Fight poster featuring Muhammad Ali and George Foreman
date: label: Date
content: 1974
name: label: Created by
content: David Mosley
label: Distributed by
content: Don King Productions, American
label: Subject of
content: Muhammad Ali, American, 1942 - 2016
label: Subject of
content: George Foreman, American, born 1949
label: Subject of
content: Don King, American, born 1931
notes: label: Caption
content: On October 21974, in in Kinshasa, Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the undefeated heavyweight champion George Foreman boxed Muhammad Ali in a match known as the “The Rumble in the Jungle.” This historic sporting event took place at the 20th of May Stadium and was attended by 60,000 people a watched on television worldwide. In what has largely been called “the greatest sporting event of the 20th century,” Ali won by a knockout, putting Foreman down just before the end of the eighth round after employing his controversial “Rope a Dope” method of tiring his opponent out. This fight was the first heavyweight championship fight on African soil and in the aftermath of colonization, this event took on significance far beyond the ring.
label: Description
content: A 1974 poster for the World Heavyweight Championship Fight between Muhammad Ali vs. George Foreman. The top of the poster has black text that reads [From Slaveship to Championship]. Below that text, in the top proper right corner, there is a depiction of a ship on the ocean. Below the ship, three enslaved individuals are held in chains. On the proper left side, there is a depiction of a man and a woman. In between the two depictions, two hands with chains around the wrists reach for one another.
label: Description
content: At the center of the poster there is a depiction of George Foreman on the proper right and Muhammad Ali on the proper left in front of an image of Africa. Both are depicted from the waist up, wearing boxing gloves and raising their fists in a boxing stance. Below Foreman and Ali, on the proper right side, there is a depiction of Don King wearing a suit jacket and bow tie. On the bottom proper left side there is a depiction of a female musician with a red head scarf and blue dress. There is a guitar, a saxophone, and a drum near her. The poster is signed by on the proper left side above the guitar.
label: Description
content: Text on the bottom of the poster reads [WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHT · 15 ROUNDS / DIRECT FROM KINSHASA, ZAIRE · TUESDAY, OCTOBER 29 / GEORGE FOREMAN vs. MUHAMMAD ALI / PRESENTED BY DON KING PRODUCTIONS · HEMDALE LEISURE PRODUCTIONS · VIDEO TECHNIQUES, INC. / PRODUCED BY DON KING · JOHN DALY · HENRY A. SCHWARTZ FOR WORLD-WIDE SATELITE TRANSMISSION].
place: label: Place depicted
content: Kinshasa, Congo (Republic of), Central Africa, Africa
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: Africa
label: Topic
content: Athletes
label: Topic
content: Boxing
label: Topic
content: Mass media
label: Topic
content: Music
label: Topic
content: Slavery
label: Topic
content: Sports
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Classification
content: Memorabilia and Ephemera - Advertisements
label: Exhibition
content: Sports: Leveling the Playing Field
label: On View
content: NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Community/Third Floor, 3 052
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: 2015.90.14
objectType: label: Type
content: posters
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Unknown - Restrictions Possible
label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Rights assessment and proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: paint and ink on paper
label: Dimensions
content: H x W (Sheet): 40 1/2 × 30 1/2 in. (102.9 × 77.5 cm)
label: Dimensions
content: H x W (Image): 38 × 28 in. (96.5 × 71.1 cm)