Serhii Lapin on the ‘Rumble in the Jungle’: “That fight inspired me”

Serhii Lapin, CEO of Ready to Fight and director of undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk’s team, shared memories of the first boxing match he ever watched.

“Muhammad Ali vs. George Foreman. That fight truly inspired me. Ali turned it into not just a clash of strength but a strategic dismantling. He proved that boxing is not only about physicality, but also intellect, patience and psychological warfare,” Lapin said.

The bout between George Foreman and Muhammad Ali, better known as the ‘Rumble in the Jungle’, took place on October 30, 1974, in Kinshasa, Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) and ended with Ali scoring an eighth-round knockout. The fight is widely considered one of the greatest of the 20th century.