On October 30, 1974, at 4:30 in the morning, 60,000 people packed into the Stade du 20 Mai in Kinshasa, Zaire, chanting “Ali, bomaye”: Ali, kill him. The fight started before dawn so American viewers could watch during prime time, but nobody in the sweltering stadium cared about lost sleep. They were watching 32-year-old Muhammad Ali attempt something most experts considered suicide: reclaiming the heavyweight championship from George Foreman, an undefeated destroyer seven years younger who had demolished every opponent in his path.
Foreman entered the ring as a 5-to-1 favorite. The numbers justified the odds. He was 40-0 with 37 knockouts. In January 1973, he had knocked Joe Frazier down six times in less than two rounds to win the heavyweight title. Three months later, he destroyed Ken Norton in the second round. Both Frazier and Norton had beaten Ali. Foreman had annihilated them like they were amateurs. His previous eight fights had all ended in the first or second round. Watching him work, even hardened boxing people worried he might actually kill someone in the ring.
