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Congo gears up for 50th anniversary of boxing’s ‘Rumble in the Jungle’

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Muhammad Ali watches as the defending world champion George Foreman goes down in the eighth round of their fight in Kinshasa, Zaire, on 30 October, 1974. Photograph: AP

A half century since the “Rumble in the Jungle” was beamed around the world from the Congolese capital, the city is preparing for anniversary celebrations to mark the heavyweight showdown that inspired a generation of boxers.

Underdog Muhammad Ali triumphed over the then-undefeated champion George Foreman on Oct. 30, 1974 in a match that became legend.

Ahead of the festivities being organised by the Democratic Republic of Congo’s presidency and the U.S. Embassy, about 20 boxers from across Africa recalled the fight as they sparred at a sports ground in Kinshasa during an amateur championship this month.

“The fight of the century … is a great memory for us. It’s a cause for great celebration for the Congolese because it happened here,” said Tshilombo Mukadi, coach of Congo’s national boxing team.

“It means a lot to the young people, we encourage them with this so as not to erase history.”

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His boxers were among those ducking and weaving in the dusky light at the open air ground, gearing up for the 21st African Amateur Boxing Championship.

“Muhammad Ali was more technical and made an impressive spectacle. We can learn a lot from following his movements,” said Zadia Modestine, a boxer from Kinshasa whom Mukadi had earlier put through her paces.

The televised fight attracted some of the world’s most prominent figures to a country known by most westerners at the time only for its periodic bouts of instability.

In victory, Ali regained the world title seven years after it was stripped from him for refusing to be drafted to fight in Vietnam, cementing his iconic status which has endured to this day

-Reuters

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Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

Boxing

Lennox Lewis to come out of retirement for rematch with Mike Tyson

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The ex-undisputed heavyweight champion, Lennox Lewis, says he will happily rematch Mike Tyson on the one condition that the 58-year-old beats Jake Paul when they face off on November 15.

Tyson will return to the professional scene for the first time since 2005 when he takes to the ring at the AT&T Stadium to face The Problem Child, in a contest that will be exclusively aired by Netflix.

And with a lot of hype around the fight, from fans either eager to see Tyson fight for what might be the last time or haters wanting to see Paul dropped like a bad habit, all eyes turn to Arlington in just over a month’s time.

That includes those of Lennox Lewis, who says he could take on the Baddest Man on the Planet in a rematch of their 2002 clash if he beats the 27-year-old YouTuber to prove he’s still got it.

“Let’s see how he makes out in this fight first,” Lewis said of a prospective rematch. “I have spoken to Mike, just about fighting. Let’s hope his health is ok.

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“You can’t see things on the outside that may be affecting you on the inside. I wouldn’t want to say he is okay then all of a sudden something happens.”

Lewis and Tyson fought in June 2002 in Tennessee for the WBC, IBF, IBO and The Ring titles and it was the British-Canadian who emerged victorious after knocking his opponent out in the eighth after dominating the bout.

Does Lewis think Tyson can beat Paul?

Whilst fans are excited for the clash, there have also been worries regarding the potential punishment Tyson could face against someone far, far younger combined with his age of 58, which is almost senior age.

As a result, the bout will be two-minute rounds and will only consist of eight of them, whilst 14oz gloves will be mandated to protect the head of the ex-champion but does Lewis think he can beat Jake Paul?

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“I would hope he would go into a fight where he would win,” Lewis said to TMZ. “He’s a boxer, he knows how to protect himself, he knows how to throw body shots, he knows how to cut off the ring.

-Marca

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Fury furiously vows to go ‘destroy mode’ in rematch with Usyk

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Tyson Fury v Oleksandr Usyk - Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - May 19, 2024 Tyson Fury during press conference Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Couldridge/File Photo

Briton Tyson Fury said he will throw caution to the wind when he faces heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk and aim for a knockout victory in their rematch.

In their first bout in May, Fury hit his stride in the fourth round and engaged in some showmanship as he caught Usyk with vicious body shots, but the Ukrainian battled back and turned the tide in the eighth round.

Usyk’s powerful punches to the head left Fury reeling and the previously undefeated boxer struggled through the final rounds of the fight before losing by split decision and relinquishing his WBC heavyweight championship.

The rematch will take place on Dec. 21 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with the WBC, WBO and WBA titles on the line.

“I’m going to go in there with destroy mode. Last time I went to box him, I was being cautious. I boxed the head right off him,” Fury told TNT Sports on Saturday.

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“Let’s talk facts. Anyone can get caught, as we’ve seen in a lot of these heavyweight fights, but this time I’m not going for a points decision.”

Fury added that he is still keen on facing fellow Briton Anthony Joshua, despite the former champion’s knockout defeat at the hands of Daniel Dubois in an IBF title fight last month.

Joshua and Fury had been set to face off in a proposed ‘Battle of Britain’ bout in 2022, but the fight fell through.

“At the end of the day, it would be a travesty if we didn’t fight,” Fury said.

“No matter if he loses 20 more fights. If he doesn’t win another fight and has 10 years away from the game, it doesn’t matter, we have to fight.”

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-Reuters

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Anthony Joshua addresses retirement talk

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After Saturday’s night defeat to Daniel Dubois, Anthony Joshua’s boxing career looked heading to an end as the former two-time world champion was knocked out in the fifth round of their heavyweight bout at Wembley Stadium.

 But a determined Joshua has said that he would not quit easily. He has played down any talk of retirement following his defeat.

 His defeat ended any immediate hope of becoming a three-time world champion. A British-record crowd of over 96,000 people saw Dubois retain his IBF World Heavyweight title with a victory that shocked the boxing world

The 27-year-old put in a dominant performance, flooring Anthony Joshua in the first round with a strong overhand right that he never truly recovered from.

Despite coming forward in the fifth round with a big straight right-hand, Dubois countered with devastating knockout blow.

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“Always walk with your head high, we rolled the dice, for the third time, 13 world title fights, not every one has been successful, but they’ve all been fun and entertaining,” Joshua was quoted by Independent as saying.

 He was talking about  his future. “You’re probably asking if I still want to consider fighting? Of course I want to continue fighting.

“We took a shot at success and we came up short. What does that mean now? That we’re going to run away? We’re going to live to fight another day. And that’s what I am – I’m a warrior.

“There were a few mistakes in there but that’s the name of the game. Fine margins will cost you at the top level.

“Also before I finish, we have to give credit our opponent Daniel. When I sign up to fight opponents, I don’t really like them in my head any more. But now that it’s done, I take my hat off to him and say well done.”

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Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn, according to Manchester Evening News,  admitted this was the first time he’d seen the former two-time world champion hurt during their 11-years working together.

“It’s probably the only time in his whole career I’ve seen him really hurt, it’s not bad, having won two world championships and 13 world title fights, to the point he couldn’t get up,” Hearn added.

“It’s the first time in his career that he’s been properly hurt, you never want to carry on too long, but AJ doesn’t have many miles on the clock. When Ben comes to me and says, ‘he doesn’t look the same fighter any more’, and AJ will make that decision.

“We’ve seen the best AJ over the last year, it’s difficult to say that’s it. These are the closing chapters of his career. We have another fight with RS, Dubois is part of that plan. So too is Tyson Fury or another heavyweight. 2025 is going to be an interesting year for Joshua, against whoever, you’ll be entertained.

“Our interests are that he leaves this sport with legacy, money and his health in tact, knocked out like that you have to look at that. That was just a shot, trading with a huge right hand, it doesn’t matter who you are, you’re getting knocked out.”

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