Description

The Rumble In The Jungle was one of the greatest sporting events of the 20th century. The heavyweight world championship fight took place on May 20, 1974, and saw the ‘unbeatable’ George Foreman go head-to-head with the older Muhammad Ali, and would go down in the records as was one of the biggest upsets in sporting history. Abbas, while documenting Mobutu’s Zaire, followed Ali throughout his training in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and captured the fights defining moments. Pictured here, Ali in the ring.

The choice was to think of oneself either as a photojournalist or an artist. It wasn’t out of humility that I called myself a photojournalist, but arrogance. I thought photojournalism was superior

Abbas
© Abbas | Magnum Photos

Abbas was an Iranian photographer transplanted to Paris. He dedicated himself to documenting the political and social life of societies in conflict.

In a career that spanned six decades, he covered wars and revolutions in Iran, Biafra, Bangladesh, Northern Ireland, Vietnam, the Middle East, Chile, Cuba, and South Africa during apartheid. He also documented life in Mexico over several years, and pursued a lifelong interest in religion and its intersection with society.

Most recently before his death, Abbas was working on documenting Judaism around the world. Abbas died in Paris on April 25, 2018. He was 74.

© Abbas | Magnum Photos

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