The legacy of boxing icon, Muhammad Ali is unmatched. Considering the fierce and dominating nature Ali brought to the ring, it’s no wonder why he is called the greatest of all time. The iconic ‘The Rumble in the Jungle’ stands as one of, if not the best fights in boxing history. Former Los Angeles Lakers superstar Shaquille O’Neal recently shared a video of Ali days before his legendary fight against George Foreman.

The 4x NBA champion is no stranger to sharing iconic clips from yesteryears on his Instagram account. Continuing that trend, Shaquille O’Neal shared a clip of Ali’s iconic words prior to his bout against Foreman.

Shaquille O’Neal shared an unearthed video from ‘The Rumble in the Jungle’  

‘The Rumble in the Jungle’ stands as one of the best fights in the history of boxing. In the iconic face-off, 32-year-old Muhammad Ali faced Olympic gold medal winner George Foreman for the heavyweight championship in 1974. Foreman was considered one of the most fierce competitors of Ali. Big George, similarly to Ali, gave the toughest time to his opponents in the ring.

Read more: ‘You Got 10 Minutes to Get Out of Town…’: Former Mayor Once Detailed Incident Where Boxing Legend Muhammad Ali Rendered Him Speechless

The Ali vs Foreman matchup was considered a perfect rivalry. Ali with speed and technical skills and Foreman with raw power, fans couldn’t ask for something better. However, Ali is not just famous for his quickness inside the ring but also for his rapid verses in press conferences. One such incident is when Ali fired a warning to his haters and rivals ahead of the iconic bout.

In the video shared by O’Neal, Ali mentioned in a press conference, “When I whoop this man, I wanna be declared by all as the greatest of all times because the stage is set! I’m 32-years-old! My legs are gone!.. I’m gonna prove to the world, I’m still the fastest, the prettiest, the most classiest, the most scientific, the greatest fighter of all times.”

Muhammad Ali backed his comments in the ring

Before ‘The Rumble in the Jungle’, the legendary boxer had faced a three-year suspension and was stripped of his heavyweight title for refusing to join the US Army. Ali was on a mission to revive his title through his fight against Big George.

Watch this story: “Muhammad Ali by Will Smith, Rocky by Sylvester Stallone and other great biopics on boxing legends”

As was the case throughout his career, Ali would go on to back his claims in the ring. Ali knocked Foreman out by throwing a vicious right punch to his face in the eighth round. Ali claimed the heavyweight title back with one of the best comebacks in boxing history. Though the two went on to become great friends in later years, the 1974 rivalry between Ali and Foreman is still considered the greatest of all time.