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1974 Muhammad Ali vs. George Foreman (The Rumble In the Jungle) Souvenir Advertising Poster
Presented is a 1974 Muhammad Ali vs. George Foreman (The Rumble in the Jungle) souvenir advertising poster. The fight was arranged by United States promoter Don King, and he couldn't get the necessary financing to hold the fight in the United States. George Foreman was the undisputed World Heavyweight Champion, and he had an undefeated record of 40-0, with 37 knockouts. Muhammad Ali was the former World Heavyweight Champion who had been stripped of his title after refusing to be drafted into the United States Army in 1967. The fight was originally scheduled to be held on September 24th at the 20th of May Stadium in Kinshasa, Zaire. Because the fight was in Africa, it was billed as "The Rumble in the Jungle." When Foreman suffered a cut right eye during a sparring session, the fight was postponed to Oct. 30, 1974. Foreman was a heavy favorite because of his punching power and strength. Ali introduced a new tactic, which he later named the "rope-a-dope," in which the former champion would lean back against the ropes and cover up, taunt Foreman to throw more punches, and then tire the champion out. Ali won the bout, and the World Heavyweight Championship, with a knockout in the 8th round. The advertising display is not an advertising display for the fight itself, but an advertising display for souvenirs, display cards, and jumbo posters that advertised the fight. The lower left quadrant of the display has an approx. 7x8.5" brilliantly colored herald of the fight. The herald promotes a big screen closed circuit TV broadcast of the fight and shows images of Foreman and Ali ready to brawl and superimposed over a map of Africa, at a spot over Zaire. Below the herald, on the thick orange card stock on which the herald is displayed, is a notice reading, "10 OF ABOVE HERALDS IN AN ENVELOPE - $1.00." The top of the orange card stock reads, "LITHOGRAHED SOUVENIRS of this HISTORY MAKING EVENT." The advertisement also reads, "14x22 Display Cards $2.00 each/ JUMBO POSTERS $5.00 each. The advertising poster was once folded into six parts, and these crease foldings are evident. There is tiny corner wear in the lower left corner and a few very small stains on the right side. Other than the aforementioned imperfections, the souvenir advertising poster is in excellent condition. The poster has great eye appeal, and it hearkens back to an iconic Heavyweight Championship fight of nearly half-a-century ago.
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