It was a remarkable moment early on the morning of Oct. 30, 1974, in Kinshasa, Zaire, in a fight financed by the dictator of the country, who put up $10 million to be split between both fighters to bring the world to his doorstep. Norman Mailer, Budd Schulberg, Hunter Thompson and George Plimpton were among the elite press corps who were there to write what they feared would be Ali’s obituary.

The 6-foot-4, 220-pound Foreman had destroyed Joe Frazier — who defeated Ali in 15 rounds in the Fight of the Century in 1971 — in two rounds the year before to win the title and then put a brutal beating on Ken Norton, who had broken Ali’s jaw in a win in their first fight in March 1973. As had been the case with Frazier, Foreman needed just two rounds to knock out Norton.