Narrator: The following
is a presentation of...
( crowd cheering )
Ring Announcer: Eight, six,
one even for Frazier.
Nine to six for Frazier.
Eleven rounds for Frazier,
four Ali.
The winner
by unanimous decision,
Joe Frazier!
Commentator:
For the first time
in his career,
Muhammad Ali was beaten.
Woman:
I wasn't happy at all.
Man: Why not?
Woman:
Well, I'm a Muhammad Ali fan,
and, uh, he just let me down.
Man: Good fight.
Very good fight.
But considering
the way Clay fought...
- I don't n-need to like it.
- Woman #2: I thought
it was terrific.
- Best fight I ever saw.
- Man #2: Best fight
I ever seen.
I seen 'em
for a long, long time.
Clay's twice the man
I thought he was.
- Woman #3: Really terrific.
- Man #2: Good decision.
- Good decision.
- Woman #3: It was
a very good fight.
Man #2:
Very good fight.
Worth the money.
And worth every penny I paid.
Every penny.
I-I don't even feel like
waking up tomorrow.
- Not behind that fight.
- Man #3: Or that decision.
Man #2: That's really
upsetting to me.
Drew Brown:
Well, don't worry about it.
We'll be back.
Them three years
ain't gonna be
three years no more.
We comin' right back to war,
and now when we come back,
we gonna have to really
take the title from a champ.
Joe Frazier, tonight,
have beat a champion.
And he is the champion
of the world, without a doubt.
( applause )
( funky music playing )
James Brown:
Hey!
Got to, got to pay back!
Vocalists:
Get payback!
James Brown:
Revenge!
- I'm mad!
- Vocalists:
To bring payback!
James Brown:
'Bout to get back!
I need some getback!
Payback!
Yeah!
Revenge!
I'm mad!
To get down
with my girlfriend
Huh
That ain't right
Whoo! Talkin'
Holla' and cuss
You wanna fight
You gotta get ready
For the big payback
Vocalists:
The big payback
( crowd cheering )
( music ends )
Nikki Giovanni:
Before the championship fight
with, uh, with Joe Frazier,
I never considered you,
like, a brutal fighter.
And I don't wanna
say it like that,
but I thought
you outpointed Frazier.
Yeah, well, I thought
I won nine rounds.
But I've seen people
protest after decisions,
and it really don't help.
So, I'll just
do better next time.
I think I played too much
with Joe Frazier.
I played three rounds.
I shouldn't have played.
I didn't stay on my feet
and move like I should've.
And tryin' to prove
he couldn't hurt me
standing in the corners,
and this-- I lost
the fight like this.
Judges took it.
One judge gave him...
11 rounds and me just four.
But at the time,
I hadn't won my draft case.
And then one black man
in the million-dollar bracket
who tells it like it is,
and you know, stays
with his own kind,
naturally, they gonna pick
the best "boy" to give it to.
( applause and cheers )
But the next time,
I've learned a lesson.
The next time,
there will be no doubt,
- for he must go out.
- ( Nikki laughs )
( crowd laughs, applauds )
( serene music )
Ali: Well, when I'm
in training for fights,
I don't like to be surrounded
in plushness and luxury.
Like the Fontainebleau Hotel,
and the, uh, the Hilton,
and all those places,
you know, you have
the beautiful soft carpets,
you have the chandeliers,
and you know,
you order room service,
and the beds are so nice,
and you got the mirrors,
and it makes you soft.
So, I had to find a old--
a place that wasn't too plush.
And this is why I've just
built a training camp
in Deer Lake, Pennsylvania,
right outside Reading.
I built a 50-by-60 log cabin.
And I bought
about three acres of land,
and I have my cabin there.
It's rugged.
Those living close to nature,
in the solitude,
or peasants
living in the country,
have greater intuition
than educated people
living in the midst
of city life.
- Interviewer: Mm-hmm.
