KINSHASA, Congo: Alfred Mamba remembers the frenzy that gripped the main soccer stadium in Zaire, now known as Congo, as the fierce heavyweight title bout unfolded through eight rounds between the underdog Muhammad Ali and the seemingly invincible George Foreman.
“It was a big party,” Mamba said as he recalled his father, one of the co-founders of the boxing federation in Congo, taking him to the fight as a 15-year-old.
As Mamba flipped through a pile of photos he said were taken at the fight, he remembered the stadium erupting as Ali and Foreman stepped out for the much-anticipated “Rumble in the Jungle” as the contest was famously known.
“When Foreman was throwing punches, the audience was screaming,” Mamba, now a boxing referee, remembered. “But Ali had surprised everyone with his hook technique. And how he was boxing on the ropes. And voila, this is how he won the fight.”
The crowd’s hysteria trailed the series of punches until Ali’s last blow. It also created a new generation of fighters and fans that became inspired to keep this country on the global boxing stage.
Ahead of the 50th anniversary of the Ali vs. Foreman fight, boxers and fans from across Africa have been in Kinshasa, the Congolese capital, for the just-concluded 21st African Amateur Boxing Championships that saw the Stade des Martyrs stadium and major roads lit up.
Landry Matete Kankonde, who represented Congo in the men’s heavyweight division, lost to Senegal’s Karamba Kebe but said he is still dreaming about becoming the next Ali, crediting the 1974 bout with putting Congo on the map.
“The next superstar will be me,” the 24-year-old Kankonde said, a wide grin flashing across his face.
But in this impoverished country of 110 million mostly young people, people like Kankonde are fighting against the odds to get to the highest levels.
While Congo is one of the most decorated African nations in boxing, it still lacks adequate sporting infrastructure such as a gym for its national team, leaving many to train in open spaces, Mamba said.
In its eastern region, where a deadly security crisis has resulted in one of the world’s biggest humanitarian disasters, many can only dream of getting out of conflict zones and displacement camps to make it to official contests in the faraway capital.
Even in Kinshasa, amateurs often train by the roadside and on the streets with no gear, ducking and weaving as their hands roll punches.
“Congo is a country where people are motivated by the suffering that we know here,” Kankonde said. “Every time a Congolese boxer gives his all, seeing all that we endure here, it pushes us.”
The 1974 fight was one of boxing’s most memorable moments.
Mobutu Sese Seko, the Congolese dictator who was seeking to put the central African nation in the spotlight, had partnered with promoters to bring the contest to the country, putting up a $5 million purse for the fight.
Just before dawn on Oct. 30, 1974, with machine gun-carrying soldiers watching the crowd from ringside and a huge portrait of Mobuto towering over the Stade des Martyrs stadium, spectators from across the world watched the bout between the 32-year-old Ali — seeking a comeback after being stripped of the world title for refusing to be drafted for the Vietnam war — and the then-undefeated 25-year-old Foreman.
Many believed Ali didn’t stand a chance against Foreman, having been out of the ring for years after the sanction.
“People were praying before the fight that Ali doesn’t get killed,” Bill Caplan, who was Foreman’s public relations man in Zaire, has said.
“I think it was one of the top-10 upsets in boxing,” Ed Schuyler Jr., the longtime boxing writer for The Associated Press who was in Congo to cover the fight, has said of Ali’s victory.
The fight ended with Ali putting Foreman on the canvas in the eighth round, but that was only the beginning of a passion for the sport among many Congolese. After that, everyone wanted to learn boxing, said Mamba. He himself was inspired by both the contest and his father, also a referee.
And for fifty years, Congo has continued to rumble, producing boxing greats like Sumbu Kalambay, the Congolese-Italian champion who held the World Boxing Association (WBA) world middleweight title in the 1980s and Junior Ilunga Makabu, who held the WBC cruiserweight title in the early 2020s.
And people are still falling in love with the sport in the country, including Josue Loloje, who was among the spectators at the Kinshasa stadium for the African championship.
“The Ali vs. Foreman fight is the foundation (for) these talents emerging in Congolese boxing,” Loloje said in between the contests. “It all started there.”
50 years after Ali fought Foreman in Congo, the ‘jungle’ hasn’t stopped rumbling
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50 years after Ali fought Foreman in Congo, the ‘jungle’ hasn’t stopped rumbling

