BBC Sport speaks to those who witnessed the epic heavyweight title fight between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman in Zaire.
This article was originally published in 2014 to mark the 40th anniversary of the 'Rumble in the Jungle'.
Gene Kilroy had taken him to a doctor in Philadelphia, who'd told him to forget injections for arthritis and to bathe both hands in hot paraffin three times a day instead. And as he was banging this bag, he looked over his shoulder and said: 'I'm gonna knock the sucker out!'At 13-years-old, George was about 6ft 2in, 200lb and the terrorist in the neighbourhood. And when you're bigger and stronger and think you're better than everyone else, you take things.
Sometimes he'd say: 'Let's go walking.' I'd say: 'Walking where?!' He'd say: 'Let's just go walking and talk to the people.' I'd say: 'What are we going to talk to them about?!' He was never too big for the people. Whoever you were, to Muhammad you were a human being and he'd treat you correctly.It's history being rewritten again.
Foreman came out after the first bell with his fists clenched and Ali hit him so hard in the jaw, it turned the lights out for four minutes. Foreman thought: 'What is this?' He couldn't intimidate Ali and Ali became the bully.He threw the first shot, but after that he was clever enough to hold. I kept hitting him, and hitting him hard, and he kept holding and holding. I hit him with some amazing punches that would have sent most guys to sleep.
And Ali was capitalising on it, as only he could, with brilliant counter-punching. It was around this time I thought: 'There's going to be a major upset here, my man's going to do it.' Foreman had shot his bolt by then, he had no strength left.I knew we had it after round six. Anybody can beat a heavy bag but when you're getting hit back, being frustrated and abused, it takes your heart away.
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