It was advertised as “The Rumble in the Jungle.” The 25-year old powerhouse vs. the aging 32-year old. The late Muhammed Ali and George Foreman were preparing to duke it out on the ring in Kinshasa, Zaire, now known as the Democratic Republic of Congo to an audience of 60,000 on October 30, 1974 for the heavyweight championship title.

President Mobutu Sese Seko, who wanted Zaire to be in the spotlight, had secured a $10 million purse to host the event and split the cash evenly amongst the two. Everything was at stake for these egos. It was Ali’s chance to show the world his fighting spirit never wavered and Foreman’s chance to further cement his invincibility and remain undefeated by taking down the greatest. To celebrate Norman Mailer’s birthday today, we look back at the legendary matchup through his 1975 book The Fight, which features images by Sports Illustrated’s Neil Leifer and Ali’s official photographer Howard Bingham…

The Fight book cover, George-Foreman-Muhammad Ali

It was advertised as “The Rumble in the Jungle.” The 25-year old powerhouse vs. the aging 32-year old. The late Muhammed Ali and George Foreman were preparing to duke it out on the ring in Kinshasa, Zaire, now known as the Democratic Republic of Congo to an audience of 60,000 on October 30, 1974 for…

via The Story Behind the ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ Fight — TIME