Short History Of... - Muhammad Ali

Episode Date: April 2, 2023

From the day he burst onto the scene, Muhammad Ali changed boxing history. But he also influenced the American civil rights movement, the perception of Islam, the view of the war in Vietnam, and the self-branding of athletes themselves. So how did his beliefs affect his career? What drove him to keep fighting for so long – even when boxing itself was taking away the gifts that made him famous? And was he really the greatest of all time? This is a Short History of Muhammad Ali. Written by Kate Harrison. With thanks to Jonathan Eig, writer of award-winning biography, Ali: A Life. For ad-free listening, exclusive content and early access to new episodes, join Noiser+. Now available for Apple and Android users. Click the Noiser+ banner on Apple or go to noiser.com/subscriptions to get started with a 7-day free trial. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It is the 25th of February 1964. At the convention hall in Miami Beach, journalists gather at the weigh-in for a boxing match. The reporter holds his notebook ready. The room is packed with officials and a few dozen other journalists in jackets and ties, smoking and speculating about the match ahead. To most, though, the outcome is a foregone conclusion. First, the reigning heavyweight champion Sonny Liston enters, wearing his satin robe. The ex-armed robber has a menacing presence and 15-inch fists that make the reporter wince.

He's the 8-to-1 favorite against a 22-year-old upstart known as the Louisville Lip. True to his nickname, the young pretender now strides in, already trash-talking his opponent. At 6'3", Cassius Clay has two inches on Liston, but weighs a little less. Next to the newsman, they both look like giants. Clay calls Liston ugly, a chump, a sucker. As he shrugs off his terry robe to be weighed, he can barely stand still. His eyes pop as he pulls faces like a schoolboy and keeps disrespecting Liston.

The title holder sneers, his pencil moustache twitching as he sticks up two fingers. Suddenly, Clay says he's ready to rumble right now, lunging at the champion. The reporters lift it off his feet as the whole press pack rears back. But when the sportswriters settle again, they scoff when the challenger claims he'll dispatch Liston in eight rounds. Clay's entourage restrain their fighter, but even the threat of a fine doesn't calm him

And when the doctor measures his blood pressure, it's off the scale The medic says he'll cancel the fight if the contender's heart doesn't stop racing Later, the reporter carries his portable typewriter into the main hall The familiar stink of cigarettes and sweat hits him as he takes up position ringside. He spots big names in the front row. Singer Sam Cooke, boxing legend Sugar Ray Robinson, activist Malcolm X. But the arena is half empty. The $250 tickets are the most expensive in boxing history. But who wants to pay that much for a short, brutal takedown? When Clay burst into the arena in his white shorts with red stripes,

some spectators applaud, but others boo. To the reporter, Clay seems more focused now, maybe because he fears he's only minutes from being knocked out, or worse. because he fears he's only minutes from being knocked out, or worse. TV cameras track to where the champ now enters. Liston moves slowly, like a prize bull, a hooded robe covering most of his powerful body. He doesn't make eye contact with Clay, and when the referee lays out the rules, they refuse to shake hands.

Round one. Clay is in a hurry, straight into the center of the ring. Liston lumbers forward to take him out, Round one. jab then picks up his pace as liston slows clay launches again and follows up with more and more punches to his opponent's head the reporter can't believe what just happened he glances at his colleagues they're almost as stunned as liston this is not going the way anyone had predicted and so it continues liston fights back but by the third round, Clay is in control, opening up a cut on his opponent's face. And though Clay falters when he complains something has burned his eyes, he lands combination after combination. Finally, after 18 minutes of fighting, Liston spits out his mouthguard when the bell is rung for round seven. It's over. Clay wins by a technical knockout as the hall erupts the victor races towards the journalists who doubted him yelling i shook up the

world but that's not all he shakes up Because the young man who calls himself the prettiest, the smartest, the greatest, isn't just here to upset things in the ring. He will influence the American civil rights movement, the perception of Islam, the view of the war in Vietnam, and the way athletes brand themselves. Only days after winning this fight, Cassius Clay would become Muhammad Ali. But who was he when the TV cameras were off? How was he shaped by his upbringing and the prejudice that deprived black Americans of equal rights? What drove him to keep fighting for so long,

even when boxing itself was taking away the gifts that made him famous? long, even when boxing itself was taking away the gifts that made him famous. And was he really the greatest of all time? I'm John Hopkins, and this is a short history of Muhammad Ali. Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. is born on the 17th of January 1942 in the city of Louisville, Kentucky. His father, Cassius Sr., works as a sign painter, and his mother, Odessa, is a housekeeper who cleans and cooks for white families. From the start, Cassius and his younger brother Rudy are affected by the racism that blights the lives of black people across the United States.

