‘Rumble in the Jungle’ memorabilia up for auction

MARKING the 50th anniversary of The Rumble in the Jungle, an original programme from the legendary heavyweight bout between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman, is being sold in London this month.

The rare 16-page French-language paperback is estimated to sell for £2,000 – £3,000 at Chiswick Auctions’ timed sale of Autographs and Memorabilia from August 20 to September 15. 

On October 30, 1974, heavyweight champion George Foreman and former heavyweight champ Muhammad Ali went head-to-head in Kinshasa-Gombe, located in the Republic of Zaire (currently known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo). Ali won by knockout in the eighth round of the bout, which was the most-watched live television broadcast at the time.

As seen on the ticket, the fight was originally set to take place on September 25, 1974. However, due to a cut Foreman sustained while sparring with his partner, it was pushed back to October 30, 1974.

The programme, showing minor handling, is for sale from the collection of Hartmut Scherzer, 86, a German sports reporter who attended the event. Scherzer holds the second-highest number of World Cup appearances by a journalist, having been to every FIFA World Cup since 1962.