How come Zaire won the bid to host The Rumble In The Jungle?

[magwitch]

I do intend to check this out more thoroughly myself but I’ll throw it open anyway....
I read in the wake of Ali’s passing that there was some despot or something in charge of Zaire, and that as it was a new country (in name at least, formerly Belgian Congo) that it was one way of getting yourself “on the map” , so to speak.
Half the world will have heard of Zaire after that.
But for what reason did it end up there?

Could you imagine Mike Tyson or Mayweather announcing their next fight would be in Moldova....or Senegal? Seems a strange one to me.....then of course there was Manila after that, where they produce the envelopes.

[Noxy]

I think it was Don King who organised it. He made a lot of money because Mobutu Sese Seko wanted his country on the front pages. And Seko got what he was after as well

[littlepug]

a far as i can remember foreman had all his title fights abroad (his first career)

[JC]

Zaire was able to put in the highest bid ($10M) because Mabutu was a brutal dictator and so could do as he pleased with his country's money. He saw it as a publicity stunt for himself and Zaire, God knows what proportion of their GDP it accounted for.

[Bodyshot3]

Mobutu put down a great deal of money that did not belong to him (he was a shameless thief) to make it happen..

.....but it should be noted that people connected to both camps also wanted to make a statement about the ability of black people to finance, organise and run a global event of their own in Africa.

A great deal of black-american writers, activists and campaigners saw post-colonial Africa as an ideal they wished to support and were antagonistic towards the need to deal with white America.

Mobutu's Zaire seemed to fit the bill having ejected a particularly vile Belgian colonial regime and seemingly become a successful, independent and outspoken African democracy.

The more politically engaged Ali supported and embraced the Zaire fight...Foreman far less so.

Whether Ali ever later realised that Mobutu was arguably more cruel, corrupt and vicious than white america has never been documented.

[Caractacus]

I think as far back as 1964 and in 1967 Muhamma Ali was planning to have a fight in Accra Ghana ,in 1967 it was to be against Thad Spencer
(I think it was).

[magwitch]

I think as far back as 1964 and in 1967 Muhamma Ali was planning to have a fight in Accra Ghana ,in 1967 it was to be against Thad Spencer
(I think it was).

Was it against a teak tough opponent? (Sorry....Brits will get it )

[magwitch]

Mobutu put down a great deal of money that did not belong to him (he was a shameless thief) to make it happen..

.....but it should be noted that people connected to both camps also wanted to make a statement about the ability of black people to finance, organise and run a global event of their own in Africa.

A great deal of black-american writers, activists and campaigners saw post-colonial Africa as an ideal they wished to support and were antagonistic towards the need to deal with white America.

Mobutu's Zaire seemed to fit the bill having ejected a particularly vile Belgian colonial regime and seemingly become a successful, independent and outspoken African democracy.

The more politically engaged Ali supported and embraced the Zaire fight...Foreman far less so.

Whether Ali ever later realised that Mobutu was arguably more cruel, corrupt and vicious than white america has never been documented.

Terrific mate, very informative. What was it that made the Belgians so vile, can you give us a flavour?

Also, as regards the last paragraph - very poignant. Ali was an opinionated, engaged, and conscionable man....I think this is just the sort of interesting thing he could have shed some light on, were it not for his illness A pity for us.

[gilgamesh]

a far as i can remember foreman had all his title fights abroad (his first career)

Yeah the Ken Norton fight was in Venezuela, and the Joe "King" Roman fight was in Tokyo, Japan...and of course he won the title from Frazier in Kingston, Jamaica.

[Cutman Scabbers]

Wasn't Wilt Chamberlain involved?