Jonathan Iger spent five years researching and interviewing people close to Muhammad Ali for his award-winning biography, A Life. JONATHAN IGER, ALI, ALUIDO, ALUIDO WAS VERY SEGREGATED AT THE TIME THAT ALI WAS GROWING UP. THE SCHOOLS WERE SEGREGATED BY LAW, AND THE NEIGHBORHOODS, THE PARKS WERE ALL SEGREGATED. HE GREW UP IN A WORLD VERY DIFFERENT FROM THE WHITE KIDS HIS SAME AGE GROWING UP ACROSS TOWN. The parks were all segregated. He grew up in a world very different from the white kids his same age growing up across town.

Cassius Clay grew up knowing what happened to black people who spoke out, for black people who dared to offend white people, for black people who dared to challenge the status quo. So Ali became very conscious of this, but also became resistant to it and began at a very early age asking his parents why it had to be this way. Why couldn't he do the same things in life that white kids could do? Why couldn't he be rich? And his parents, his father in particular, who was cynical and jaded and hurt by the

way he'd been treated, would tell him, forget it. You have no chance because you're black. Look at the color of your skin. That's all you need to know. And Ali, to his eternal credit, didn't accept that answer. He continued to try to push, even at an early age, even as a kid, as a teenager, began to push at those bounds of what society expected, of how they expected black people to behave. Even as an infant, the young Cassius is a force of nature. Aged just 18 months, his strong fists knock out his mother's front tooth as he reaches up from his crib.

He struggles at school, finding it hard to read and write because of undiagnosed dyslexia. But he's always a huge presence, the class joker craving attention. He needs an outlet for his energy and passions. And when he's just turned 12, he discovers what that outlet is. It's October 1954, and in downtown Louisville, two brothers are tearing around town on their prized red bicycle. The $60 bike was a present for Cassius, but his younger brother Rudy perches on the handlebars as they race a friend along the wide sidewalks of their hometown. Their parents couldn't afford a new bike for them both. Cassius breaks, pretending to throw his kid brother off, but really he doesn't mind Rudy sharing the glory. They love showing off the one new thing they've ever owned.

But as they turn onto 4th Street, the grey clouds that have been looming all afternoon suddenly start emptying rain onto the boys' heads. The road turns slippery, and Cassius skids to a halt. It's a good 20-minute journey home, and the weather's only getting worse, so they look for somewhere to shelter. Cassius spots people hurrying through the pillared entrance of the Grand Columbia Auditorium.

Cassius spots people hurrying through the pillared entrance of the Grand Columbia Auditorium. Outside, posters advertise a home show, demonstrating the latest mod cons from the modern 50s family. It sounds really boring, for the smell of popcorn makes Cassius hungry. Luckily, this event is open to African Americans, so the boys slip inside to see if they can find any free snacks while they dry off. When they've finally tried every food stall and the rains eased, the three boys step back outside. But the precious red bike has gone. Cassius stares at the spot where he left it. His father will be mad.

He has a history of lashing out, physically. The boys run a couple of blocks, looking for the red frame with its chrome fenders and white wall tires. Nothing. Angry now, Cassius races back into the hall, shouting about the theft, winding himself up into a rage. Someone suggests he goes to the police, and a hall official tells him a local cop, Joe Martin, is in the basement right now. Cassius takes the steps of the damp stairwell two at a time. He hears dull, rhythmic thumps and pushes open the door to find himself in a packed boxing gym. Kids his age and older pound heavy bags suspended from the low ceiling. Others are lifting weights or sparring with each other.

The stink of sweat almost makes his eyes water. Strangest of all, white and black kids are training together. He's watched boxing on TV, of course. Louisville people love the sport. But he never dreamed this was here. He's spellbound. Clay remembers why he came down here. He spots a balding white man.

That must be Joe Martin. Still raging at the thief who lifted his bike, he tells the cop what happened and how when he catches the thief, he'll whoop him. Martin laughs. Does Cassius even know how to fight? Surprised, Cassius shakes his head. The trainer makes him an offer. Why don't you know how to fight? Surprised, Cassius shakes his head. The trainer makes him an offer. Why don't you stick around to learn?

Cassius is too furious about his bike to take the offer seriously. But as he and his brother walk home, dreading their father's reaction, he can't get the sights or smells of the gym out of his head. When he sees Martin on local TV later, he does return to the Columbia gym. He throws himself into the sport with a passion. He starts a strict regime to boost his strength and endurance, replacing the sodas his friends drink with garlic water because he's heard it's great for blood pressure. He trains hard outside the gym too. Later,

reporters will love the story of how Clay races the bus to school each day. He didn't like to jog alone. He liked to jog with the bus so that the kids could shout at him out the window. And that says so much about Ali's personality that yes, he did want to get in shape, but he also wanted attention. He also wanted to be the class clown. He would jump up and grab onto the window and hang on the side of the bus for a block or two. He wanted to be the object of everyone's affection and attention. But in the gym, the new boxer doesn't stand out right away. He had some natural talent. He was very fast. He had incredible hand speed. He was very good at dodging punches, but he was not a natural boxer.

