'Rumble in the Jungle' inspired generations of boxers in DR Congo: NPR

KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of Congo – Sitting on a wall outside the Tata Raphaël Stadium in Kinshasa, Judex Tshipanda, 71, remembers the day considered one of the most memorable in the history of this Central African country.

On October 30, 1974, Muhammad Ali fought heavyweight boxing champion George Foreman in an eight-round bout – and emerged victorious after knocking his opponent to the ground with a brutal uppercut.

The fight, known as the “Rumble in the Jungle” and watched by millions of viewers around the world, is considered one of the greatest sporting events of the 20th century.

But in the Democratic Republic of Congo, then known as Zaire, the fight took on mythical proportions and inspired a generation of young people to take up boxing.

Tshipanda was a serious boxer at the age of 21 when Muhammad Ali landed in his hometown of Kinshasa before the fight. The US athlete came to his boxing club to train and Tshipanda and other “fanatics” jogged alongside Ali's jeep when he returned home.

“It inspired the whole of Congo,” said Tshipanda, who went on to found a boxing club called “La Tête Haute de Muhammad Ali,” meaning “Muhammad Ali’s head held high,” at the Tata Raphaël Stadium.

Young people train at the “Muhammad Ali’s Head Raised” boxing club in Kinshasa on June 4, 2016. The club is located at the Tata Raphaël Stadium in Kinshasa, Congo, the site of boxing's historic “Rumble in the Jungle.”

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The Tata Raphaël Stadium, whose exterior walls are covered in colorful murals inspired by African art, has since fallen into disrepair, a victim of poverty and mismanagement in Congo, also known as the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Former dictator Mobutu Sese Seko played a key role in bringing the Ali-Foreman fight to Kinshasa, seeing the event as a way to promote his country just 14 years after it gained independence from former colonial power Belgium .

After decades of brutal and corrupt rule, rebels finally ousted Mobutu from power in 1997, triggering a series of wars that lasted in Congo until 2003 and which historians estimate killed between 1 and 3 million people.

The country never fully recovered. Militia conflict continues in the mineral-rich east, and Congo remains one of the poorest and most corrupt countries in the world.

A portrait of President of Zaire Mobutu Sese Seko is seen at the stadium in Kinshasa during the fight between US boxing heavyweights Muhammad Ali and George Foreman on October 30, 1974.

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For many people in the Central African country, Ali's figure and the fight 50 years ago remain symbols of a better time. Congo's Minister of Sports specified Social media said on Wednesday, the day of the anniversary, that the event generated “constant excitement and unwavering pride.”

It also recalled a time when Congo's soft power “inspired respect around the world.” A planned government-organized commemoration of the Rumble's 50th anniversary barely materialized in time. That night, about 100 people came to watch young Congolese boxers compete in a ring built inside the Tata Raphaël stadium complex, but on a concrete surface outside the official stands.

Still, many of the country's boxing greats came to pay their respects, including members of the national boxing team and the heads of the boxing association.

24-year-old Landry Matete, who goes by the pseudonym Balo, calmly watched the games from the front row. The national boxing champion and silver medalist at this year's African Amateur Boxing Championships said the Rumble in the Jungle – although it took place long before he was born – inspired him to take up the sport.

“It's like the foundation of a house, it means a lot to us,” Balo said, adding that the event left an indelible mark on the country's history.

“Congo is a boxing country,” he said, but explained that the lack of opportunities meant that a lot of sporting talent was wasted. “Those who have opportunities always shine,” he said.

To this day, the Congo produces outstanding boxers. Congolese-born Martin Bakole is considered the World Boxing Association's No. 1 heavyweight contender.

Judex Tshipanda, who also attended the commemoration, cited the “Rumble of the Jungle” as the reason Congo has consistently produced boxing talent since 1974.

A portrait of President of Zaire Mobutu Sese Seko is seen on the facade of the stadium in Kinshasa on October 30, 1974 during the boxing match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman.

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He can still report in detail about each round, including the punches thrown and the boxers' movements. But the atmosphere of the night itself remains in his memory.

“In the seventh round everyone started screaming “Ali Boma, you!'” Tshipanda said. “In the eighth round the whole crowd was screaming.”

The phrase meaning “Ali kills him” in Lingala, the dominant language in western Congo, was also immortalized.