Full Description
The 1974 fight between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman, staged in the young nation of Zaire and dubbed the Rumble in the Jungle, was arguably the biggest sporting event of the twentieth century. The bout between an ascendant undefeated champ and an outspoken master trying to reclaim the throne was a true multimedia spectacle. A three-day festival of international music—featuring James Brown, Miriam Makeba, and many others—preceded the fight itself, which was viewed by a record-breaking one billion people worldwide. Lewis A. Erenberg's new book provides a global perspective on this singular match, not only detailing the titular fight but also locating it at the center of the cultural dramas of the day.
TheRumble in the Jungle orbits around Ali and Foreman, placing them at the convergence of the American Civil Rights movement and the Great Society, the rise of Islamic and African liberation efforts, and the ongoing quest to cast off the shackles of colonialism. With his far-reaching take on sports, music, marketing, and mass communications, Erenberg shows how one boxing match became nothing less than a turning point in 1970s culture.
Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter 1 A Real Freak in Boxing: Muhammad Ali and the Spirit of the 1960s
Chapter 2 1968: Fists and Flags
Chapter 3 The Roads to Kinshasa
Chapter 4 Say It Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud: Zaire 74
Chapter 5 A Stitch in Time
Chapter 6 Rope-a-Dope
Chapter 7 Violent Coronation in Zaire
Chapter 8 On Top and Nowhere
Chapter 9 When We Were Kings
NotesIndex
