Ruiz vs Joshua: Enough is Enough; Let’s Get it On

Ruiz vs. Joshua: Enough is Enough; Let’s Get it On

In October of 1974, when Muhammad Ali was in Kinshasa, Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) to fight George Foreman in the “Rumble in the Jungle,” the people cheered him as he trained on the roads. They backed off when Big George walked his menacing German Shepard. It was love vs. fear and fear never had a chance.

When Foreman hit the big bag, there was no “Night Train’ playing in the background; it just went “Thump, Thump Thump” and it was ominous.

As Jonathan Snowden wrote, “Far from the charming infomercial king who would later grow rich selling American electric grills bearing his name, this Foreman was hard to reach—a mystery not just to white sports writers of the time, but to his African hosts as well.”

He added, “Two African-American fighters were competing, for the first time, in the heart of Africa, under the watchful eye of military strong man Joseph Mobutu.” Mobutu guaranteed the combatants upfront money. His goal was to put his country on the global map.

Upon visiting Mobutu’s palace, Drew “Bundini” Brown said, “All my life I’ve been hearing about the White House, today I visited the Black House.”

Among other things, Mobutu was famous for corruption and nepotism while the people of Zaire suffered from poverty and human rights abuses.

Meanwhile Don King made his bones as a promoter and James Brown did his thing. An international press corps that included literary heavyweights George Plimpton and Norman Mailer enjoyed the scene. It was one big party. It was “When We Were Kings.” It was grand.

During the fight—one in which many feared for Ali’s life—Muhammed taunted with “Is that all you got, George?” In the end, Ali’s “rope-a-dope” strategy paid off. As Archie Moore related, “Ali had him thinking and worrying, and he wasted too much ammunition on Ali’s arms…And when George got tired against a skilled warrior like Ali, that was the beginning of the end.”

The end came in the eighth round when Ali knocked out a discouraged, depleted and tired Foreman. Let the celebrations begin. “Ali bomaye!”

The fact that this spectacular event took place in an edgy country with a reputation for corruptness did not amount to a hill of beans in the final analysis. After all, this was boxing.

Fast Forward

“We wanted to go somewhere that believed in the sport of boxing, which had a vision. We already knew Saudi Arabia was for real and knew they were investing in the sport of boxing. That was very important for us.” — Eddie Hearn

Now, like Mobutu, Saudi authorities will try to improve their image on human rights by hosting—or at least trying to host– the Anthony Joshua vs. Andy Ruiz rematch in what has been billed as the “Clash on the Dunes.” The event will unfold in Diriyah, a town on the outskirts of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s capitol and largest city.

A brand-new term has entered the language to explain the actions of the Saudi authorities: “Sportswash.” If fact, that’s exactly what Mobutu did before the term was invented.

“If Saudi Arabia is going to invest in these fights, with the population they have, with the potential to grow the sport of boxing, you could be seeing a big change in the dynamics of the sport, which truly excites me.” — Hearn.

Boxing is a tough way to make a living and many fighters end up badly damaged. Relatively few ever get an opportunity to make life-changing money. Ruiz and AJ, like Ali and Foreman, should be able to do their thing without the self-righteous nonsense. Heck, when did integrity ever get in the way of the boxing community ever doing anything? Ruiz and Joshua have nothing to do with the way people live in the Arabian nations.

Enough is enough. Let’s get it on.

Ted Sares is a lifetime member of Ring 10, and a member of Ring 4 and its Boxing Hall of Fame. He also is an Auxiliary Member of the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA). He is an active power lifter and Strongman competitor in the Master Class.

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