It Was a Surprise Ending to Rumble in the Jungle

In 1974, there was no more fearsome human being on earth than George Foreman.

The baddest dude on the planet was far different in the mid-1970s than in his comeback period years later, when he became lovable George, the prince of cheeseburgers.

In 1973, Foreman nearly killed Joe Frazier in taking his world heavyweight championship at Kingston, Jamaica, in two rounds. Fourteen months later, he knocked out Ken Norton in Caracas in two rounds.

Both of those men had beaten Muhammad Ali.

When Ali and Foreman were matched at Kinshasa, Zaire, for Foreman’s championship 25 years ago today, Ali seemed up against it.

Foreman had stopped his previous 12 foes in four rounds or fewer, nine of them in the first two rounds. He was 40-0 with 37 knockouts. He seemed indestructible, the greatest puncher in history. How could Ali possibly stand up to his punches?

Before the fight, the New York Times’ Dave Anderson wrote: “For a few rounds, Ali might be able to escape Foreman’s sledgehammer strength, but not for 15 rounds. Sooner or later, the champion will land one of his sledgehammer punches, and for the first time in his career, Muhammad Ali will be counted out. That could happen in the first round.”

Wrong. The knockout happened in the eighth round--but to Foreman, not Ali.

Foreman, as expected, threw ponderous punches at the outset, but most of them landed on Ali’s arms. Ali often lured Foreman to the ropes, where Ali simply covered up.

Finally, exhausted and helpless, Foreman had no fall-back plan. He knew only one way to fight. He was flattened by Ali in the eighth.

Also on this date: In 1921, one of college football’s greatest upsets: Centre College 6, Harvard 0. Harvard had won or tied 25 in a row and had never lost an intersectional game until losing to the tiny Kentucky college.