- Muhammad Ali defeated George Foreman in the famous "Rumble in the Jungle" boxing match in 1974 in Zaire to regain the heavyweight title at age 32. - Forty years later, Ali continues to battle Parkinson's disease, which has left him less mobile but he refuses to let it beat him, similar to how he defeated Foreman. - Ali's wife Lonnie says the 1974 fight inspired people to believe in themselves and defy the odds, as Ali was expected to lose but won through his strategic "rope-a-dope" tactics, further cementing his legendary status.

1. Abu Dhabi
O
n October 30, 1974, Muhammad
Ali met George Foreman in a
world heavyweight boxing title
fight in Kinshasa, Zaire (now the
Democratic Republic of Congo),
which has been immortalised as ‘The Rumble
in the Jungle.’
It was a landmark bout that the American
writer, Jay Kang, and countless other pundits
consider to be the greatest sporting spectacle
of the 20th century.
Ali, 32, reclaimed the world heavyweight ti-
tle he had first won in 1964 with a spectacular
knockout victory over the previously unbeat-
en 25-year-old George Foreman — a human
wrecking ball with dynamite in his fists.
Forty years on, and the indomitable warrior
Ali continues to defy the odds by battling his
greatest ever opponent, Parkinson’s disease,
which he was diagnosed with in 1984 and
which is thought to have been caused by his
arduous 21-year boxing career.
The degenerative brain disease has left the
72-year-old a shadow of his former vibrant self
— a man who was the architect of balletic bril-
liance in the boxing ring and grandiose words
and deeds out of it.
Yet, as his wife Lonnie told Gulf News in an
exclusive interview, Ali simply refuses to let
Parkinson’s beat him — in the same heroic and
stoic vein as he would not yield to the younger
and more powerful Foreman 40 years ago.
Vigorously refuting recent media reports —
particularly in the British tabloid press — that
her husband is in a grave condition, Lonnie
said via email: “Muhammad is well, in spite
of reports in the UK tabloid media. It’s unfor-
tunate that such stories are published without
any regard for the truth. I’d like to put people’s
minds at ease because when these unfounded
reports appear in the press, I receive calls from
people all over the world who love and care
about Muhammad.
“People must understand that Muhammad
has had Parkinson’s disease for over 30 years.
He is in very fine health for someone who has
had the disease for that length of time. I say
this with complete confidence. His recent an-
nual physical indicated he’s in great health.”
“I would suggest media organisations who
are so disturbed by the effects of Parkinson’s
disease on Muhammad, make substantial
monetary donations in support of Parkinson’s
research,” she added. “I’m sure everyone with
Parkinson’s disease, including Muhammad,
would be appreciative.”
Immortal legacy
Her husband may still be mor-
tal, but Ali’s legacy will never die
— the three world heavyweight
title wins, his anti-war stance
and his myriad of unforgetta-
ble and inspirational soundbites
(“I’m so fast that last night I
turned off the light switch in my
hotel room and got into bed be-
fore the room was dark”, for in-
stance).
But why was ‘The Rumble in
the Jungle’, in which he knocked
Foreman out in the eighth round,
one of his most seminal tri-
umphs?
Lonnie, who first became
friends with her husband in 1964 in his home-
town of Louisville, Kentucky, said: “The Rum-
ble in the Jungle was significant to the world
because it gave people the inspiration to defy
the odds, to overcome adversity and believe
in themselves. They came to realise that over-
coming the odds to attain their own personal
victories was not a far-fetched reality, that im-
possible really is possible and if Muhammad
could do it, so could they.
“For Muhammad or anyone to win the
heavyweight championship of the world three
times was highly improbable. Before the fight
in Zaire, Muhammad had fans and supporters
all over the globe.”
Lonnie recalled how her husband had first
earned global renown — and made the impos-
sible possible — by winning the world heavy-
weight title for the first time in 1964 at the age
of 22, when he overcame the experienced and
heavily fancied Sonny Liston.
“Sonny was a very formidable and expe-
rienced opponent,” she said. “Muhammad’s
stunning defeat of Sonny captured the imagi-
nation of the world. It was the story of David
and Goliath all over again.
