” said Tshilombo Mukadi, coach of Congo’s national boxing team.
“It means a lot to the young people, we encourage them with this so as not to erase history.”
His boxers were among those ducking and weaving in the dusky light at the open air ground, gearing up for the 21st African Amateur Boxing Championship.
“Muhammad Ali was more technical and made an impressive spectacle. We can learn a lot from following his movements,” said Zadia Modestine, a boxer from Kinshasa whom Mukadi had earlier put through her paces.
The televised fight attracted some of the world’s most prominent figures to a country known by most westerners at the time only for its periodic bouts of instability.
In victory, Ali regained the world title seven years after it was stripped from him for refusing to be drafted to fight in Vietnam, cementing his iconic status which has endured to this day.
(Writing by Ange Kasongo and Alessandra Prentice; Editing by Helen Poppeer)
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