But he worked harder than anybody in the gym. And that was what Joe Martin always said when they asked him what was the key for Ali when so many other kids were in that gym who seemed to have similar abilities. And it was because Ali worked harder. Within a few years, he's winning amateur fights and tournaments. And then in 1960, he gets his biggest opportunity yet, the chance to compete at the Rome Olympics. Yet Ali almost turns it down. His fear of flying is so extreme that even when he can be coaxed onto a plane instead of taking long-distance buses, he travels wearing his own parachute. But his trainers convince him that the prestigious competition will be a shortcut to better professional fights. And ultimately, a shot at the heavyweight championship. Right from the moment he arrives at the Olympic compound, he charms his fellow athletes and the press.

Soon, reporters are dubbing him the king of the village. And when 18-year-old Clay beats 26-year-old Polish champion Zygierz Pietrzykowski in the final, he's all set. Ali was so happy, so proud of himself. He had that gold medal around his neck and he was not taking it off. He was sleeping with it. He was walking around the streets of Manhattan when he got back before he returned to Louisville,

just stopping people on the street saying, do you know who I am? Do you know who I am? For a kid from Louisville who was dyslexic and whose father was a house painter, a sign painter, suddenly to have people paying attention to him was just glorious. Later that year, Cassius Clay fights his first match as a pro in his hometown of Louisville. But the world of boxing is a shady one. The mafia dominates the sport, with many fighters taking the bait,

handing over a huge cut of their paychecks to get to the top. Clay, though, has a charisma that sets him apart, so the mobsters have him in their sights as someone to bring into their fold. But now, a group of businessmen from Ali's home city

get together to create an enticing alternative. He got what was probably the best deal any professional boxer had ever gotten in terms of finances, a group called the Louisville Sponsoring Group, a wealthy bunch of men from his hometown who often invested in things like racehorses just for the fun of rooting for their own horse and going to the Kentucky Derby and cheering for their horse, they decided to invest in Ali. And they pooled their money. They hired a trainer.

They paid all of his living and travel expenses and training expenses. And they paid him a weekly salary. Now, that's unheard of. Looking back on it, it's patronizing in some ways it's it's racist in some ways because these rich white men were treating him like another one of their horses or their investments but ali loved them and they treated him very well though clay's sponsors believe in him many reporters and boxing fans are turned off by his confidence not that he cares in fact courts controversy. He's decided all publicity

is good publicity after meeting the flamboyant wrestler Gorgeous George. The crowd loves to hate George, who curls his hair and wears perfume in the ring. But it's great box office. So Clay uses his own version of the tactic to get noticed. He realized that if it worked for a white guy, it would be even more effective for a black guy because Americans were already inclined to think poorly of black people. And if you had a loud mouth, you know, you were not just spoiled, you were not just cocky, you were an uppity N-word. And Ali would take advantage of that. He would say, this is going to work great for me because I'm going to get a much faster

shot at the heavyweight championship if people want to pay to see me. He starts making outrageous statements in his interviews and trash-talking his opponents. In 1963, he meets assistant trainer and cornerman Drew Brown, known to everyone as Bundini, who helps him to invent rhymes and catchphrases that stick in people's minds. This kid fights great. He's got speed and endurance. But if you sign to fight him, increase your insurance. This kid's got a left. This kid's got a right. If he hits you once, you're asleep for the night. This kid's got it right.

If he hits you once, you're asleep for the night. The confidence isn't unwarranted. Three years into his professional career, Clay has won each of his 20 matches and unprecedented attention from the press. Finally, in February 1964, age 22, he gets the chance to realize his ambition. He's lined up to challenge world heavyweight Sonny Liston. But as the night approaches, rumors grow about his involvement with the Nation of Islam. Though the American government classifies the movement as a terrorist cult, for many black people, including Clay, it offers the hope of a life without discrimination.