“In that unlikely moment, America and the
world became aware of Cassius Clay, the soon
to be Muhammad Ali. With his undeniable wit,
charm and masterful ability to
self-promote, the global commu-
nity watched him grow up and
they bought in.
“But aside from being the brash
and confident pugilist, Muham-
mad was sweet and nice, hand-
some and beautiful. He was like
the boy next door. His fights be-
came anticipated events with a
global audience. So, it was not
surprising that everyone who had
a television or radio or access to
either, was anxiously awaiting the
start of this fight.”
Draft evasion
Aside from his prodigious box-
ing skills, Ali transcended his
sport by converting to Islam and staying reso-
lutely true to his trenchant peacekeeping be-
liefs at the expense of his own career.
He refused to go to the Vietnam War in 1967
with the US Military — and was subsequently
stripped of his world heavyweight title by the
New York State Athletic Commission, which
also suspended his boxing licence, and did not
fight again until 1970.
Ali was convicted of draft evasion, sen-
tenced to the maximum of five years in prison
and fined $10,000 (Dh36,730), although he
remained free while the conviction was ap-
pealed.
In 1970, the New York State Supreme Court
ordered that his boxing licence should be rein-
stated, and he returned to the ring by knock-
ing out Jerry Quarry in October 1970. The fol-
lowing year, the US Supreme Court overturned
Ali’s conviction in a unanimous decision.
“Although his beliefs and actions had cost
him the support of many Americans, they
also gained him many more, mostly outside of
America,” Lonnie, the boxing legend’s fourth
wife — they married in 1986 — said.
“At the time of the [Rumble in the Jungle]
bout, Muhammad was considered past his
prime. Add to that, the bout could only be
won by defeating another one of boxing’s most
formidable boxers, George Foreman, someone
who had destroyed his previous opponents.”
“Physically, George was massive and in-
timidating — although he was, and remains
physically intimidating, George is a very kind
and generous man,” she continued.
“He was a much larger man than Muham-
mad and it was all muscle and brawn. His fists
look like sledgehammers. Many felt if Muham-
mad emerged from the ring in one piece, it
would be a victory.
“If Muhammad won, it would be him beat-
ing the odds in a big way.”
Lonnie said it was the ingenious manner
in which her husband overcame Foreman (he
did not succumb to the bigger man’s most vi-
cious blows and employed ‘rope-a-dope’ tac-
tics, whereby he took breathers on the ropes
to sap his opponent’s energy), which means
the fight remains etched in the minds of box-
ing fans.
“During the course of the pre-fight prepa-
ration and hype, Muhammad being Muham-
mad, united the people of Zaire behind him. If
he won — they won. It was their victory too.
Muhammad was their brother, son and uncle.
“So once again, Muhammad did what others
thought unimaginable, impossible. He defied
the odds.”
Some things never change.
special featureuaeC4 C5
Gulf News | Thursday, October 30, 2014 | gulfnews.comgulfnews.com | Thursday, October 30, 2014 | Gulf News
Forever defying the odds
The Rumble in the Jungle was significant because it gave people
the inspiration to defy the odds, to overcome adversity and
believe in themselves. They came to realise that overcoming the
odds to attain victories was not a far-fetched reality, that impossible
really is possible and, if Muhammad could do it, so could they.”
●
Forty years on,
and the indomi-
table warrior
Ali continues to
defy the odds
by battling his
greatest ever
opponent,
Parkinson’s
disease.
A SPORTING LEGEND
Name: MuhammadAli (Born Cassius Marcellus Clay
Jr.)
Date ofbirth:January 17,1942 (Age 72)
Place ofbirth: Louisville,Kentucky,United States
Height: 6ft 3in (191cm)
Reach: 78in (198cm)
Boxing division: Heavyweight
Total fights: 61
Wins: 56
Wins by knockout: 37
Losses: 5
Draws: 0
No contests: 0
Majorachievements:
H Won light-heavyweight gold at the 1960 Olympic
Games in Rome.
HThree-time heavyweight champion ofthe world
(first won the world title in 1964,beating Sonny
Liston by technical knockout (TKO) in 7th round.)