- Mobutu Sese Seko had partnered with promoters to bring the contest to the country, putting up a $5 million purse for the fight
- Alfred Mamba: ‘Ali had surprised everyone with his hook technique. And how he was boxing on the ropes. And voila, this is how he won the fight’
Newcastle holding open-top bus parade to celebrate English League Cup title

- Newcastle will get one Saturday when the team holds an open-top bus parade to celebrate its English League Cup title
- The parade route runs from St. James’ Park, through the city center and ends at the Town Moor
NEWCASTLE: Ending a 70-year wait for a domestic trophy deserves an official party.
Newcastle will get one Saturday when the team holds an open-top bus parade to celebrate its English League Cup title.
More than 150,000 fans are expected to join the celebration. The parade route runs from St. James’ Park, through the city center and ends at the Town Moor, an open space where a stage has been erected for an hour-long event that will include comments from players and a trophy lift.
The Saudi-backed team beat Liverpool 2-1 nearly two weeks ago at Wembley Stadium for its first major domestic trophy since the FA Cup in 1955. The club also won the now-defunct Inter-Cities Fairs Cup — a European competition — in 1969.
The bus was scheduled to set off from the stadium at 4:30 p.m. local time.
Newcastle manager Eddie Howe has been nominated for a municipal honor called the ” Freedom of the City. ” Club figures who have received the recognition include Alan Shearer, Bobby Robson and Shaka Hislop.
Global Champions Arabians Tour returns to Riyadh for fourth stage of the 2025 Europe and Middle East Series

- World’s premier Arabian horse series moves to new home at Jump Saudi Arena
RIYADH: Following three stages in Ajman, Doha and Muscat, the Global Champions Arabians Tour makes its return to Riyadh for the fourth stage of the Europe and Middle series — the final stop in the Middle East and the pivotal halfway point of this eight-stage 2025 tour.
With a new home at the purpose-built Jump Saudi Arena, spectators can expect to see close to 250 of the region’s finest Arabian horses competing for a place in the overall rankings and a share of the record-breaking prize money.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Nasser Al-Thani, deputy CEO of the tour, said: “We’re thrilled to be returning to Riyadh following a very successful final stage of the 2024 tour. The Saudis are very passionate about the Arabian horse, bringing high levels of excitement and an electric atmosphere to the tour. We expect high numbers of Saudi-bred horses and welcome the chance to see new competitors in the GCAT arena.”
As with each stage of the tour, the Riyadh event is set to feature local and international retailers and a cultural village with a host of family entertainment. While the contents of the closing ceremony remain under wraps, if the first three stages are anything to go by, Riyadh will be impressive.
The event runs from the April 9-12 and will be open to the public with free admission via the booking link, while hospitality packages are also available.
Offensive Iraq-Palestine World Cup qualifier video ‘fabricated,’ says Jordan Football Association