Ali had been introduced to the Nation of Islam while he was still in high school. He had come across someone selling the newspaper, Muhammad Speaks, and began to read it. His father had told him that black people were never going to get a fair shake in this country, and that he had no chance. The Nation of Islam agreed that white people were never going to give black people a fair chance, but that they could do something about it, that they could create their own businesses, that they could create their own schools, and eventually create their own nation, that they would break away from the United States. activists were saying, and it relied on the same kind of independence that boxing did. I think that's why he liked it. It was about discipline, and it was about self-control, and that we don't have to wait for the handouts. We don't have to wait for the white government to give us more power, to give us more rights. Though Clay has been seen with both the Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammad and Malcolm X,

the promoters of the big fight fear ticket sales will bomb if the connection is confirmed. The fixture might even be cancelled. Members of the Louisville sponsorship group warn their protégé that it could end his career. For now, everyone works to keep it quiet for as long as possible. And the match does go ahead. All set now. World heavyweight boxing title on the line. 31-year-old Sonny Liston, 22-year-old Cassius Clay, Sonny the champion, Cassius the challenger.

Sonny 218, Cassius 210.5, a 7.5-pound weight pool referee, the capable Barney Felix. Brought to you by Theater Network Television. brought to you by Theater Network Television. Clay's elegant footwork and incredibly fast punches demolish Liston's sledgehammer style. The champ refuses to come out of his corner to fight the seventh round. And Clay wins. It was probably the greatest upset in boxing history. When it was over, Ali reminded everybody that they didn't believe in him. And he's jumping all around the ring shouting, I told you, I told you, I'm the king of the world.

I shook up the world. He is just elated and reporters are all sort of covering themselves, trying to figure out how they missed this, how they failed to recognize that Ali could actually win this fight. But there's another shock to come next morning when Clay calls a press conference to address the rumors about his religious views and political affiliation. I believe this is kind of like the Declaration of Independence for black athletes in America. It's not just the Declaration of Independence for Ali because he says, yes, I am a member of the nation of Islam. Yes, I do believe in the teachings of Elijah Muhammad and I do believe in Allah and the white man's religion

is nothing to me. I can be what I want to be. I can do what I want to do. I can say what I want to say. You can't make me. And if you don't like it, tough, get used to it. And that would be bold by today's standards, but by 1960s standards, that was dynamite. Clay also announces he's decided to drop what he calls his slave name. From now on, he wants to be known as Cassius X. But his fame has prompted a power struggle within the Nation of Islam itself. Though its leader, Elijah Muhammad, opposes boxing and all sports, he can see Clay's PR potential.

So he gives his new convert a Muslim name, Muhammad Ali. The move pushes Malcolm X further out into the cold, and just one year later, he is assassinated at the age of 39. Ali's name change doesn't go down well with the press. Many reporters and commentators will keep calling him Cassius Clay for years to come. But Ali is now exactly where he's dreamed of being. Life is good for Ali. It's also complicated. He's the heavyweight champ. Money is pouring in.

He's still training hard for the next fight for a rematch with Sonny Liston, but he's fallen in love. He's declared his intention to marry this girl on the first date, and he has a brand new car. He's buying a home and a car for his parents back in Louisville. He is really feeling like the king of the world at this point and is eager to fight again because he loves the fight and he loves the money that comes with it. That money creates tension between his old sponsors and his new religious family.

The Nation of Islam will eventually take control of his earnings as Ali cuts ties with a Kentucky businessman, though it's something he'll always have mixed feelings about. But now, aged 24, he's in his athletic prime, fighting beautifully, seemingly unassailable. Though his brief first marriage to Sonji Roy has ended because she didn't want to follow an Islamic lifestyle, he's already met the woman who will become his second wife. The future looks bright. No one would have predicted

the next dramatic twist that will threaten everything the champion has worked for. It is 1966 and America is embroiled in the war in Vietnam. The US Army needs to lower standards to conscript more young men to go fight. Two years earlier, the dyslexic ali was ruled out of the draft after poor results in writing and spelling tests but now along with thousands of others he's called up anyway as soon as reporters find out they ask ali if he'll fight he says no i'm not going to that's that'd be stupid they can just take my money take the taxes

from my income and use that to buy some more tanks and bomber jets. And then he thinks about it a little bit longer and he says, you know what else? This is wrong. This country treats me like a second class citizen. I can't eat in restaurants in the South. I can't ride the buses. Why would I want to fight for a country that treats me that way?

No Viet Cong ever called me the N-word. Why would I want to fight them? Why would I want to kill a bunch of brown skin people in Asia for a country that treats me that way you know no Viet Cong ever called me the n-word why would I want to fight them why would I want to kill a bunch of brown-skinned people in Asia for a country that treats me like dirt and it's a really powerful eloquent statement that really opens a lot of eyes because black soldiers are dying in disproportionate numbers to white soldiers Ali also insists he objects to war because of his religion. But his decision puts him at odds with mainstream opinion in the US, where most people still support the war.

