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MA: I believe in the holy Koran. MA: Im defeating Americas so-called threats and enemies. Comment about George Foreman prior to the "Rumble in the Jungle" match, when referee Clayton warned Ali that if he didn't stop talking he would stop the fight. Even today, if my title hadnt been given back to me and I was in such poverty where I had to go and find a job, I would have done that. I noticed here the police do not have guns and do not hit people with sticks. Reading the book feels like sitting with Ali alone and hearing him answer all the questions you ever wanted to ask him. But America still dropping bombs. Age is whatever you think it is. Thats what the press call us because the history of Americans is to divide and conquer. THE ACTIVIST. Jaws been broke, been knocked down a couple of times, I'm bad! MA: Well, yes. Ali first met Malcolm X, Elijah Muhammad 's chief disciple at the time in Detroit in 1962. Where you psyche them out. Id had about 35 fights so I came up on this show. I'm the greatest thing that ever lived. The Viet Cong are not all bad. During the fight, he took all the punches that Foreman threw at him. Then I fought the rough Oscar Bonavena - the man who almost whooped Joe Frazier. I was lucky, from the age of 12 I had boxing talent and was good for my age. No good in him, no justice, he's gonna be destroyed! Even Floyd Paterson, who condemned my Islamic religion and didnt want to call me Muhammad Ali and said I shouldve gone to the army and I should be in jail. Muhammad Ali I am the greatest! I had to go to see what he would do - would he win or lose? I was 21 years old, I was the Olympic champion but I hadnt started talking yet. In The Greatest: My Own Story, Ali says, Its the repetition of affirmations that leads to belief. I was the one who heard the truth. Muhammad Ali, the silver-tongued boxer and civil rights champion who famously proclaimed himself "The Greatest" and then spent a lifetime living up to the billing, is dead. Theres people dancing on a ship. Life is like a ship. I dont talk no more. Right after a fight I run right to the dressing room and right to the mirror and make sure Im still, you know, presentable. She said, Listen, you quit saying that, boy. I was always curious. North East Kingdom's Best Variety pizza strips rhode island; spartanburg obituary 2020; 9 days novena to st anthony of padua pdf; . So anyway, I was always curious. That was my last fight before they took my title in Madison Square Gardens. Its a rough sport being punched on all the time. Our team is always happy in helping you deliver an experience. At two or three days later, a plane crash landed here. It was written by Gary Belkin, the man behind Ali's spoken-word album I Am the Greatest (1963). Like, when I speak I draw people in the States to teach them various things or to give them dignity, pride and self-help. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. England's people have never lynched us, raped us, castrated us, tarred and feathered us, burned us up, pulled our sockets apart, stick knives in pregnant women's stomachs, enslaved us, rob us of our names, our knowledge, our Elijah Mohammad's been preaching that the white man of America God taught him is the blue-eyed, blond-headed Devil! But the people didnt know. But I dont control the aeroplane or the pilot. The fight went 15 rounds, with Ali winning through a unanimous decision. James Ellis was in a critical state after the fight and I pulled offa him. In Hiroshima werent bad but they still dropped the bomb. With a champ like Liston, things had to be dreary. And Id have whooped the world for America. Just last week, I murdered a rock, injured a stone, hospitalized a brick. I'm so mean I make medicine sick! July 2nd, 1964 President Lyndon Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of 1964. I was in a Broadway musical called Big Time Buck Wright. I have wrestled with an alligator. ", "At home I am a nice guy but I don't want the world to know. And the first thing they ask me is, why do you call yourselves black Muslims?. Robert Riger/Getty Images. MP: But I remember one fight I saw, I think you gave him a real going over, I think it was Zora Folley? Islam is not a killer religion. Boxing is a stepping stone just to introduce me to the audience. When you say separation, what youre saying is that black people must do something for themselves and not always beg white people to move in to their neighbourhoods. This boldness in telling the truth overshadows sport greatly. As you said, the black Muslim movement. MA: Im nervous but not scared. I cant tell you. Muhammad Ali, read by his wife, Lonnie Ali. But the first place that well rise will be the black people of America, and then the rest of them will. \$0__`x~:MC?eb-3J _P4qRM.rJd=/M/8g~0i&1?Ap_d$:e[}@WVU6a(Biac)Qe~uKMuDG/GGCyJxO4vFfa;|MtwXx@4`l[EPZ0,'BlX Is Poland considered a Communist country? Were not trying to take power away or rule anybody - were just trying to get up from under the rulers. Its been declared a pacifist movement. One punch. Be selfless. They all got different cultures. Englishmen can come and set up a business in white America and do things I cant do. Im standing so proud. People have been saying, for years, youre on of the most attractive men in the world. And once that belief becomes a deep conviction, things begin to happen. He believed without a doubt that he was the best