Congolese pay tribute to 'Rumble in the Jungle' icon Ali (Reuters)

By Aaron Ross KINSHASA (Reuters) - "It was total madness," said Augustin Lisoya, now maintenance director at Kinshasa's Tata Raphael stadium, recalling the night in 1974 that he watched Muhammad Ali knock out George Foreman there before some 60,000 fans. "When Muhammad Ali sent George Foreman to the floor, there was an outbreak of joy from the people of Kinshasa and from all of the Congolese people," says Lisoya, standing in the dimly-lit bowels of the now-decaying stadium where he witnessed the "Rumble in the Jungle". Many in Kinshasa this Saturday were not yet aware of Ali's death but as the news spread across the capital of Democratic Republic of Congo - formerly known as Zaire - tributes began to flood in for a man who brought global prestige to the central African nation that adopted him as one of its own.

Congolese pay tribute to 'Rumble in the Jungle' icon Ali (Reuters) 2016-06-04T17:49:00-07:00 Rating: 4.5 Diposkan Oleh: Unknown