Rumble in the Jungle

So it's king for king, queen for queen, gonna be the meanest flood anybody's ever seen.

There are those who feel that the sport of boxing should be outlawed. The sport is flooded by those who exploit young boxers in the pursuit of a dollar as well as its supposedly corrupt rumored connections to the Mafia. Not to mention when you stop and think for a moment about the mere object of trying to hit someone harder, hurt someone more, knock them down and out before they do the same to you, one realizes the brutality does seem a bit much for entertainment purposes. Still after seeing the brilliant documentary, When We Were Kings, one can't help but share in at least one man's, Muhammad Ali's, sheer love of the artistry of the game. It once again proves that in even the ugliest of human endeavors, there are those unique individuals who can transcend their surroundings and show the rest of us the ever elusive beauty of the human soul.

My memory of Ali is of a cocky fighter who fought one too many fights, tarnishing his ever entertaining style by hanging around too long and leaving the ring as a mere shadow of his former self. To see him today is to see the ravages of all the fights, and the onslaught of Parkinson's Disease.

But in When We Were Kings, a film that depicts the events surrounding a much anticipated 1974 fight between Ali and George Foreman, Ali is at his charismatic best. Indeed one can argue there has never been as entertaining a figure in any sport as Ali was back in his prime. The champ in the movie is as funny, as watchable, as stylish and as likable as the most intriguing of leaders. It wasn't a simpler time, but by having a force like Ali to guide the way, it was in a sense, a more understandable time. Ali rises above the harsh brutality of the sport and gives a performance of an artist doing what he loves to do best.

Foreman was heavily favored to win the fight having just knocked out, in impressive fashion two of the day's greatest boxers, Joe Frazier and Ken Norton. He was bigger, stronger and younger than Ali, and was so dominating in his other fights that many feared for Ali's safety. Foreman comes across as a brooding and angry man, angry at Ali's greater popularity with the African people as well as angry with Ali's constant goading and gloating.

One of the movie's biggest charms is its snapshot of time quality. It is a movie about remembering history, of gaining deeper knowledge and thus appreciation of understanding where we've been to have a greater perception of where we are. It's a trait the movie observes that is often lacking in today's society. Knowing what we do of both Ali and Foreman's current state of health and popularity, an added poignancy comes in watching their younger selves. Ali's quick wit, his constant movement and jabs, both physical and verbal, contrast with the stony, trembling figure he is today. Foreman's transformation is equally as startling. After the fight he was to sink into a deep depression only to emerge years later as the fun loving, happy and smiling entertainer he now is.

In 1974, Ali ruled the world. His fight strategy was brilliant. He uses the hype and the hyperbole to trick Foreman into thinking he was going to fight a fight that he disguises like the unmatchable and greatly missed artist he is. While the experts expected it to be a fight between brute and quickness, force against wisdom, Ali uses his greater understanding of boxing, proving it more important to think than just hit hard, and with his body's wonderful grace he tires Foreman out with a well conceived although risky game plan.

His strategy stuns Foreman and the rest of the sporting world but Ali calmly walks away knowing he accomplished what he set out to do. He wasn't just saying he would win, his faith left no internal doubt- just another day at the office. His mission is expressed both in his bravado, but also in a more personal voyage which his many words conceal until the very moment that it becomes clear to the rest of the world. When We Were Kings isn't so much about boxing as it is about triumph of a unique and universal human spirit.

As I wander, hopes grow fonder, precious memories flood my soul.