- Why? ( inhales deeply )
I'm breathing fresh air.
My mind is clearer.
I'm drinking fresh water
from the ground-- God water.
The food that I eat,
the vegetables
are not frozen and sprayed.
It's from
a farm down the road.
So I'm nourishing
my mind and my soul
and my thoughts
with clean air,
real water,
and real food.
That's why they say
God's prophets
and wise men
go off and meditate,
go on top of a mountain,
and they fast
and don't eat a thing,
and they have... they can...
things just come to 'em.
Angelo Dundee:
We've seen a lot of camps
all over the world.
You know,
usually above a bar,
above a strip joint,
above a drug store,
connected with something,
a resource.
But it's never the thing.
Now, this is the thing.
This is a fighter's camp,
so that's what
Muhammad is doing.
The core conception
is Muhammad.
Design is Muhammad.
The architect's Muhammad.
- The whole schmeer.
- Right.
Ali: I want it
real rustic.
Old floors, or--
or the water we using,
no electricity.
Nothing modern.
Man: Right, right.
You putting windows
out here with the view?
Two nice windows where you
can see the view, yeah.
Man #2: Whose name
is going to be printed
on the big black rock
over there?
Ali: Jack Johnson.
First black world
heavyweight champion, so...
The big white rock on the end
is Rocky Marciano,
and, uh, Joe Louis
is the big rock
right in front of the gym.
See, this is gonna be
a well-integrated camp.
I want half and half.
Black and white champions.
Man: What kind of training
are you doing up here?
Ali: I'm running up
and down the mountain
in these big boots.
I'm chopping down
these trees every day,
as you see
up through here.
And I'm ready.
What kind of shape you in?
You in good shape?
Lookin' for a few bears.
I heard there's some bears
loose around here somewheres.
I'm gon' catch a few
wild bears
and whup them too.
I'm in good shape.
I'm ready.
I'm in topnotch shape.
I'm out to get
my title back
from the new tramp--
I mean new champ,
Joe Frazier.
I'm the real champion,
and I'm gonna prove it.
Now, I'll see you now.
I gotta go chop down
some more trees...
- Okay.
- ...out here somewhere.
( continues indistinctly )
Ali: This whole estate
has given me the incentive
to keep going.
This is like
a new life here.
Come in here,
go in the gym when I want,
have my own cooks
in the kitchen,
my own bunkhouses,
my own crew,
fresh air, fresh water,
peace, looking at the view.
Can't beat it.
I didn't know
it would be this nice
when I first got it.
It's nice.
( spectators chatter )
Man: Muhammad, in the past,
you've been highly critical
of the American system.
In view of the decision today
by the Supreme Court,
how do you feel
about our system now?
Well, all I have to say
is what's concerning my case.
I don't know what's
happening this moment.
I don't know who will be
assassinated tonight.
I don't know who will be
enslaved or mistreated.
I don't know who will be
deprived of some other justice
or equality,
so I can't say nothin'.
All I can talk
about is my case,
and I'm thankful that
the court's recognized
my sincerity of my beliefs
in this case.
Cosell: Once he was
a very great fighter,
now he is a worn relic
of the past,
a faded hero of yesteryear,
but still mouthing words
that he can no longer
employ the skills
to back up.
And, uh, he still proclaims
to be that
which he is no longer,
the heavyweight champion
of the world.
So, I am going to bring out
the former heavyweight
champion of the world,
Muhammad Ali.
( applause )
Howard, every time
you open your mouth,
you should be arrested
for air pollution.
( laughter )
Man: Jimmy Ellis was one of
Muhammad Ali's
favorite sparring partners.
In 1967, I asked Ellis about
his dreams for the future.
Man: Do you enjoy sparring
with the heavyweight champion?
Yeah. When I box with him,
I know I'm boxing
with the best.
You probably know more
about Muhammad Ali's habits
and style than anybody else.
Yeah, I think I know
quite a bit about him.