fighter of all time, and he even pushed this belief upon his opponents. So I wrote a poem and Im going to close with this: Get all the boxing & MMA updates you need with our Mirror Fighting email update - sign up here. And once that belief becomes a deep conviction, things begin to happen." He believed without a doubt that he was the best fighter of all time, and he even pushed this belief upon his opponents. Ali was not the tallest boxer, nor was he as bulky as most other boxers of his time, his punches were not the strongest, but he was still the best fighter of his time. Then I was on Joe Frazier. All the beautiful brown women in America, beautiful sun tans, beautiful shapes, all types of complexions, but she always was white. No features or nothing distorted, like him. And Im sure no intelligent white person watching this show, in his or her right white mind, want black men and women marrying their white sons and daughters and in return introducing their grandchildren to half brown, kinky haired black people. Now we will fight, but we will not go looking to start one. I see the cameras and I see millions of people. And if I hurt my man Im going to let him go and Im not going to kill him just because somebodys watching. You saying God made you. All rights reserved. MA: Listen, bluebirds fly with bluebirds. In the early 1970s Muhammad Ali fought for the heavyweight title against George Foreman. He added lots of faith and he stirred it up well. MA: What do you mean pacifist. Have you always had this gift, thinking right back? But when one man of popularity can let the world know the problem, he might lose a few dollars himself. MP: What plans do you have for the future now - apart from fighting? You can do what you want. I beat people up. The three-time World Heavyweight Champion boxer died this evening," Bob Gunnell . I saw this white man swinging around Africa with a diaper on, hollering. He dont say nothing. A lot of Catholics want to marry Catholics because the want their religion to stay the same. If you attack me, Im not in no foolish movement. Muhammad Ali, original name Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr., (born January 17, 1942, Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.died June 3, 2016, Scottsdale, Arizona), American professional boxer and social activist. That wed see the launching of a coloured satellite. I knowyou've got him. But usually m on the spot with my predictions and some people really gamble and bet money on the rounds I say. Real conceited and arrogant. Nicknamed The Greatest, he is widely regarded as one of the most significant and celebrated figures of the 20th century and as one of the greatest boxers in history. Ali died Friday. Are you fearless? Known to be one of the greatest speakers to walk this earth, he used confidence, passion, and rhyming verse to communicate his points. You can tape this show and play it right in Washington and let Nixon hear it. I dont have no trouble like that. He retired in 1981 and became active in humanitarian causes, including goodwill missions to Afghanistan, North Korea, and Cuba. I want to give him a shot at it. I am beautiful. I won three days, I fought for this country in Rome, I won the gold medal, and Im going to eat.. And then this is when I knew something was wrong. And he threw a jab, and thats what did it. Because you said to me Frazier was under intensive treatment. I said, Man, I know Im going to get my people freedom. The key thing to remember about the worlds captivation with Ali is that he truly fought for the world and not himself. ". God made us different. MP: No no. We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. In 1971 the boxing legend sat and chatted to Michael Parkinson about his career, his beliefs and his poetry. At a press conference before Ali vs. Frazier 1: I predict that when i meet Joe Frazier. And throw thunder in jail. And yet to more people who care little about sport and even less about politics, hes one of the worlds great entertainer. And this is happening all over the world. To be a great champion you must believe you are the best. MA: They dont have intelligence, and yet they stay together. MP: Were you in a gang as a kid - were you running with a gang? Im not that big of a fool. Imma show you, how great I am. And the Africans have been there for centuries and they cant talk to the animals. Now Ali lands to the right. I know you got him, I know you've got him . Photo of Muhammad and Lonnie Ali courtesy Celebrity Fight Night. Ali recognizes that for all the horror of slavery, it was the transmission belt that brought Africans into the orbit of Western freedom. Too dangerous. Impossible is temporary. We owe Ali for teaching us these very important lessons. I did not use the word pacifist. What's really hurting me, the name Islam is involved, and Muslim is involved and causing trouble and starting hate and violence. Selflessness and vulnerability will get people to listen. He is also often regarded as one of 'the greatest' athletes to have ever existed. This book is for the people who looked up to Muhammad, adored him, adulated him, emulated him and will always do so. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. I am a champion - the greatest speech ever [ENG SUB] Champion Quotes - "I hated every minute of training, but I said, 'Don't quit. Muhammad Ali, considered to be the greatest heavyweight boxer, died late Friday night in a Phoenix-area hospital at 74 years old. And when Gorgeous George came down the aisle he had these two blonde beautiful girls carrying his robe so it wouldnt get dirty. No athlete embodies this better than Ali. MA: Let me tell you, when I was a kid I got mad enough to want to kill somebody but as you travel the world and Im struggling with a freedom fight against nations, you cant get enough hate in you to be mad at one man just because its a boxing match. ", "It's just a job. MP: I believe you when you say you dont hate anybody. Impossible is not a fact. MA: I have one more poem about your show. Never. Whys he so nice to me now? Thats how they tried to cut off all my brothers in the rest of the world and divide us in America and make other Muslims think that we are not with them. Or a great man will be assassinated. MP: When you were 12 and in your early teens, did you imagine yourself to be World Champion? The slaves were not better offthe boat Ali refers to brought the slaves through a horrific Middle Passage to a life of painful servitudeyet their descendants today, even if they won't admit it, are better off. Betting against me is completely absurd. Interview with Michael Parkinson (1974), quoted by Adam Lusher in ". No woman can really identify with me and the way I act and the way I talk. Grease that skillet. That's bad! The buzzard like to fly in the desert. Muhammad Ali: 'Your real self is inside you, because your body gets old' - 1977 July 1977, Newcastle, UK Young boy: Muhammad, I'd like to know what you are going to do when you retire from boxing. I was baptized when I was twelve, but I didn't know what I was doing. 1942-2016: Muhammad Ali's Life in Pictures, Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion, Muhammad Ali Remembers the Rumble in the Jungle, Muhammad Ali Jabs at Donald Trump After Muslim Exclusion Plan, "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. This will be like a kid out of the Olympics meeting the fastest heavyweight champion who ever lived. So who is this second class citizen because they do alright? Somebody say, ssshh!. He had previously lost against Ken Norton and Joe Frazier, and many thought that his career was coming to an end, but Ali knew that this was not the case. Muhammad Ali. So I can beat Joe Frazier singing. And all of the Africans, hes beating them up and breaking the lions jaw, and heres Tarzan, talking to the animals. Three bouts. Muhammad Ali was not only a boxing champion, he was a championship talker. MP: How do you travel when youre in the States then? Im not crying. The government wanted him to. His reach is longer than George's. Like how would a Chinese look named Robert Smith? Usain Bolts speed, Michael Jordans jump or Muhammad Alis dominance. My name is known in Serbia, Pakistan, Morocco. Look at the kid carry the fight. There were a few little street gangs sitting in the spotlights at night time - talking and playing marbles. Ali knew how to captivate his global audience through his words and actions both in and out of the ring. MA: Right. One fella was going for a rock and another was picking up a stick and there wasnt no referees or judges and I got out of there real quick. MP: Theres talk of a rematch with Frazier and anyone who saw the first fight Im sure theyll want to see because it was a great fights - one of the best Ive ever seen. So many people of all races and nationalities. I just won the gold medal and I couldnt eat downtown. Music legend John Legend reads Muhammad Ali's speech against the Vietnam War in 1966. Just the idea of me, a humble fella from Kentucky, lucky in sports and now heres the house and the fight was piped in to places like Thailand in the government house, and Arabian officials took time off just to watch two men boxing. Santa Claus was white and everything bad was black. Muhammad Ali - one of the most well-known athletes to have walked this earth. Im not trying to get power over white. I mean, Im proud, and Islam did it. Like when youre in a car, when someones turning corners and youre kinda on the edge and watching. The man best known as Muhammad Ali was born Cassius Clay Jr. in Louisville, Kentucky. MA: If Im attacked, fight like hell. America. "Muhammad Ali shook up the world. So, like Floyd Paterson and other fighters, they just dont take part. I am great! I'm so mean, I make medicine sick. I missed four but I predicted, which is almost a miracle. June 29, . People like Tom Jones and Elvis Presley - Im not nothing like that. He took one quart of laughter, one pinch of concern, and then, he mix willingness with happiness, he added lots of faith, and he stired it up well, then he spreads it over his span of a lifetime, and he served it to each and every deserving person he met. But Im sure a lot of them would. I won the Olympic gold medal in Rome, Italy. Malcolm X is credited with playing a critical role in the evolution of Ali's religious views by steering him towards the Nation of Islam. MP: Have you never lost your temper in the ring and really wanted to kill the guy? On training, as quoted by Pete Axthelm and Peter Bonventre in "Ali: Born Again!,". Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr., grew up in the American . Now you see me, now you don't. George thinks he will, but I know he won't. "I am the greatest, I said that even before I knew I was.". So now Im going to forget the 400 years of lynching and killing raping and depriving my people feeding of justice and equality and the lowest of low last respect and Im going to look at two or three white people who are trying to do right and dont see the other million who are trying to kill me? Cos the war got unpopular and so many black militants were trying to do all they could. Its the saddest country. I was training for a fella called named of Duke Sabedong - he was Hawaiian fighter and a giant about 6 feet 8 inches tall. My conscience won't let me go shoot my brother, or some darker people, or some poor hungry people in the mud for big powerful America. Muhammad Ali - "The Greatest ". Wouldnt it make more sense, and cause less pain all round in this battle, if it was integration rather than separatism. Live with heart. And when a pilot says its going to be bad, its going to be rough. Not only do I knock 'em out, I pick the round. Special thanks to the Muhammad Ali Center, an international education center Boxing is good for the livelihood but mainly, money dont really mean nothing - cos I proved that by gave up the title, not knowing that I wouldnt be back for four years. What about other black athletes - in particular Floyd Paterson. With the help Yahoo! And when I heard it, Ive been free ever since. They prowl the streets day and night - they shooting, hitting, its crazy. Muhammad Ali turns 70 today and the boxing legend has his fair share of memorable quotes. Read more:Muhammad Ali had a 50 year love affair with Britain and he always felt like one of us. I do more than that in training. MP: What about also being a champion, a thing that Ive often wondered about, do you get people coming up to you and wanting to take a swing at you? Because the people who actually saw the Joe Frazier Muhammad Ali fight, they saw me win at least nine rounds - the people who know boxing. Why do you reject integration? I've tussled with a whale. His agility was impressive, but what was most impressive was his confidence in himself. Ali replied, "Thank God my granddaddy got on that boat!" Here he is in all his splendour. MP: Can I put this to you though? I dont have to do that no more. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. I fought Jerry Quarry, gave him a chance. You've been unconscious for about 8 years if you're 30 years old.". 17 September 1974, Waldorf Astoria, New York, USA. They love their little slant eyed, pale brown skinned babies. I came on after him and he was talking about, I am the prettiest wrestler. And hes sitting there all dressed up with his beer and ha ha ha ha ha and theyre just fighting. Im just going to win on points. And I lost the eleventh round - he shook me pretty good. He kept repeating to himself and anybody that would listen that he was the greatest of all time. Im not involved in a power struggle between black and white. Most people would equate this success to the countless hours of training or an innate talent that these athletes were born with. And you George Foreman, all you chumps are going to bow when I whup him. He goes into detail about the strategy he devised to totally psych out champion Sonny Liston before their first fight. This kid's gonna be somebody better than anybody I ever knew. In The Greatest: My Own Story, Ali says, "It's the repetition of affirmations that leads to belief. MP: To lighten it a little but away from the political thing for a while, I saw a picture of you in the paper two days ago cornered by a group of fans, mainly women, in the supermarket. The special . More interest. Islam means peace, I couldn't just sit home and watch people label Muslims as the reason for this problem. Im getting more praise and credit for doing what Im doing now on this show than coming here and beating five of your English champions. Then the publicity after the fight said he had to spend four weeks in intensive treatment at the hospital he took such a terrible whooping. In this poem, Clay showcases his extraordinary poetic skills delivering lines that rhyme and are memorable. Repeat that question. Celebrate the life of Muhammad Ali in these 200-plus pages of images, quotes, and tributes to the . It's just a job. I wanna tell you something. THE MAN. MA: A couple. He won the gold medal at the 1960 Rome Olympics and later went on to win the world heavyweight championship three times. MUHAMMAD ALI 1975 speech (HARVARD UNIVERSITY) Watch on. Boxings a rough sport and you get hit a lot. Impossible is not a fact. Its an opinion. How would a German look named Edward Goldberg? I had something to do, which most kids really need. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. Then he settles into an amazing answer. I dont do that. Yes No View Results Crowdsignal.com Video unavailable Watch on YouTube Watch on MA: During my time, my era, things have changed. Read more quotes from Muhammad Ali. But people talk about fighters dying and how brutal it is. 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MP: I think thats a philosophy of despair. This example of perseverance in the face of impossible odds is a beautiful analogy to what happens in our lives. Ali won via 15th round unanimous decision. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. Gene Tunney was a great. I mean, if hes crazy enough Ill give him a chance. All kinds of things set us back, but life goes on. HE WAS GONNA KILL ME! All this is going through my mind. They dont speak their language, theyre just mentally dead. We had a local TV show called Tomorrows Champions, which comes on in Louisville in Kentucky every Friday at six oclock. <>>> Those rattle snakes didnt want to bite me and I knew they were good. Following are some quotations from Ali, who died on Friday at 74: RELATED: Key Fights in Muhammad Ali's Career, Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters. And still, the heavyweight champion of the whole world, Cassius Clay. This was a way of working off your nerves, like you did with Liston and indeed all the people you fight. He put in a book how bad he felt that he had let down Frank Sinatra. The second, after Nixon. How do you feel about Hitler sharing yours? ALI: For I am the man this poem is about, the next champ of the world, there isn't a doubt. Listen. What did I do? Those who ever come in to prominence. Like Joe Lewis was one of the greatest fist fighters but didnt have the foot work. The man who annihilated Floyd Patterson twice. MA: Black and whites, how? So when you ask God for a gift, be thankful if sends not diamonds, pearls or riches but the love of real true friends. Im still the same everything. MA: Oh were much different. A new four-part documentary series by Ken Burns paints a sweeping portrait of a man whose life intersected with many of modern America's most profound changes. I pulled off him deliberately, blood pumping and gushing. And he ran off the show. endobj Written by copywriter Aimee Lehto for a series of Adidas ads in which this was superimposed over stills of various figures, including Muhammad Ali. On June 3, 2016, the world lost a champion in Muhammad Ali. And this is what I plan to do after Im through fighting - working with nothing but the people, the little people in the alleys: the downtrodden people, going out and helping them with my image. Theres a lot of money on the ship, but I cannot integrate on the ship or get equality on the ship. MA: Yeah, hes OK now. People got lives to live, bills to pay, mouths to feed. They went into an African prison and shot 35 brothers of mine - I knew most of them - they killed them outright they had no weapons. The little ugly duckling was the black duck, and the black cat was the bad luck. 4 0 obj Responding to a press conference question as to whether he was a "card-carrying" member of the. You couldnt get Joe Frazier or no boxer on this show and get interest in a subject like this. I am the greatest! Muhammad Ali: 'That's right. Fighter.. Giver.. Believer.. Only a few words that define Muhammad . So number one comes freedom first for my people and equality. Im sad because I want to bow out of my race and leave my beautiful identity? The fella had a little boy beside him and a lady. Designing and delivering experiences through Presentation Design, Presentation Training, and Video Production. Ive always been one to Im not just a boxer. I done handcuffed lightning, thrown thunder in jail. I call him Muhammad Ali 'cause that's what he wants. 08:19Play. I really do. Because right now black people are at home shouting at home jumping because they dont have the nerve to say what Im saying and nobodys never said it. MP: Can I ask you, you see your place very clearly as an athlete and this particular dispute weve been talking about. And I always wondered why I had to die to go to Heaven. I don't want to marry a white woman. I Am Still The Greatest. MA: No. Whatever the case, one thing's for sure: only Ali could truly deliver it. Subscribe to Iconic: http://bit.ly/zVEuIYMuhammad Ali makes his legendary 'I Am The Greatest' speech to reporters ahead of his 1964 world title bout with Son. I respected him then, and I respect him now. And if I threaten you, Im going to blackmail you. MP: Are you able to say how you might have managed against some of the great ones of the past? If I was still in Louisville, Kentucky and never was a boxer I still might get killed next week in some kind of freedom struggle and youd ever hear the news. I want everybody out there to know. And theyre just so happy to see a black man who will stand up and jeopardise every quart hes got to tell the truth. Could I first start of by asking you, youve been the champion of the world three times, and youre now the ex champion, do you feel that people are treating you differently now that you are the one-time champion? Only last week I murdered a rock, injured a stone, hospitalised a brick! But the man's in trouble. Muhammad Ali listens to a Nation of Islam speech at Chicago's Coliseum in 1968. . Wer not going to be the aggressor. I want everyone to bear witness, I am the greatest! When you were a kid in Louisville, did you get involved in fist fights and things like that? On George Foreman and the "Rumble in the Jungle", "Muhammad Ali was also great for civil rights" by Mark Wiedmer, in, Ali: The Official Portrait of "The Greatest" of All Time, Muhammad Ali In His Own Words: Six of His Best Quotes to Live By, 'The white man is the devil' what the Nation of Islam taught Muhammad Ali, Presidential Candidates Proposing to Ban Muslim Immigration to the United States, David Frost interviews Muhammad Ali (video clip), "When Clay shook up the world" (24 February 2004), Regarding the Vietnam War and conscription (1967), The Soul of a Butterfly: Reflections on Life's Journey, "Cassius Clay Booed As He Gets Decision Over Jones; No More Forecasts", "'Living legend' still commands respect of peers" by Andrew Baker in, https://en.wikiquote.org/w/index.php?title=Muhammad_Ali&oldid=3210825, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.