- Fake video shared widely on social media claimed to show Jordanian fans chanting offensive slogans at the Iraqi players and supporters
- Association says it verified the video was fabricated and is dismayed that some people seem set on inciting conflict, extremism and hatred among sports fans
AMMAN: The Jordanian Football Association expressed regret on Friday over a video widely shared on social media this week that appeared to show Jordanian fans chanting offensive slogans during a World Cup qualifier between Iraq and Palestine.
The footage was fabricated, it said.
The video, which claimed to show Jordanian fans directing insulting chants at the Iraqi players and supporters, began to spread online after Palestine defeated Iraq 2-1 in the match at the Amman International Stadium on Tuesday. It provoked heated exchanges online among the two sets of fans.
The JFA said it regretted the fabricated video and affirmed the depth of the historical, deep-rooted ties between the Jordanian and Iraqi peoples, which it said could not be damaged by people who act in ways that do not reflect true sporting values, the Jordan News Agency reported on Friday.
The association said it had verified the video was fake, and was dismayed that some individuals seem set on inciting conflict, extremism and hatred among sports fans. It urged supporters in Jordan to avoid being drawn into online exchanges of disrespectful remarks that “do not reflect the values of Jordanians.”
It praised the efforts of Jordanian and Iraqi sports journalists who had attempted to alert their followers on social media to the fact that the video was fake and urge them not to fall victim to such “provocative and inciteful” videos.
The association also reminded fans of the tremendous efforts made by Prince Ali bin Hussein, the president of the JFA, to help lift a long-running FIFA ban on international games in Iraq, and that Jordan had played Iraq in 2017 in the first international game played at Basra International Stadium, which was also the first international game to take place in the country in four years.
The JFA added: “While we support our national team in its quest for direct qualification to the World Cup with all our capabilities, we emphasize the importance of adhering to the spirit of sportsmanship and the depth of shared Arab relations.
“We wish all other Arab teams success in their journey in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.”
Brazil fires coach Dorival Júnior after worst defeat in World Cup qualifying

- Júnior’s replacement has yet to be picked
- Brazil are fifth in South American qualifying for the 2026 World Cup
SAO PAULO: Brazil coach Dorival Júnior was fired on Friday after 14 months amid poor results and disappointing performances from the national team.
Júnior’s sacking by Brazilian Football Confederation president Ednaldo Rodrigues came three days after a 4-1 defeat to bitter rival Argentina in Buenos Aires, Brazil’s heaviest defeat in a World Cup qualifier.
Júnior’s replacement has yet to be picked.
Brazil are fifth in South American qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. The top six qualify automatically.
Under the 62-year-old Júnior, Brazil won seven matches, drew another seven, and lost two. The team scored 25 goals and conceded 17.
In the Copa America last year, Brazil were eliminated in the quarterfinals by Uruguay on penalties.
Rodrigues was just re-elected on Monday to head the confederation to 2030. In 2023, he bet on Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti to take over one year later. While waiting for Ancelotti, Brazil retained Fernando Diniz as their coach.
Diniz was fired in January 2024 after six matches on the job after Ancelotti extended his contract in Spain.
PSG ‘feel like champions’ as Ligue 1 title nears, says Luis Enrique

- “We’re never champions until it’s mathematically certain, but we can feel like champions,” Luis Enrique told reporters
- “We’re going to use these last eight matches for other goals, to be competitive against all opponents”
POISSY, France: Coach Luis Enrique said Paris Saint-Germain “can feel like champions” knowing they could seal the Ligue 1 title this weekend but warned his players not to let their level drop.
The unbeaten league leaders go to second-bottom Saint-Etienne, where a win would secure an 11th French title in 13 seasons if Marseille lose away to Reims and Monaco draw with Nice on Saturday.
“We’re never champions until it’s mathematically certain, but we can feel like champions, we’re the best team in Ligue 1,” Luis Enrique told reporters on Friday.
“We’re going to use these last eight matches for other goals, to be competitive against all opponents... to be ready for the three months that remain.
“There’s the French Cup and the Champions League, where we want to be right to the end.”
PSG face second-tier Dunkerque in the semifinals of the French Cup in Lille next week before taking on Aston Villa in the last eight of the Champions League.
Luis Enrique doesn’t believe the possibility of wrapping up a record-extending 13th Ligue 1 title on Saturday should have any effect on his team’s mindset.
“It seems totally unimportant to me, there are eight games left in the league, we want to be competitive because that will prepare us in the best way for the other competitions,” said the Spaniard.
“I feel almost the same as I did this time last year, we were almost champions, in the semifinals of the cup and quarter-finals of the Champions League, with young players who have a year’s more experience.”
PSG will be without Lee Kang-in against Saint-Etienne after the South Korean picked up an ankle injury on international duty. Achraf Hakimi is also being rested after playing for Morocco in World Cup qualifying.