{"id":222835,"date":"2025-10-24T14:31:08","date_gmt":"2025-10-24T14:31:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/222835\/"},"modified":"2025-10-24T14:31:08","modified_gmt":"2025-10-24T14:31:08","slug":"mike-tyson-visits-dr-congo-to-honor-his-ancestral-roots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/222835\/","title":{"rendered":"Mike Tyson visits DR Congo to honor his ancestral roots"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"article-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ghanaweb.com\/GhanaHomePage\/SportsArchive\/Mike-Tyson-visits-DR-Congo-to-honor-his-ancestral-roots-2006513?gallery=1\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/37636288.295.jpg\" alt=\"Tyson (with the Congo flag) paid a visit to Congo\" title=\"Tyson (with the Congo flag) paid a visit to Congo\" width=\"295\" height=\"197\" \/> <\/a>Tyson (with the Congo flag) paid a visit to Congo<\/p>\n<p id=\"article-123\">Boxing legend Mike Tyson received a hero\u2019s welcome in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, as he embraced his Congolese heritage during the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the iconic \u201cRumble in the Jungle.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Tyson\u2019s visit, rich with symbolism and emotion, struck a deep chord with Congolese fans who celebrated his acknowledgment of his ancestral roots. <\/p>\n<p>The former world heavyweight champion met with President F\u00e9lix Tshisekedi as part of the commemoration of the 1974 bout between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman, one of the most historic fights in boxing history.<\/p>\n<p>The \u201cRumble in the Jungle,\u201d held on October 30, 1974, in Kinshasa (then Zaire), saw Muhammad Ali reclaim the heavyweight crown after knocking out George Foreman in the eighth round. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ghanaweb.com\/GhanaHomePage\/SportsArchive\/GFA-President-Kurt-Okraku-speaks-on-Nketiah-Odoi-saga-2006473\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">GFA President Kurt Okraku speaks on Nketiah-Odoi saga<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The event, promoted by Don King and financially backed by then-President Mobutu Sese Seko, was the first heavyweight title fight staged on African soil.<\/p>\n<p>It became more than a sporting contest; it was a celebration of Black pride, African identity, and global unity.<\/p>\n<p>For Tyson, the visit was deeply personal. Recent genealogical research revealed that his maternal lineage traces back to the Congo, a discovery that has profoundly shaped his understanding of his identity. <\/p>\n<p>Speaking in Kinshasa, Tyson described his trip as a \u201cpilgrimage of connection,\u201d paying tribute to both Ali and Foreman while reflecting on Africa\u2019s role in shaping the global boxing narrative.<\/p>\n<p>As Kinshasa relived the spirit of 1974, Tyson\u2019s presence underscored how the \u201cRumble in the Jungle\u201d continues to inspire generations.<\/p>\n<p>FKA\/JE<\/p>\n<p>Dr Zanetor departs Jubilee House after notifying government of mother&#8217;s passing<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Tyson (with the Congo flag) paid a visit to Congo Boxing legend Mike Tyson received a hero\u2019s welcome&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":222836,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[2560,101,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-222835","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-boxing","8":"tag-boxing","9":"tag-sports","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom","12":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/222835","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=222835"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/222835\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/222836"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=222835"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=222835"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=222835"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}