On October 30, 1974, Muhammad Ali and George Foreman met in the boxing ring in at an event now known as The Rumble in The Jungle. The match took place in Kinshasa, Zaire (now DR Congo). It pitted former heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali against George Foreman. Foreman was the favorite to win. Muhammad Ali had already been stripped of his title for refusing to serve in the Vietnam War, so this match took place on his way back into the public eye. This match was set up by promoter Don King as a high-profile bout between two of boxing’s greatest heavyweights of the time and it was anticipated that this would be a fight to determine which man was truly the greatest fighter.
Muhammad Ali was born on January 17, 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky. Ali was well known for his brash style, loudmouth, and inspiring quotes. He was a great boxer with an impressive record. Ali won a gold medal for the US at the 1960 Olympics, held in Rome. At the time he was generally considered among the greatest heavyweights in the history of the sport.
George Foreman was born January 10, 1949 in Marshall, Texas. At the time of the fight, he was at the peak of his boxing career. Before the championship fight his greatest achievement had been winning an Olympic gold medal at the 1966 Summer Olympics in Mexico City while representing the United States. Foreman’s only notable opponent during this period was Joe Frazier.
There were an estimated 1 billion viewers worldwide. It was one of the largest pay-per-view audiences ever recorded at the time, it also had a huge impact on boxing as a sport, and how it was broadcast to the public. The Rumble in the Jungle was one of the most important fights of all time because it showed that boxing could be used to promote peace between countries and people from different backgrounds. Muhammad Ali won this match by knocking out a tired George Foreman during round 8; it was his first comeback since losing his title to Joe Frazier a few years earlier.
This boxing match was one of the most notable sporting events in history and it is still remembered today. The currency at the time was the Zaire – Zaire. It has since been demonetized and Zaire was renamed the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1997 after Mobutu Sese Seko was deposed. We will go over some banknotes that circulated at the time of the match.
Banknotes From the Rumble in the Jungle
Zaire 10 Zaires, 1972 issues. It is blue in color and the obverse side shows the coat of arms, Mobutu Sese Seko in uniform, and a leopard. The reverse side features bank initials and a shield depicting an arm with the hand holding a torch. Another example is the Zaire 1 Zaire, 1972. The banknote is colored in red and brown. The obverse side features a portrait of Mobutu Sese Seko as well as the national coat of arms and jumping leopard on the lower right hand corner. While the reverse side features a steam tower, and elephant tusks.
Sources:
https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/rumble-jungle/
https://www.britannica.com/sports/Rumble-in-the-Jungle
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Foreman
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad_Ali
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rumble_in_the_Jungle
