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Early Preview: Muhammad Ali, Kinshasa 1974

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Muhammad Ali, Kinshasa 1974

Writer: Jean-David Morvan
Artists: Rafael Ortiz, Abbas
Publisher: Titan Comics
Hardcover, $29.99, £26.99
On sale February 2021
ISBN: 9781787736207

On the 30th October 1974, the most famous boxing match of the 20th Century took place. Nicknamed the “Rumble in the Jungle”, it pitted Muhammad Ali, desperate to win back his world champion belt, and George Foreman, the current holder, against each other. Foreman had just KO’d the only two boxers to have ever beaten Ali. By his own admission, Ali was terrified of facing him in the ring…         

Now, the photojournalist Abbas immortalizes this legendary meeting, having kept his photos in his personal archives for 36 years before unveiling them to the world. In a cross between a documentary, photo report and graphic novel, this book reveals the context of the most powerful photographs taken by one of the greatest photographers of the Magnum Photos agency. Enriched by the testimony of Abbas himself, Jean-David Morvan’s script is rigorously brought to life by artist Rafael Ortiz.

Muhammad Ali, Kinshasa 1974

Muhammad Ali, Kinshasa 1974: Celebrating The Rumble In The Jungle

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Titan Comics has announced Muhammad Ali, Kinshasa 1974  – a ground breaking new graphic novel featuring rarely-seen, behind the scenes photographs plus first-hand accounts of this legendary boxing fight from those closest to the action!

Award-winning writer Jean-David Morvan and celebrated photo-journalist Abbas provide a whole new perspective on the MOST-WATCHED LIVE TELEVISION EVENT OF ITS TIME!

On the 30th October 1974 in Kinshasa, Zaire (now Democratic Republic of the Congo), the most famous boxing match of the 20th Century took place, watched by a record estimated television audience of 1 billion viewers worldwide. Nicknamed the “Rumble in the Jungle”, it pitted 32 year-old underdog Muhammad Ali, desperate to win back his world champion belt after a 4-year ban, against 25 year-old George Foreman, the current holder and considered one of the hardest punchers in the sport’s history. 

Now, the photojournalist Abbas immortalises this legendary meeting, having kept his photos in his personal archives for 36 years before unveiling them to the world. This unique graphic novel masterpiece both reveals and reimagines the context of the most powerful photographs taken by one of the greatest photographers of the Magnum Photos agency. Enriched by the testimony of Abbas himself, Jean-David Morvan’s script is rigorously brought to life by artist Rafael Ortiz.

Muhammad Ali, Kinshasa 1974