Ali's popularity hits a low point, and his career is in the crosshairs. If he refuses to enlist, he faces a ban from boxing. He must now make a choice that will change the course of his life. It is 8.15 a.m. on the 28th of April 1967. A cold morning mist blurs the tall buildings of central Houston. A young man carrying a brown duffel bag crosses San Jacinto Street heading for the old post office building. But he's not here to send mail. He's joining the U.S. military, and not out of choice.

Though plenty of guys he knows have fled to Canada or enrolled in college to avoid the draft, he believes it is his duty. Within weeks, he could be in a jungle facing the Viet Cong. As he lights a last cigarette before entering the porticoed building, anti-war demonstrators gather close by, shouting and holding up makeshift banners. There are press photographers, too, and TV camera crews. Now a taxi pulls up. The recruit's cigarette freezes on the way to his mouth as he recognizes the man getting out.

Cassius Clay. Or what does he call himself now? Muhammad Ali. He's seen the guy fight on TV, but Ali looks even more impressive in his blue satin suit and a striped tie with a tight knot. Ali can only be here to enlist, though the recruit is sure he refused the draft. His father cusses every time Ali is on TV, calling him a traitor. Reporters crowd around the boxer as the recruit checks the clock, stubs out his cigarette,

and heads into the building. But when he hauls his bag up the stairs to the third floor, he turns to see Ali just a few steps behind him. The boxer is empty-handed. Right now he's not rhyming or boasting about being the greatest. He looks as nervous as the recruit feels. They pass through a door and into an open hall, which smells of sweat and disinfectant.

There are two dozen inductees, and Ali must be one of the oldest. It's like a production line, forms to fill out, then an order to strip to their shorts for a medical. Ali's body looks superhuman compared to everyone else's. The world's most famous athlete, only inches away. As they wait around, one guy starts shadowboxing with Ali, and that breaks the ice. The champ throws precise punches that stop just short of their targets. He's funny and warm, telling them all about his biggest fights. After the medical, they sit down to eat together from the lunchboxes they're given.

The recruit notices how Ali leaves his ham sandwich. It's against his religion to eat pork. And to go to war. Just before one o'clock, all the inductees file into a crowded hall, ready for their service oath. All eyes are on Ali. Each time an officer calls out a name, another recruit steps forward, and that's it, he's enlisted. But when the officer says, Cassius Clay, Ali does nothing. Everyone freezes.

The officer approaches and sets out the penalty for refusing induction, as if Ali didn't already know. Up to five years in jail, a $10,000 fine. Ali nods to show he understands what's at stake the officer sighs he leads ali out of the room beyond the doors the recruit can hear the media shouting out questions but the inductees won't get to see the story on the news by the time the show goes out they're on the bus to start basic training to prepare them for vietnam They're on the bus to start basic training to prepare them for Vietnam.

Within hours, Ali is stripped of his license to fight in New York. Almost every other boxing commission follows suit. The World Boxing Association even takes back his heavyweight title. He thought his career might be over. He thought he might go to jail. And he said, I'd be willing to face the firing squad before I would go against the teachings of Elijah Muhammad. That's how sincere he was in his religious beliefs. He was willing to sacrifice everything for this. And he did give up millions of dollars. He gave up the prime years of his career. And he struggled to make a living for those three and a half years. He went on the lecture circuit. He spoke at college campuses. And in many ways, I think this is an important part of his life story because he helped radicalize a lot of college students. Universities are now a valuable source of income and a chance to expand on his reasons for saying no. people, not Vietcongs or Chinese or Japanese. You're my opposer when I want freedom. You're my opposer when I want justice. You're my opposer when I want equality. You won't even stand up for

me in America for my religious beliefs, and you want me to go somewhere and fight, but you won't even stand up for me here at home. Despite his public defiance at home, Ali is bored, restless, and short of money. He's now married to his second wife, Khalila, who has just given birth to their first child, Miriam. But fatherhood hasn't made Ali faithful. Ali didn't smoke, he didn't drink, he didn't do drugs, but he sure did womanize. He sure did mess around, and he was almost compulsive about it. I think that he couldn't resist. He would tell friends. He just wanted mess around and he was almost compulsive about it. I think that he couldn't

resist. He would tell friends. He just wanted to make women happy. I remember one guy told me that he and Ali were checking into a hotel and there were all these beautiful women waiting for Ali in the lobby. And Ali went up to his room and he didn't come back downstairs. And the guy went to check on Ali. What was going on? Why didn't he come back down? There were all these beautiful women in the lobby and Ali's in bed with the maid who's cleaning the room. And the guy says, Ali, there's all these fashion models in the lobby waiting for you. What are you doing? Why are you making out with a maid?

And Ali says, well, because she's going to remember this for the rest of her life. His wife called it an addiction. His wife, Khalilah, said he just could not help himself. He had no self-control in this department. And he hurt a lot of people as a result of it. I don't want to make light of it. And I'm glad that the wives have finally been able to tell their stories. It was tough for them and for the kids.