HIn 1999,Ali was crowned‘Sportsman ofthe Cen-
tury’by Sports Illustrated and‘Sports Personal-
ity ofthe Century’by the BBC.
Didyou know?
Ared-and-white Schwinn bicycle
launchedAli’s boxing career.His beloved
bike was stolen whenAli,then known as
Cassius Clay,was aged 12 in October
1954.He reported the crime to police
officerJoe Martin and pledged to find
the culprit and beat him up.Martin,
who was also a boxing trainer,ad-
vised the distressed youngsterto
learn how to fight and helped train
him.Sixweeks later,Claywon his
first bout by split decision.
Muhammad Ali:
In it
together
■■ Muhammad
Ali and his
wife Lonnie.
Courtesy:
Muhammad Ali
Center
icon’s wife Lonnie says her husband is battling Parkinson’s as bravely as he fought in 1974
By Euan Reedie
Chief Sports Writer — Abu Dhabi
gulfnews.com
To view the video of the fight: log on to
gulfnews.com/sport
Facebook
SMS us
Have your say
Video
Al Wasl to
appeal over
Viana deal
Club says it has a case despite
missing transfer window
Dubai
A
l Wasl football club
will go to the Court of
Arbitration for Sport
(CAS) protesting
the UAE Football
Association’s (UAE FA) decision
to postpone the transfer of
Hugo Viana from Al Ahli, it was
announced yesterday.
Viana’s move was one of five
transfers registered within a
controversial two-hour exten-
sion of the transfer window in
the early hours of October 3
after clubs failed to complete
their business on time.
Upon the advice of Fifa, the
UAE FA ruled these deals null
and void on Monday and said
they could only be completed
once the transfer window reo-
pens in January, leaving af-
fected players in limbo and un-
able to play for either club until
then.
Nasser Al Yamahi, head of
the UAE FA’s Commission on
the Status and Transfer of Play-
ers, who took the controversial
decision to extend the deadline,
has since resigned.
Al Wasl believe that Al Yama-
hi had the right to extend the
deadline under chapter seven
of the UAE FA’s Commission on
the Status and Transfer of Play-
ers’ rules and regulations.
Strong grounds for appeal
Al Wasl board member and
legal advisor Mohammad Al
Amri said at a press confer-
ence yesterday that the club
had strong grounds for appeal.
“Chapter seven states that the
head of the committee has the
right to adjust the deadline, it
says nothing about having to
consult the UAE FA chairman
[Yousuf Al Sarkal],” he said.
“The last message we had from
Fifa said that this was an inter-
nal issue, so you have to go back
to your regulations.
“We have this defence and
this is what we are depending
on,” said Al Amri, who didn’t
deny his club were in the wrong
for surpassing the deadline.
“We are not concerned with
what happened before 12pm on
October 2 [the supposed dead-
line] but rather what went on
after midnight. Our situation is
legally strong because of what
happened after 12pm.”
Each club is allowed four
overseas players but Al Wasl
is the only team to have been
forced to field just three for-
eigners due to Viana’s enforced
absence. The Cheetahs are cur-
rently struggling due to the set-
back and are eighth in the Ara-
bian Gulf League on nine points
from the first eight games of the
season.
“This is an injustice,” said Al
Amri. “Where is the equality in
this for Al Wasl?”
Al Amri said that the club
were looking for a quick solu-
tion to the problem with either
Viana or Neto Berola, the player
released in order to make way
for Viana’s registration, allowed
to play. He added Al Wasl would
also be seeking compensation
from the UAE FA for the incon-
venience caused.
“We have suffered financially
through salaries and downpay-
ments for both Viana and Berola,
but also technically, and we will
take all legal steps possible.”
Al Wasl yesterday handed
UAE FA the notice of their in-
tention to take the matter to
CAS and expect an urgent re-
sponse from UAE FA.
The other players and clubs
whose transfers have been af-
fected by the vetoed deadline
extension are: Bani Yas Moham-
mad Nasser and Sa’ad Suroor,
Fujairah’s Ahmad Ebrahim and
Al Shaab’s Ahmad Juma.
