|
|
In 1974, boxers George Foreman and Mohamed Ali faced off in an emphatic fight in Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire) known as the ‘Rumble in the Jungle.’ Three years before the fight, Ali visited Doha, and forty-three years later, his one-time foe Foreman was in Qatar attending the Doha Goals conference.
Both journeying legends have gone around the world promoting sports and the great impact it has on its surroundings, both then and now.
Foreman draws parallels between the famous fight and the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar, saying “After the World Cup takes place the whole world will be saying Qatar’s name. Qatar is going to be the name on everyone’s mouth. I would love to come back here in eight years’ time.”
“I intend to see them (Qatar) deliver a knockout blow to their critics because they’re going to host the world for the first time, and the whole world will be shouting the name of this country. Qatar! Qatar! I think it’s a wonderful thing,” he added.
Recalling the highly publicised fight against Ali, Foreman told www.sc.qa: “that was 40 years ago and we just celebrated it now. Can you imagine I lost a boxing match 40 years ago and now it’s become an item of celebration? That’s because something good had come out of Africa. Now I am here in Qatar and I see how they invest in sports here, and it is a very smart move. There are a lot of things for fans to see here. It is a great idea to bring a World Cup here. The world is always frightened to go to new places.”
For Foreman the most important thing was the friendship with his rival that has lasted for the past forty years. He says “it was more than just a boxing match, Mohamed Ali and I became great friends. Ten years after I left boxing to become a minister, that’s when we really became close.”
But the man who beat the then undefeated Joe Frazier and who made two title-defences against Ali before losing it in Kinshasa in 1973 understands the sheer importance one great international sporting event can have for a country. The world renowned ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ made “the people proud,” Foreman remembers.
“For the first time they were the audience, and an audience that filled a stadium. It was an item of pride that their leader had brought that country at that time. I look back, even now, and celebrate the pride it brought to Africa,” a reminiscent Foreman added.
Finally, Foreman is also keen on finding a favourite club to support in Qatar, and thinks by 2022 he will have found one. But for those wondering, he already supports teams in FIFA World Cup competitions.
“I have my teams for the World Cup. I love the World Cup, I just love those competitions! Right now my favourite countries in world football are Austria and Germany. Can you believe that? Then Brazil, and America is always in there — we did well this past World Cup! But you got to stick with your favourite, and Germany is my favourite.”