In 1970, Khalila gives birth to twins. While Ali is not a hands-on dad, earning money to support his growing family is a priority. As he continues working the lecture circuit, his lawyers are appealing his conviction. But he's still convinced he'll end up in jail. He's desperate to box again, and while the appeal progresses, his promoters manage to organize a fight in Georgia in 1970 against Jerry Quarry. But though he wins, after three years out of the ring, his performance has changed. He did not look like the same Ali. He'd gained a little weight, a few years had passed, and he wasn't the same boxer.

And this was something that would become really important because he began to take more punches. This guy who was almost impossible to hit was suddenly an easier target. And Ali discovered something that was both great and terrible. He discovered that he could take a punch, that he did not go down very easily, that you could hit him and he would stay on his feet. But it also meant that he was taking a lot of damage and taking blows to the head way more than he did earlier in his career. What Ali wants to do most

is win back his world heavyweight title. Because he had his title removed, he's still technically undefeated. But so is the reigning champ, Joe Frazier, a unique situation that makes the match unmissable for boxing fans. Promoters dub it the fight of the century. Scheduled for March 1971 in Madison Square Garden, New York City. The two boxers had been friends. Frazier had even supported Ali during the tough years of the ban.

But the friendship is cast aside by Ali in the build-up to the match. But the friendship is cast aside by Ali in the build-up to the match. They've each been promised $2.5 million, and even with tickets costing up to $150, it's a sellout. On the night, celebrities including Barbra Streisand, Diana Ross, and Dustin Hoffman sit ringside. Ali has been taunting his former friend with insults. For him, it might just be a tactic, but it makes the serious, hard-hitting Frazier furious and determined to win. The bitter rivalry sets the scene for a grueling 15 rounds. In the last one, Ali discovers the power

of Frazier's left hook. Shockingly, Ali lost that fight. I think it's the moment when Ali goes from being the most hated man in America begins the path to becoming one of the most beloved men not just in America but in the world because he gets knocked down by this unbelievably vicious left hook from Frazier and he gets back up and it looks like the kind of punch that nobody should get back up from. It looks like the kind of punch that would knock out an ox. And Ali just pops right back up off the mat, finishes the fight and loses and just begins working harder to get another shot. And I think it's that when you get knocked down and you get up, that's something that we can all relate to. And I think that's the moment when people begin to think, well, maybe Ali is not as crazy as we thought. It's Ali's first professional defeat, but he still believes he can take back his crown. Over the next three and a half years, he fights 14 times,

losing just once. And when Joe Frazier loses his title to George Foreman, it's time for Ali to challenge the new champion. But this time, the match won't be in the US. Instead, the 1974 battle between two African-American boxers will be held in the heart of Africa in Zaire, what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Notorious sports promoter Don King, who's done jail time for manslaughter, works with Zaire's new ruler, President Mobutu, to stage the fight between Ali and Foreman.

Foreman reminds people of Liston in a way because he's just a giant, he's this really hard puncher, and he's just knocking out opponents as if they were made of straw. So Ali begins working toward a fight with George Foreman and in one of the great spectacles in all of sports history, the fight is scheduled for Kinshasa Zaire. In Africa, at a time when black Americans are rediscovering their African roots and talking about the pride that comes with being black,

to have the fight in Africa to decide who's the biggest, baddest black man on earth is just an incredible, incredible story. Ali and Foreman fly out months before the flight to adjust to the tropical climate. Ali loves the country and is excited to see black people in positions of power. He travels widely, attracting huge crowds and whips up opposition to Foreman. Everywhere he goes, the crowds call Ali Bomayeh. Ali, kill him. And even though some bookmakers are giving the odds against his victory of 40 to 1, Ali's latest rhymes predict a very different outcome. Fight goes like this. Round one, ding! Ali comes out to meet Fulman, but Fulman starts to retreat.

If George goes back an inch farther, he'll wind up in a ringside seat. Ali swings to the left. Ali swings to the right. Look at the champ carry the fight. George keeps backing, but there's not enough room. It's a matter of time. There Ali lowers the boom. Now Ali lands to the right. What a beautiful swing!

