Sporting Witness

In October 1974 one of the greatest boxing matches of all time took place in Zaire.Muhammad Ali and George Foreman fought for the Heavyweight Championship of the World.The President of Zaire, Mobutu Sese Seko had paid them millions of dollars to travel to Africa.Jerry Izenberg, who covered the contest as a reporter for The New Jersey Star Ledger, told Chloe Hadjimatheou his memories of possibly the most iconic bout in the sport's history. Muhammad Ali died aged 74 on 3 June 2016. George Foreman died aged 76 on 21 March 2025.Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive and testimony. Sporting Witness is for those fascinated by sporting history. We take you to the events that have shaped the sports world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes, you become a fan in the stands as we take you back in time to examine memorable victories and agonising defeats from all over the world. You’ll hear from people who have achieved sporting immortality, or those who were there as incredible sporting moments unfolded.Recent episodes explore the forgotten football Women’s World Cup, the plasterer who fought a boxing legend, international football’s biggest ever beating and the man who swam the Amazon river. We look at the lives of some of the most famous F1 drivers, tennis players and athletes as well as people who’ve had ground-breaking impact in their chosen sporting field, including: the most decorated Paralympian, the woman who was the number 1 squash player in the world for nine years, and the first figure skater to wear a hijab. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the tennis player who escaped the Nazis, how a man finally beat a horse in a race, and how the Fifa computer game was created.(Fight archive courtesy of ESPN)(Photo: Rumble in the Jungle. Credit: AFP/Getty Images)

In 1995, there were wild celebrations across the racial divide in South Africa when the Springboks won the Rugby World Cup on home soil.Victory on the pitch followed a concerted campaign by Nelson Mandela - then the new president - to get white and black South Africans behind the team.Rob Bonnett hears from the South African captain Francois Pienaar and from John Carlin, the author of the book about the World Cup which became the Hollywood film, Invictus.Photo: Nelson Mandela presents the Rugby World Cup to Francois Pienaar. Getty Images Sport.

In 2004, the Boston Red Sox - one of the most popular sports teams in America - won the baseball World Series for the first time in 86 years.On the way to victory, they had to defeat their deadly rivals, the New York Yankees, and end the so-called 'Curse of the Bambino.Tim Mansel talks to Red Sox fan, John McSheffrey.PHOTO: The Red Sox celebrate their win. (GETTY IMAGES SPORT)

The story of Africa's greatest Olympic sprinter.We hear from the man himself about his four silver medals for Namibia - and why he never made it to gold.

The first Paralympics were held in Rome in 1960.Margaret Maughan was a member of the British team - and won the UK's first Paralympic gold medal for archery.Photo: Margaret competing at a later date. (This programme was first broadcast last year - 2010)

In 1983, the Australian yachting team made history by winning the America's Cup - the biggest prize in the sport.They defeated the Americans for the first time in 132 years.Witness speaks to the Australian skipper, John Bertrand.Photo: John Bertrand at the helm of Australia II (Getty Images Sport).

Louise Hidalgo hears from Israeli athletes who lived through the darkest day in Olympic History - the shootings at the 1972 Munich Olympics.Photo: A German policeman on patrol after the shootings (Hutton Archive/Getty Images).

In 1912, the Native American athlete, Jim Thorpe, stunned the world by winning both the decathlon and pentathlon at the Stockholm Olympics.Less than a year later, Thorpe was stripped of the medals in controversial circumstances. After struggling to make a living as a Hollywood extra, he ended up dying in poverty in a trailer park.Richard Fleming tells Jim Thorpe's incredible story, with contributions from his biographer, Kate Buford.PHOTO: Jim Thorpe, the track athelete. Courtesy of Cumberland County Historical Society.

In the 1960s, American athlete Dick Fosbury revolutionised high-jumping by inventing the 'Fosbury flop'. Instead of diving or scissor-kicking over the high-jump bar, Fosbury floated across on his back. He went on to win a gold medal at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City.In 2011, Alan Johnston spoke to Dick Fosbury for Sporting Witness.Image: Dick Fosbury's winning leap at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics (Credit: Bettmann/Getty Images)

In 1950, victory in a test match at Lord's made the West Indies a force in international cricket for the first time.The win sparked wild celebrations among the newly-arrived West Indian immigrant community in England.Tim Mansel talks to the late Sir Clyde Walcott, who scored a century in the game, and to West Indian cricket fans.PHOTO: Sir Clyde Walcott (centre) and his West Indies team-mates. Getty Images

At the 1956 Olympics, political tension between Hungary and the Soviet Union boiled over during the water polo semi-final.The confrontation became known as the 'Blood in the Water' match.Witness speaks to Ervin Zador, the star player on the Hungarian side.This programme first broadcast in August 2011. Picture: Ervin Zador, Credit: AFP/Getty Images

As Manchester United prepare to defend their Premier League title, Sporting Witness looks back to Sir Alex Ferguson's early years in management at Scottish club, Aberdeen.Former Aberdeen assistant manager Archie Knox, and former midfielder Neale Cooper, remember how Ferguson's unique style turned perennial under-achievers into European champions in 1983.The success made Sir Alex Ferguson's reputation and put him on the road to Manchester United.PHOTO: Alex Ferguson and Archie Knox with the European Cup Winner's Cup (Courtesy Aberdeen F.C.)

The Scottish sprinter Eric Liddell, is famous for refusing to run on a Sunday in the Paris Olympics of 1924.But, as depicted in the film Chariots of Fire, he went on to win Gold in a different event - the 400 metres.After the Olympics, Eric Liddell became a Christian missionary in China, where he died in an internment camp during World War II.Sporting Witness tells the extraordinary story of Eric Liddell's life using archive material and an interview with Steve Metcalf, a survivor from the camp.PHOTO: Getty Images

The Romanian gymnast, Nadia Comaneci, recalls how in 1976 at 14 years old she achieved a 'perfect 10' - a perfect score from all the judges - for the uneven bars at the Montreal Olympics. This was the first time this had happened at any Olympics games. She went on to become a worldwide star and a heroine in communist Romania. Nadia talks about how she was discovered by her coaches Bela and Marta Karolyi.Presented by Madeleine Morris. This programme first broadcast in July 2011. Picture: AFP/Getty Images