By Ashley Hammond
Staff Reporter
Al Ahli, Al Shabab dominate sports awards
Dubai
N
eighbours Al Ahli and Al
Shabab once again domi-
nated the annual Dubai
Sports Excellence Programme
at the presentation ceremony
held yesterday.
Al Ahli picked up the top
prizes for the best football com-
pany, best football club and best
medical unit, while neighbours
and arch-rivals Al Shabab took
the prize for the best football
academy, best joint venture and
best club for the development
of women’s sports.
The two clubs shared the
limelight in the individual cat-
egories as well with Al Ahli’s
Ahmad Khalifa Hamad getting
the best CEO award, while Al
Shabab’s Adil Al Saeed and Ma-
jid Ahmad Abdullah winning
the best UAE coach and best
junior player awards.
Shaikh Mansour Bin Mo-
hammad Bin Rashid Al Mak-
toum presented the awards at
a function held at Grand Hyatt
yesterday morning in the pres-
ence of Mattar Al Tayer and Dr
Ahmad Sa’ad Al Sharif from the
Dubai Sports Council (DSC).
Shaikh Mansour also pre-
sented special recognition
certificates to eight prominent
sports personalities for their
contribution to sports in the
UAE.
These included Abdullah
Ebrahim Hussain, Abdullah
Salem Al Rumaithi, Moham-
mad Ahmad Al Kaibtoob, Majid
Khalfan Al Badwawi, Ahmad
Nasser Al Lootah, Mohammad
Khamis Al Merri, Nasser Ab-
dullah Hussain Al Lootah and
Saif Abdullah Al Shaffar.
Sami Al Qamzi, Chairman,
Al Shabab told Gulf News that
the string of awards was a fruit
of the hard work put in by eve-
ryone at the club at the grass-
roots level.
Developing assets
“These rewards mean
everything to a club like Al
Shabab. These awards send the
right message across to all. The
youngsters at the club are as-
sets and we pay adequate at-
tention to developing these
assets to serve the interests of
sports in the UAE,” Al Qamzi
said.
“Our entire vision lies in
focusing on our youngsters.
We value these players as part
of our assets and today when
we get these awards it means
we are doing the right thing to
take Al Shabab forward,” he
added.
This is the third year in a
row that Al Ahli is winning
the best club award and CEO
Hamad — who also bagged the
best CEO prize — was thrilled
to see the results of their hard
work.
“At Al Ahli we do not stop
working. These awards are a
great achievement to us and a
justification that we are on the
right track. Al Ahli believes in
success, both on and off the
field and these awards are a
proof,” Hamad said.
Red Knights walk
away with Sports
Excellence Awards
By Alaric Gomes
Senior Reporter
Busy season taking toll on Al Ahli campaign
Dubai
I
n his prematch conference
last week, Al Ahli coach
Cosmin Olaroiu predicted a
“completely different season”
this year.
Now, with eight rounds of
the Arabian Gulf League (AGL)
concluding on Tuesday, it looks
like his words had a prophetic
ring to it.
With former Argentinian
star Gabriel Calderon as coach,
Al Wasl supporters heaved a
huge sigh of relief when they
notched a 1-0 away win against
Sharjah while Bani Yas ham-
mered tough nuts Ajman 3-0.
The remaining two matches
stayed as per the form book
with Al Jazira swamping bot-
tom-ranked Kalba 4-0 and Al
Nasr earning a hard-fought
and deserving 1-0 win at home
against Al Dhafra.
Earlier on Monday, Al Wahda
struggled their way past Fujai-
rah 1-0, while Al Shabab scored
two goals in as many minutes
for a comfortable 3-2 away win
against Emirates Club. Defend-
ing champions Al Ahli and for-
mer champions Al Ain settled
for a tame 1-1 draw.
“Do not expect results as per
form of the teams. Remember
every team enters the ground
looking for three points, but
that is not going to be the case
this year. I can say our play-
ers are giving their best on the
field, but their best does not
seem to be enough as the other
teams come better prepared to
face strong teams like ours,”
Olaroiu said.
The current season is go-
ing to be a hectic one, espe-
cially for the big clubs whose
players have to divide time
between national team duties
and domestic competitions.