And the punch lifts George clean out of the ring. George is still rising But the referee was a frown for he can't start counting till George comes down Now George Fulman disappears from view the crowd is getting frantic But our radar stations have picked him up. He's somewhere over the Atlantic Who would have thought when they came to the fight that they would witness the launching of a colored satellite? Meanwhile, Ali's private life is keeping him busy between training sessions. In Kinshasa, he's wooing Veronica Porsche, an American who has traveled

to Africa to help promote the fight. Ali's current wife, Kalila, spends a lot of time back in the US with their four children. But even when Kalila returns to Zaire, Ali and Porsche meet in secret. As the date nears, the flood of American fans Don King expected fail to materialize. Most are put off by the 10,000-mile journey, the cost, and the country's reputation for poverty, oppression, and corruption. That's not to say fans won't watch from home. The televised match is scheduled to start at 4 a.m. Kinshasa time to hit prime time in the U.S. and around the world. to hit prime time in the US and around the world.

It is October 30, 1974. Even at 3.50 a.m., the heat and humidity of Kinshasa sits weightier than the heavyweight belt. In the mirror of a dressing room in the city's newly extended football stadium, Bundini Brown straightens his bow tie and fastens up his white satin jacket. Even from here, the noise of the waiting crowd is shaking the floor. The trainer checks his pocket for his scissors, gauze, smelling salts. It's time to go. Muhammad Ali steps out of the toilet stall, the only place he could find privacy for a last prayer. Bundini follows as the boxer strides towards the ring. Though he won't let it show, Bundini's worried. His cheek

smarts where Ali just slapped him in a petty dispute over which robe the boxer should wear. Everyone is on edge. Now, to an incredible roar, Ali walks out. Forty thousand spectators pack the stands, many of them under an open sky. Most are hoping to see Ali knock out his opponent. One end holds an enormous, floodlit portrait of President Mobutu in his famous leopard-skin hat, and hundreds of armed soldiers stand guard. Closer to the ring, the spectators thin out. The expensive seats are only half full, so the journalists, VIPs and Ali's family can spread out a little. There's Ali's wife and not far away, the woman Bundini knows is the boxer's latest mistress. Ali jumps into the ring.

Bundini close by. He dances and jabs, full of pent-up energy. Then, finally, Foreman thunders into the stadium in his bright red robe, booed by the crowd for keeping them waiting. Moments before the match begins, Bundini squeezes back under the slack ropes, so he's just outside the ring. Ali runs into the center and lands the first few punches, but they seem to bounce off. Ali has dubbed his opponent the Mummy,

but he looks more like a machine, launching an onslaught of terrifying, powerful punches at the challenger. When the round ends, Bundini jumps up to check Ali's face for cuts, urging him to dance around Foreman as he always used to. But as round two begins, Ali is on the back foot. Bundini's close enough to touch Ali's bare back as he hangs over the side of the ring at a perilous angle. Any moment, one of Foreman's famous haymakers could end it. Bundini shouts out, quit taunting and get off the ropes. But seconds from the end of the round, Foreman's tired out, and Ali, who saved his energy,

attacks with a brilliant combination. Bundini climbs up during the break, ready with ice and gauze and the same advice to avoid the ropes. But Ali tells him to shut up, he knows what he's doing. He even winks at one of the commentators. Foreman still lands punches, stunning Ali with one to the jaw, but the champion's eye is puffing up and he looks dazed. At last, Bundini spots the pattern.

Ali saves his energy by resting on the ropes, weathering the punches, letting Foreman wear himself out. Then, in the last moments of each round, Ali fights back. Round eight. Foreman's staggering around, throwing punches which mostly miss. Ali bides his time until 30 seconds to go when he lands combination after combination now comes the moment when everything changes foreman is falling and bundini winces as he hits the canvas the referee is counting but the crowd have already decided who has won ali has done it rain begins to pound on the corrugated roof above the outer stands done it rain begins to pound on the corrugated roof above the outer stands bundini clambers into the ring crying and whooping seven years since ali was exiled from the sport he loves he is champion

again when the sports writers file their, they all mention Ali's technique, which he names Rope-a-Dope. Later, Foreman will claim he was drugged and that the referee called a knockout two seconds too soon, denying him the chance to get up in time. But to most spectators, the victory is a triumph. This is Ali's chance to retire on a high. Aged 32, he's the reigning champ, a household name with a world of opportunity awaiting him. He could make movies, do TV, earn millions by endorsing any product. But he won't, or can't, let go of the limelight.

He fights Frazier again, and this time Ali wins. When Frazier wants to challenge him a third time, Don King organizes another match away from the US. This time in the Philippines, hosted by another dictator, Ferdinand Marcos. The thriller in Manila in 1975 is a shocking spectacle. The fight nearly killed both of them. The Thriller in Manila in 1975 is a shocking spectacle. he could still win. Ali said afterwards that it was the closest to death he'd ever felt, that this fight took everything out of him. I think after that fight, neither of them was ever the same. At the post-match interviews, Ali's speech is slurred, his movements almost in slow motion. After the beating he's taken, everyone hopes he'll recover. Over the course of his career, Muhammad Ali is estimated to have taken over 200,000 punches.

