Recently, I found an old copy of "The Torch," the school newspaper of Bergen Community College while I attended. After my time with the Environmental Club, I became an active member, and eventually the Sports Editor, for this publication. And one of my duties was to write certain articles ant, believe it or not, attend events.
One of them was a movie, which I really enjoyed. It was "When We Were Kings," and documented the "Rumble in the Jungle" heavyweight title fight between then undefeated, undisputed heavyweight champion George Foreman (a real knockout specialist) and the former champion, and now heavy underdog, Muhammad Ali.
Everyone expected Ali not to be able to stand up to the punishment that Foreman would surely dish out. Ali had lost his title not in the ring, but because he refused to go to Vietnam, and took an active stand. He was willing to go to jail for his beliefs, and he was kept out of boxing for three years. Eventually, he was able to get back into the sport.
In typical fashion, Ali claimed that he was still the "real champion," and that everybody knew it. However, when he finally did get the prize fight against then undefeated, undisputed heavyweight champion Joe Frazier, Ali was soundly defeated. At one point, in fact, Frazier caught Ali with a punch so hard, that he sent him to the canvass headfirst. Ali got up and fought to the end, but he lost convincingly enough that nobody questioned it.
Ali continued to fight, but it appeared that his esteem in the public eye had been lowered. He lost for a second time to Ken Norton, who actually broke his jaw. However, Ali did win the rematch. Eventually, Ali also beat Frazier in a rematch, although it certainly was not an easy win.
By that point in time, however, Frazier himself had lost his title. After holding onto the title for nearly five years, and still retaining an undefeated record, he had been knocked out quickly by newcomer "Big" George Foreman in the second round.
Foreman himself became the undefeated, undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. He sported a perfect 40-0 record, with an astonishing 37 knockouts. To put that into perspective, "Iron" Mike Tyson was considered by many to be a knockout artist, and the most intimidating fighter ever, just before he lost the belt to James "Buster" Douglas. Yet, he had entered that fight with a 37-0 record, with 33 knockouts. Foreman was even better than that.
This movie documents just how intimidating Foreman was. He was the most intimidating fighter of his time, by far. Nobody wanted to go up against him. He had dispatched with Frazier easily, dwarfing "Smokin' Joe" and handling him in a manner previously thought to be impossible. Not much later on, he dispatched with Ken Norton in basically just as quick and efficient a manner, also with a seemingly easy knockout in the second round.
What that meant was that Foreman had easily and quickly dispatched with the two fighters who had managed to defeat Ali. And Foreman not only had beaten them, he had done so quickly, and in almost embarrassing fashion. So when Ali was given a chance to fight Foreman for the heavyweight title, few actually gave Ali a chance. By the time of the fight, which was to be held in Zaire in October of 1974, and came to be known as the "Rumble in the Jungle," Ali had not been heavyweight champ in the better part of a decade. Most people assumed that his time had come and gone. Foreman was heavily favored to beat Ali, and in fact, many people feared for Ali's safety and well-being, going up against such a seeming monster.
The fight itself became a huge chance for Zaire, and the promoters. So it became a huge public event. James Brown and BB King were among the entertainers, and was even referred to by some as the "black Woodstock." In short, it was huge.
Most people, however, did not expect the fight to actually live up to the billing. How could Ali, who was 33 years old, compared to the Foreman, who was 26. Foreman was bigger and far stronger. So powerful was he, that when he hit the heavy bag, he actually left dents on the bag. Ali's team wisely steered clear, wanting to make sure that Ali did not actually see those dented bags. It seemed as if nobody could stand up to this big brute of a man. Foreman seemed an enigma. He rarely spoke, but as writer Norman Mailer (who is featured in this movie) said, when he did, it was "arresting."
Yet Ali had always been a trash talker, and this was no different. He completely made a mockery of Foreman, at one point imitating him in the ring, making him look big and dumb and slow, almost like a Frankenstein. Foreman remained largely quiet, and remained quite sure that he would say everything that he needed to say in the ring.
Once all of the talking and the hoopla was finally over, and the two fighters finally got in the ring, the fight itself would somehow not only live up to the billing, but surpass it. Foreman looked fierce and invincible, as expected, through the first few rounds. But so determined was he to score the quick and easy knockout, that he exhausted himself expending energy recklessly trying to pursue it. In what came to be known as the "rope-a-dope" style, Ali leaned back on the ropes and basically invited Foreman to pound away, to take his best shot. And Ali sustained some serious punishment. Foreman has since said that he had never seen anyone get knocked out and so quickly wake up almost immediately, as he claimed Ali had in that fight.
Foreman tired himself out working hard and punching with all of his might, trying to get that knockout punch. Ali had weathered the storm, and he looked for his opportunities. In the eighth round, he got a great one, and hit Foreman with a great combination that floored the champion for the first time in his career. Foreman didn't beat the count, and Ali, against all odds, was crowned the heavyweight champion of the world again. It was one of the greatest upsets in the sport's history.
This movie documents all of that, as well as the state of black culture, both in the United States and in the world. It delves into how this fight, which was held in Africa, gave a bit of the limelight to the continent, which rarely received things like that. It also explores a little bit into the brutal dictatorship of Mobutu, who used his powers to make absolutely sure that this fight was a success. Indeed it was, and was regarded by some as the most viewed television event in history. It undeniably was one of the most viewed in history, in any case.
While I did not get a chance to view this movie again recently, I have seen it enough since this first viewing (and this review) to remember it well. That period of boxing - Ali's time, the time of great heavyweight champions and fascinating stories like this one - has always fascinated me. And this movie really goes into why this era is so captivating. I enjoyed it with my first view in New York City in 1997, and even now, in 2024, and still believe that this is a great movie. It is entertaining and even educational, as well as inspirational, and will appeal to a wide crosssection of audiences.
Highly recommended!
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