Muhammad Ali's 'Rumble in the Jungle' World title against George Foreman sells at an auction for millions of dollars

Muhammad Ali fought George Foreman on October 30, 1974 at the 20th of May Stadium in Kinshasa, Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo). The event was called 'The Rumble in the Jungle'.

The fight was a thrilling affair with 'The People's Champion' winning via knockout.

The belt that Ali won that night went up for auction on Sunday, July 24 at Heritage Auctions. It sold for a whopping $6.18 million. The winning bid belonged to Jim Irsay, the CEO of the NFL team Indianapolis Colts.

Following his latest purchase, he tweeted out saying:

"BREAKING—-Muhammad Ali’s championship belt from 1974 ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ when he employed his rope-a-dope and defeated George Foreman—-just added to @IrsayCollection Just in time for the Aug. 2 show at Chicago’s Navy Pier (and Sept. 9 at Indy). Proud to be the steward!"

The belt has a lot of historic importance for the sport of boxing. It denotes the rebirth of one of the greatest boxers to have ever lived.

Foreman was a force to be reckoned with and was the heavy favorite going into the fight. No one thought Muhammad Ali had any real chance at beating the champion. However, 'The Greatest' lived up to his monicker and delivered the performance of a lifetime.

Take a look at the tweet by Irsay:

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Muhammad Ali vs. George Foreman - 'The Rumble in the Jungle'

In 1967, Muhammad Ali was stripped off his Heavyweight title for refusing to join the armed forces in the war against Vietnam. His boxing license was suspended and 'The Greatest' did not step foot in the ring for three years.

He finally returned to boxing in 1970. After a number of fights, including two against Joe Frazier, 'The People's Champion' finally got a shot at the titles.

He fought the younger, unbeaten George Foreman, who was viciously knocking people out at the time. Foreman was known for his power, but also for having a poor gas tank.

Ali took advantage of this and played a very smart game against the champion. He used the 'rope-a-dope' technique to dodge ineffective punches and tire the champion out.

Then, as the fight crossed the halfway point, Ali completely took over and gave Foreman a sound beating. 'The Greatest' ended the fight with a knockout in the eighth round. He announced his return to the world in style, capturing the belts that he was stripped off of.