And even though he believes he's invincible, all the signs are that he is not. Between the thriller in Manila and his last match in 1981, Ali takes part in 10 more professional fights, not to mention dozens of exhibition matches. He keeps fighting because he loves the attention and he needs the money. You know, he's now on to his third wife and he's paying a lot of alimony. He's got kids to support. He's got a couple of kids outside of his marriages to support.

And he's got this massive entourage, all these people who he loves. Yeah, there's no question that the people around Ali did not help him and really should have been more of the adults in the room and said, let's make a plan. Let's make a plan to save some money for retirement. Let's get out while you've still got your health. Let's not make a spectacle of this and fight until you're 40 years old and you look like a fool, which is exactly what happened. Ali's last professional fight comes in December 1981 when he's 39 years old.

In his career he's achieved 56 wins, 5 losses, 37 knockouts. But after this final defeat he tells reporters that father time has caught up with him. Three years later, when his movement and speech problems worsen he's admitted to hospital for extensive tests before neurologists diagnose parkinson's syndrome his doctors don't make a direct link between his condition and his sport but few doubt that there's a connection in 1986 he marries his fourth wife, Lonnie, a friend of the family. He avoids the media spotlight, upset by how his speech and tremor come across on TV. But still, he travels the world, teaching about Islam,

always carrying briefcases full of pamphlets to autograph and give away to his adoring fans. He even puts himself in danger by traveling to conflict zones, including Lebanon and Iraq, where he negotiates for the release of hostages. But he still has another very public comeback up his sleeve. When the Olympic torch was lit in 1996 in Atlanta, it was kept a secret who would be lighting the final flame at the cauldron at the top of the Olympic stadium. And there would have been lots of rumors about

who it might be. But when Ali stepped out of the shadows holding that torch, the crowd erupted. First, there's this gasp as if like, oh my God, it's Ali. And then you start to hear the crowd chanting, 75,000 people, Ali 000 people ali ali ali and it's this incredibly bittersweet moment because he's back in the spotlight but he's shaking he's trembling and he's having a hard time getting the flame lit i remember sitting watching this nervously holding my breath god please don't hurt yourself ali and then finally very unsteadily he gets the flame lit and it runs up the line to the top of the stadium and the flame for the Olympics is officially lit. And Ali is standing there

still shaking. It still boggles my mind. It's still such a moving moment. I get goosebumps thinking about it because Ali was willing to let us see him in that vulnerable condition. And he even said the next day in classic Ali fashion, people are going to love me even more now because we all get old. We all get sick. We all die. I'm just like everyone else now. They're going to love me. And it's so true. And of course, he's able to express it in a way that is purely egotistical and classic Ali. Ali lives for another two decades. He rebuilds relationships with his former wives and spends time with his seven daughters and two sons.

His daughter, Layla, becomes a boxer herself and retires undefeated after winning 24 matches. After the 9-11 attacks, he campaigns to help Americans understand more about Islam and tries to show Muslim countries that the U. the US is not a land of religious intolerance. At home, he watches his own incredible performances on YouTube. He dies of pneumonia in June 2016, aged 74, surrounded by his family. Up to 100,000 people line the streets of Louisville to say goodbye to the city's most famous sun. His pallbearers include the legendary boxers Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson, along with Will

Smith who played Ali on film in 2001. Ali's casket is wrapped in black cloth bearing Quranic verses and the procession passes his childhood home, the site of the Columbia gym where he first trained, and the Muhammad Ali Center, built to celebrate his achievements and beliefs. He lives on through the countless awards, buildings, and streets bearing his name, through the millions who watch reruns of his fights,

and his whip-smart funny interviews and speeches. But was he the greatest? Ali was not the greatest boxer. He was a great boxer, but not the greatest. I think what matters about him most is that he was a great boxer who used his talents in the ring to see what he could do outside the ring, to see how much he could push us to be a better society and to fight for the things that matter to him. In the next episode of Short History Of, we'll bring you a short history of British castles.

No two towers are exactly alike because their designers, the clever people who sketched them out and constructed them, are trying to solve that riddle all the time because luxury says, well, you need more light. You need bigger windows. You need thinner walls. Luxury says you need chimneys and you need toilets, all of which have to be incorporated in the thickness of the walls. Whereas security says, no, no, you want thicker walls. You want fewer windows. You want fewer openings. You want less walls. You want fewer windows. You want fewer openings. You want less weak spots. So trying to balance those two very contradictory imperatives,

I want to enjoy myself in this building. I want to be safe in this building. That's the balance that castle designers have to strike. And the ingenious ways in which they solve that problem is what I think makes them so fascinating. That's next time on Short History Of.