Muhammad Ali knocks out George Foreman in Kinshasa in the 'Rumble in the Jungle'

On this day in 1974, Muhammad Ali knocked out George Foreman in the eighth round in Kinshasa, Zaire, to win back the world heavyweight title, according to Britannica.

Britannica says Ali regained his boxing license in 1970 and challenged Foreman, the champion, in 1974. It says promoter Don King conceived the fight and found Zaire's leader, Mobutu Sese Seko, to sponsor it. HISTORY reports that King promised $5 million to each fighter but did not yet have the money.

Britannica describes a tactic later dubbed "rope-a-dope" and a knockout in the eighth round. HISTORY describes Ali winning with a counter-attack at the end of that round. The Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) says Ali knocked Foreman down just before the round ended.

The NMAAHC says it was the first heavyweight championship fight on African soil. The museum also says 60,000 people attended and that it was watched on television worldwide. Britannica says the fight began at 4:00 am local time so US viewers could watch in prime time.

HISTORY says Ali was the second heavyweight, after Floyd Patterson, to regain the championship. Britannica also says he was the second man to do so.

NPR reports that the fight is regarded as one of the greatest sporting events of the 20th century. It says the fight is still revered in Congo and has spurred an enduring love of boxing there.

What we don't know yet

• Who named the fight. HISTORY says Mobutu was not happy with King's original tagline, "From the Slave Ship to the Championship", and says the promoter rebranded the fight as the "Rumble in the Jungle". Britannica says Ali coined the name. These are accounts from different publications, and we have not confirmed which is correct.
• The date on the museum's poster entry. The NMAAHC catalog caption for a 1974 fight poster reads "October 21974" and does not give a clear day. The poster text itself lists "Tuesday, October 29". We did not use the museum entry to confirm the date. Britannica, HISTORY and NPR all give October 30, 1974.
• Betting odds. Britannica reports odds of 4:1 against Ali. HISTORY reports Foreman as a 3-1 favorite. These come from different publications, and we have not checked either figure against a contemporary record.
• Start time. Britannica says 4:00 am local time. HISTORY says Ali climbed through the ropes at 4:30 am. We did not confirm an exact time.
• How big the fight was. The description of the fight as one of the greatest sporting events of the century is NPR's characterization, not an established fact.