MY DAD was excitedly rousing us. ”He won! He won!” I didn’t need to hear the next line from my dad, “Ali won.” At least that’s the memory I have of dad waking us up on Halloween morning 1974.

It’s a strong memory — whether real or not — that my dad would have woken me, my brother and my sister up with the news that Muhammad Ali had performed the miracle of defeating George Foreman to win back the Heavyweight Championship of the World.

What I know for sure is that “Big George” Foreman, who joined the ancestors last week, will always be remembered in relation to his part in the so-called Rumble in the Jungle.

I remember the genuine fear held by many people at the time that Ali, seven years older than Foreman, was in mortal danger against the seemingly huge, powerful and invincible champion.

Ali was the hero of every black person I had ever met at that time. He was also hated by virtually every white person I can remember! He was loud and brash but could back it up.

I was feeling blacker than I had ever done before weeks after my mom, brother, sister and I had visited Jamaica. It was the first time us kids had ever been to the island. I was — as now — black and very proud.

Much of that pride came from Muhammad Ali.

Ali was the champion who refused to go do his duty and fight for his country in Vietnam. They stripped him of sport’s then biggest prize because of what was regarded as his uppity arrogance and treachery.

Many white people I knew seem to feel that if it took another black man to bring down “loudmouth” Ali then so be it!

Foreman was huge, but contrary to the way it has often been portrayed, stood just an inch taller than Ali.

But Foreman, aged 25, was all muscle and power while Ali was speed and ability. Foreman had never lost in 40 professional fights — with 37 knockouts — while Ali at 32 had lost twice in 44 bouts.

Foreman was born in Marshall, Texas, but raised in Houston. In a troubled youth Foreman eventually dropped out of school and turned to crime.

Big George eventually took up amateur boxing and went on to win a gold medal as a heavyweight in the 1968 Mexico Olympics.

These Olympics were of course famous for the Black Power salutes by Tommy Smith and John Carlos during the medal ceremony of the men’s 200 metres.

No such controversy for Foreman. There are numerous pictures of him waving a tiny US flag after his victory over Ionas Chepulis of the Soviet Union some 10 days after the Black Power controversy.

The victory, of course, also took place just a few months after the murder of civil rights leader Dr Martin Luther King Jr in Memphis, Tennessee.

So not only was this a “Cold War” victory but it was also taking place in the wake of uprisings by US blacks reacting to the murder of Dr King.

Some have tried to suggest that Foreman’s waving of the flag undermined Smith and Carlos.

Foreman later said: “I had a lot of flak. In those days, nobody was applauded for being patriotic. The whole world was protesting something. But if I had to do it all again. I’d have waved two flags.”

Carlos dismissed the criticism of Foreman.

He told Democracy Now’s Amy Goodman: “You know, a lot of people on the left thought, ‘Oh, George, he disrespected us,’ or ‘he hurt us,’ or ‘he didn’t stand up for us.’ Totally wrong. George was a tremendous individual during that time in ’68, and he’s even greater in life today.”

After turning professional in 1969 he went on to win the world heavyweight title with a stunning two-round demolition of the then undefeated Joe Frazier in 1973.

He defended the belt twice in ruthless fashion before heading to Kinshasa, Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of Congo, to fight “The Greatest.”

Just 13 years earlier in 1961 Mobutu Sese Seko, the country’s authoritarian leader, had led a US and Belgian-manufactured coup against the Congo’s democratically elected prime minister Patrice Lumumba.

Mobutu offered to host the fight in the stadium named after the day he had seized power, the May 20 Stadium — personally offering Ali and Foreman $5 million (around £4 million) to take part. The money undoubtedly came straight out of the pockets of the Zairian people.

The fight was originally scheduled for September 25 (September 24 in the United States due to the difference in time zones). But, eight days before, Foreman was cut above his right eye during a sparring session.

The fight was pushed back five weeks to October 30.

Foreman, unlike Ali, was unable to connect with the people of Zaire. The film about the fight, When We Were Kings, shows Foreman arriving in Zaire and exiting the plane walking his two German Shepherds, the same dogs used by the Belgians during their brutal colonisation.

Ali, in contrast, was greeted with adoration on his arrival in Zaire. A chant was soon created which said, “Ali boma ye,” translating “Ali, kill him.” It’s unclear whether Ali came up with the chant.

When the fight eventually took place Ali upset all the odds by outfoxing Big George with his “rope a dope” tactic and knocked the champion out in round eight.

It was a defeat that Foreman openly admitted haunted him for many years.

Foreman later became an ordained Christian minister.

Ten years after losing to Ali he announced a comeback, and in 1994 at age 45 won the unified heavyweight title by knocking out Michael Moorer.

He became, at 46 years and 169 days old, the oldest heavyweight champion in boxing history.

He retired in 1997 at the age of 48, with a final record of 76 wins (68 knockouts) and five losses, one of the famous losses.

After getting over the shock of his loss Big George later became very close friends with Ali and went on to make a name for himself as an entrepreneur with his line of barbecue grills.

But his name is unlikely to ever be decoupled from that of Ali. The affection for which he was held in the black community and beyond grew over the years but he never achieved the love held for Ali.

However, Big George must be recognised for his achievements within the ring and for being part of one of the most famous sporting events of all time.

The ancestors welcomed Big George on March 21. I mourn his loss.