48. MUHAMMAD ALI: A true champion

48. MUHAMMAD ALI: A true champion:


Muhammad Ali series: PART 1, PART 2
By 1974, Ali had been back boxing for 3 years and had become ‘the people’s champion’ as popular opinion had turned against the Vietnam War and Ali was seen as a hero for standing up for his beliefs against the government. Although he had returned to boxing, he wasn’t the same fighter as before. He had lost his biggest advantage, his speed. However, he had proved he could take a punch. In his loss against Joe Frazier in the ‘Fight of the Century’, Ali was knocked down by an epic left hook that would kill you or me, but he got back up before the ref could even start counting. Ali was now winning his fights through smarts, endurance and sheer determination.
In 1974, Ali signed to fight the then Heavyweight Champ, George Foreman, and just like 10 years earlier against Sonny Liston, no one gave Ali a chance. Foreman had just annihilated two fighters that had beaten Ali, (Frazier and Ken Norton) – and was younger, bigger, stronger and meaner than the 32-year-old Ali. The fight was held in Zaire, Africa, was billed as ‘The Rumble in the Jungle’ and is now one of sports most iconic events. Leading up to the fight, Ali had told everyone he was going to ‘dance’ around Foreman, but during the bout he used a plan that was either the bravest or stupidest strategy in boxing history. In what was later named the ‘rope-a-dope’, Ali leaned on the ropes and let Foreman use him as a human punching bag. I repeat: Ali let the world’s strongest and most fearsome puncher go to town on him for 8 rounds. Do you know how crazy/stupid/brave/dangerous that was?? By the eighth round, Foreman had tired himself out. Ali took advantage and delivered a combination of punches to produce the knockout victory. Ali had finally regained the title that had been taken away from him seven years earlier. The fight was broadcast around the world and by winning, Ali had become the most beloved and popular person on Earth.
In a perfect world, Ali would have retired after that fight, but instead kept on boxing for another seven years. During these later fights, Ali took many brutal beatings (including the Thrilla in Manilla in 1975, where Ali and Frazier pretty much killed each other in the ring), and thousands of punches to the head. He now suffers from Parkinsons Syndrome, but even though his motor skills have deteriorated, his mental state is unaffected. He remains deeply devoted to Islam (he converted to the more orthodox Sunni Islam in 1975), and lives a peaceful life with his fourth wife, Lonnie Ali.
- The story of ‘The Rumble in the Jungle’ is told in the brilliant, Oscar-winning documentary When We Were Kings. I highly highly highly recommend it – it’s free on YouTube so go watch it right now. Seriously, even if you don’t like boxing, it’s just a brilliant film.

- Hunter S. Thompson was in Zaire to cover the fight for Rolling Stone. Instead of going to the stadium to see the bout, he stayed at his hotel and got drunk in the swimming pool. He didn’t file any story.

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47. MUHAMMAD ALI: I know the truth

47. MUHAMMAD ALI: I know the truth:


Muhammad Ali series: PART ONE
When Cassius Clay became Heavyweight Champ in 1964 he was already disliked by almost everyone. American’s didn’t like the way he bragged, went on and on about how he was so handsome and the greatest boxer ever. Nobody likes a showboat, right? Even after he dominated Sonny Liston, people didn’t take it seriously because Liston quit and wasn’t knocked down. The fight must have been fixed they said.
The perception went from dislike to contempt when Clay announced he was a member of the Nation of Islam the day after his victory. The Nation of Islam was considered a black, extremist hate group that preached for African-American independence by any means necessary. At the time when Martin Luther King was fighting for integration, the Nation of Islam was for complete separation. Rumours were already being spread about Clay’s involvement with the Nation when their most public figure and probably the most feared man in the country, Malcolm X, was seen hanging around Clay before the Liston fight.
It went from contempt to pure hatred when, a few days later, Clay announced the Nation’s leader had given him a new name: Muhammad Ali. No one took Ali seriously and dismissed him as a joke. Everyone – journalists, sportscasters, fellow boxers – refused to call Ali by his new name and it took years before it was truly accepted.
What couldn’t be ignored however, was Ali’s brilliance in the ring.
From 1964-1967, Ali defended his title 9 times. He beat Liston in their rematch with his famous Phantom Punch in the first round. Again, the public weren’t convinced by the performance as Liston went down like a sack of potatoes from what seemed like an average punch. They were sure the fight was fixed. Even Ali screamed at Liston to get up because he knew that no one would believe it. But Ali proved himself over the next eight bouts with devastating displays of speed and power. These included what is considered his greatest display of skill against Cleveland Williams and the infamous “What’s my name?” fight against Ernie Terrell. Before the fight, Terrell refused to call Ali by his new name so Ali embarrassed and punished him during the fight, screaming “What’s my name?” between blows and deliberately prolonging the match over the full 15 rounds (here’s a great clip of their animosity towards each other and the fight itself).
Even though Ali was untouchable in the ring, things got much worse outside it when public perception towards him went from pure hatred to white-hot, murderous rage in 1967. That’s when he was deemed eligible for the draft into the United States Armed Forces for the Vietnam War. Upon hearing of this (after already taken and failed the Army entrance exam in 1964), Ali said his now famous statement that became news headlines around the world, “I ain’t got no quarrel with them Vietcong … they never called me ‘nigger’”. Ali refused to be drafted due to his religious principles and claimed ‘conscientious objector’ status. He wouldn’t have actually had to fight in the war and could have just toured Vietnam and boxed in exhibition matches for the troops, but Ali remained firm on his stance. It came to a head when he was called up for his induction meeting. Ali’s name would be called out and he would have to step forward to accept being drafted. Upon not stepping forward the first time he was warned that refusing the draft was a criminal act and he could be imprisoned. Ali acknowledged and again refused to take a step forward. He was taken away, indicted and was considered a draft-dodging coward by most of the country. (Ali being interviewed about not going to war.)
Before he was charged of a crime, let alone convicted, the boxing commissions stripped Ali of his title and he was no longer allowed to box at all. Two months later, he was sentenced to 5 years imprisonment and fined $10,000. Ali appealed, and the case spent years in the court system, during which time Ali wasn’t allowed to leave the country or box.
In total, it was over three years before Ali was allowed to fight again in 1971. THREE YEARS! This would have been Ali’s prime as fighter – who knows what brilliance we could have seen from him in those missing years? During his exile, Ali made money speaking at colleges around the country and became a hero to the counter-culture and civil rights movements. (Ali speaking at colleges.)
During all this time from 1964-1971, Ali never backed down on his religious beliefs and never preached violence or hatred – just empowerment for his fellow African-Americans. He maintained his dignity and integrity while sacrificing the heavyweight title he worked so hard for and millions of dollars in lost fight money. He became bigger than boxing.
BUT there’s still more to the Ali legend, much more. Come back on Tuesday to read the final Ali post!
- Check out this funny routine George Carlin did about the whole situation.
BUY THE PRINT

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