Muhammad Ali KO 8 George Foreman, October 30, 1974

With his stunning, come-from-behind knockout of the fearsome George Foreman, Muhammad Ali proved to the world that he was, indeed, the greatest. The fight echoed Ali's stoppage of Sonny Liston a decade earlier, as Ali once again defeated a heavyweight champion widely viewed as unbeatable.

As an event, the Ali-Foreman clash resonated far beyond sports. In his debut as a major boxing promoter, Don King built an entire cultural festival around the big fight, featuring the Godfather of Soul James Brown and blues legend B.B. King, among others.

The fight's location itself was iconic, as it took place in a soccer stadium in Zaire (now known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo). An international hero, Ali was the favorite of the local fans, who famously chanted "Ali, Bomaye!" ("Ali, Kill Him!") throughout the fight.