Alfred Mamba was only 12 years old when American boxing stars Muhammad Ali and George Foreman arrived in the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Kinshasa, in October 1974 to compete for the title of world heavyweight champion. Fifty years later, the memory of the legendary “Rumble in the jungle” (“Battle in the jungle”), a match etched in Congolese memory, remained intact for this former boxer turned referee.
In the early hours of October 30, 1974, Alfred began to admire his father, a boxing referee, who had the honor of carrying the champions’ flag at the 20-Mai stadium in Kinshasa. Some 100,000 spectators were present at the gigantic concrete structure, now called the Tata-Raphaël stadium, in the center of the capital.
“The atmosphere was incredible, we had never seen an atmosphere like this”explains Alfred to AFP, on the sidelines of the African amateur boxing championship, organized in Kinshasa from October 18 to 27. “People were screaming at every possible moment, it was really cool”he remembers, sitting in a plastic chair at ringside, flipping through black-and-white photographs of the historic fight.
“Ali was Congolese”
George Foreman was considered the favorite. But ultimately it was Muhammad Ali who won by knockout in the eighth round. “When Muhammad Ali gave the [dernier] Suddenly, everyone screamed”remembers Alfredo. The winner had already had the support of the Congolese public in the days leading up to the match.
His opponent, George Foreman, arrived in Kinshasa accompanied by two German shepherds, a breed of dog prized by Belgian settlers, who dominated the country until its independence in 1960. Muhammad Ali took the opportunity to discredit his opponent by accusing him of being linked to the former colonial power and presenting himself as an African hero. Martin Diabintu, a former boxer and boxing referee in Kinshasa, tells AFP that the Congolese considered Ali as “a brother”: “Ali was Congolese”summarize.
HE “Rumble in the jungle” organized in Zaire – as the Democratic Republic of the Congo was called from 1971 to 1997 – was one of the most watched events of the time, followed live on television by boxing fans around the world. This fervor had spread to the streets of Kinshasa. “Everyone wanted to see this fight”says Alfred Mamba.
A reason for pride
Boniface Tshingala, another boxer and referee, still remembers the queue that stretched for several kilometers outside the stadium. “It was full, everyone wanted to come in” AND “We couldn’t walk two meters without meeting someone.”remember.
Since 1974, Kinshasa’s population has increased almost tenfold and the green areas surrounding the stadium have disappeared under concrete. But the memory of the legendary fight remained alive. “Even today we call it “the fight of the century””says Martín Diabintu. He is now 64 years old and was a teenager when the two American athletes landed in Kinshasa.
He says he walked 10 kilometers from his house to the stadium, so as not to miss this fight that marked his life. “It was this event that pushed me to do boxing”says who was a coach and then a referee. For the three former boxers interviewed by AFP, the “Rumble in the jungle” and its legend are also a source of pride. “People did not believe that the DRC could organize this fight [mais] We achieved it 100%”underlines Alfred Mamba.