Al Ain has a few players in the
national side, but they were
lucky in a way as they fea-
tured in the AFC Champions
League engagements. Al Ahli,
on the other hand, had most of
their players staying away with
coach Mahdi Ali preparing for
the Gulf Cup in Riyadh and
the AFC Asian Cup in Australia
early next year.
“Most of my players are ex-
hausted. They are not able to
run for more than 30 minutes.
We are trying to put them on
the right path, but this cannot
be achieved overnight. I should
train them and prepare them
for each match. Last season, we
trained as a team and we won
three trophies at the end of the
year. Things are different and
we all know the reason.”
Al Jazira biggest
winners of the week as
league takes a break
By Alaric Gomes
Senior Reporter
Jovanovic brands win over
Al Dhafra before break crucial
Dubai
A
l Nasr coach Ivan Jo-
vanovic branded Tues-
day’s 1-0 home win over
Al Dhafra as the perfect way to
enter a month-long break in
league fixtures.
Mahmoud Khamis’ last gasp
wonder goal from range settled
an otherwise tepid encounter in
Oud Mehta, enabling the Blue
Wave to consolidate top four
status ahead of a window for
cup and international games.
“We have a lot of time in
front of us now to work on our
mistakes and improve,” said
the Serbian. “It’s always better
to work in a positive atmos-
phere, and this only comes af-
ter a victory.
“There are some games that
are decided by individual ef-
forts. We had patience and in
the end one individual action
won it for us. I believe it was
one of the best goals I’ve seen
in this league. I didn’t really
believe that Mahmoud’s shot
would make it but now I’m sure
he took the best decision.”
Al Dhafra coach Ion Marin
said he didn’t blame his play-
ers for the loss as the winning
shot was unstoppable. Instead
he encouraged his team to use
the defeat as a catalyst to return
stronger after the break.
Al Nasr coach happy
that his side go into
lay-off with win
By Ashley Hammond
Staff Reporter
●
Viana’s move was
one of five transfers
registered within a
two-hour
extension of the
transfer window.
Dubai Sports Excellence
BestJuniorPlayer–teamsports:Majid
AhmadAbdullah(AlShabab)
BestJuniorPlayer–individualsports:
KhalidYousufAlHossaini(AlWasl)
BestLocalCoach:AdilAlSaeed(Al
Shabab)
BestCEO:AhmadKhalifaHamad(AlAhli)
BestClubintheDevelopmentof
Womens’Sports:AlShabab
BestClubinCorporateSocialRespon-
sibility:AlShabab
BestSportsCompanyinMarketing
andInvestment:AlNasr
BestJointVenture:AlShabab
BestInitiative:AlNasr
BestMedicalUnit:AlAhli
BestFootballAcademy:AlShabab
BestFootballCompany:AlAhli
BestClub:AlAhli
Specialrecognitionawardstoeminent
sportspersonalities:AbdullahEbrahim
Hussain(AlNasr);AbdullahSalemAl
Rumaithi(AlWasl);MohammadAhmad
AlKaibtoob(DubaiChessClub);Majid
KhalfanAlBadwawi(HattaClub);Ahmad
NasserAlLootah(DubaiClubforSpecial
Needs);MohammadKhamisAlMerri
(AlShabab);NasserAbdullahHussainAl
Lootah(AlAhli);SaifAbdullahAlShaffar
(DubaiInternationalMarineClub).
ROLL OF HONOUR
AGL
Emirates 2 AlShabab 3
AlAhli 1 AlAin 1
Fujairah 0 AlWahda 1
AlNasr 1 AlDhafra 0
Kalba 0 AlJazira 4
Sharjah 0 AlWasl 1
BaniYas 3 Ajman 0
RESULTS
Courtesy: DSC
Honouring contributions
■■ Shaikh Mansour Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum with the winners of the Dubai Sports Excellence Awards. Shaikh Mansour
presented special recognition certificates to eight prominent sports personalities for their contribution to sports in the UAE.
❝Our entire vision
lies in focusing on
our youngsters. We
value these play-
ers as part of our
assets and today
when we get these
awards it means
we are doing the
right thing...”
Sami Al Qamzi |
Al Shabab chairman
Rex Features
Hugo Viana