The Greatest, George Foreman and a boxing pageant put on by one of the world's most brutal dictators: Rumble in the Jungle remembered 40 years on

It was 40 years ago that two men met just before dawn on October 30, 1974, to earn $5 million in the Rumble in the Jungle.

In one of boxing's most memorable moments, Muhammad Ali stopped the fearsome George Foreman to recapture the heavyweight title in the impoverished African nation of Zaire.

The day before the fight in Kinshasa, Foreman and Ali made separate trips to the presidential palace to pay homage to Mobutu Sese Seko, the brutal dictator who wanted to put his country (now Congo) on the world map. 

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Sporting history: Muhammad Ali, right, stands back as referee Zack Clayton calls the count over opponent George Foreman on October 30, 1974 - Ali won the fight in Africa by a knockout in the eight round

The fight would finally unfold in the steamy darkness of equatorial Africa at 4 a.m., with machine gun-carrying soldiers watching the crowd from ringside and Joe Frazier among the interested spectators.

Courtesy:Daily mail