“Let’s make it one more time,” said Don King, taking the boxing world fifty years back to one of the sport’s most unforgettable moments. On October 30, 1975, Muhammad Ali and George Foreman entered history, and their battle in then Zaire’s capital, Kinshasa, gained immortality as the ‘Rumble in the Jungle’.

On October 30, the legendary promoter joined scores of fans in celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of the legendary fight. Many might be heaving a sigh of big relief. King’s message follows earlier reports of his illness. For many die-hards, it was a major cause for concern. Mike Tyson had also spoken about Don King’s declining health. Reportedly, King was admitted to a hospital. After a stay of over a week, he returned home. Brushing aside all rumors, King sounded gung-ho, apparently still making plans. As he reminisced about those golden days, many prominent figures from the boxing world joined in wishing sound health to boxing’s ‘King’.

Don King: Brimming with energy

“So happy to be with Don King and see his great spirit and plans for 2025 as he looks to make The Rumble in the Jungle II and Thrilla in Manila II 50 years after those legendary boxing cards,” wrote Mauricio Sulaiman, the president of the WBC, sharing a picture that featured him alongside Don King.

A short clip showed King sharing his message. Talking about the Ali-Foreman epic, he said, “It was something that you dream about, but it never comes true. My dream came true.” From that historic milestone to his heydays celebrating Mike Tyson’s victories, the celebrated promoter over the years had slowed down. But that doesn’t mean he is out of the ring. To those who thought that King had finally withdrawn from boxing, he had a message—in the most Muhammad Ali style.

“For those who think that I’m long gone, I’m getting something sound on the ground while it’s around. I’m still here and still blasting,” said King. Then, expressing his faith in ‘people and God’, the promoter hinted at some developments that may unfold in the future. He said, “We’re looking forward to an exciting New Year coming up. Now, we’re going to do new and better things for the people.”

Incidentally, Don King had organized an event in June where Adrien Broner and Blair Cobbs headlined the main event. So as he envisions plans for the upcoming year, it seems that the illness has not deterred him.

Greetings to the King!

In another message, Don King called on His Excellency Turki Alalshikh and conveyed a wish to meet him in the future and possibly work together. In response, HE Alalshikh replied that he was glad to see King doing well. “Happy to see you in good health, and it’s a pleasure to meet you and do great things for boxing together ❤️🥊,” said the Riyadh Season head.

Don King’s latest message follows an earlier update from ‘Iron’ Mike. During an interview, the former world champion shared that his former promoter had not been doing well. Veteran matchmaker Rick Glaser revealed that King had been hospitalized, where he stayed for about ten days. However, he was subsequently discharged and was responding well while recuperating at home.

For many old-school fans, it would be a dream come true to witness events on the scale of ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ or ‘Thrilla in Manila’.

Which is your favorite Muhammad Ali fight of all time?