Man: Ellis took his
sparring instructions
from Angelo Dundee,
who is now training him
for the Ali fight.
Ali: I'll come out
the winner
if I'm in shape.
But what worries me now
is this belly I got.
It just won't come off.
Man: How about some of
that poetry of yours?
After I defeat Ellis
in the Astrodome,
I'm gonna run him
and Angelo home!
( laughter )
Commentator: One minute
remaining in this fight.
Ellis is reeling!
The referee may be deciding
whether he's going
to stop the fight.
He is stopping the fight!
Man: What's the word
on Frazier?
Ali: Frazier's not
actually doing
too much right now.
They forced him
to take a fight,
and still, I might not
come off with one win,
because I want one more
shot at Joe Frazier.
Cosell: So, Muhammad, why
couldn't you put him away?
- Did you hold back?
- Ali: Anybody in the world
could have seen that
that man was finished,
and just letting him
stay there was public
crucifixion.
And I hope
the judgment system
that we have
around here
will stop fights
when they see people hurt
because as soon
as one's killed,
they'll want to say,
"You wouldn't go to the Army
to fight for your country,
and you don't
like to kill,
then why did you
kill that man?"
Cosell: All right.
Ali: So leave me alone,
and shut up and be glad
you saw a good fight.
We after Joe Frazier,
and he's running,
he's ducking,
and he's talking about
he won't fight for a few years,
and I hope the public
bring him on out
with that title,
and defend it like I did!
I'm still resurrecting
the game,
although they say
I'm not the champion.
Cosell: Muhammad,
knock him out! What's
the matter with you?
They're stopping it,
for the protection
of the lad himself!
Man: What a showman!
Look at that!
This athlete's one of
the most unique fighters
in heavyweight history.
The world's greatest
heavyweight,
Muhammad Ali.
Yeah, I kept asking Angelo
at the end of each round,
How is it going?
He said, "It could be close,
but you're winning."
Then I looked up and saw
Sammy Davis Jr. at ringside,
unannounced, and when
a man this great
takes time out to come
to see you,
how can you lose?
Cosell: Ali at 221,
fighting the sixth-ranked
heavyweight, Kenny Norton,
at 210.
You haven't heard much
about Norton,
and this is supposed to be
a routine exercise for Ali.
Ali is wearing
10-ounce gloves,
as Norton will be.
That's the way it is
in California,
and 10-ounce gloves
are a worry
because they can really
punish a man.
( bell dings )
The bell for round one.
Norton in the early going
should show
a pretty good left jab.
His best punch
is a left hook.
The man with the highest
total points wins the fight.
Good left there by Norton--
that excited the crowd.
Ali: I have a habit
of playing in the ring
with opponents, you know.
They seem to be
so easy to hit,
and sometimes I just like
to show him and the public
how simple this fellow is.
And I played around with him
two or three rounds too,
which I should have opened up.
Cosell: The crowd now senses
that Ali is doing nothing,
while Norton presumably
may be punching himself out,
so the crowd is
beginning to boo.
We saw Ali last night,
at a party, actually,
just sitting there.
You have to wonder if he's
taking Norton too lightly.
( bell dings )
All right, we're back
for round eight,
and Ali just hasn't
been right,
and I think he may have
cracked a tooth in his mouth,
judging by the way
he's holding his mouth.
Ali: I knew
something was wrong,
but I did not
seriously worry.
Cosell: See the countdown
on the clock.
One has to wonder,
has he gone stale
from the constancy
of fighting,
no matter the caliber
of opponent?
One has to wonder,
is it all suddenly going out?
Is he now but a relic
of the fighter he was?
Ali is tired!
Ali is really tired.
Good right, Mike,
and that right hurt
Muhammad Ali.
That right hurt Ali.
The countdown to the end
of the fight.
Ali's mouth is bloodied.
A left gets him,
and a good right!
He is all over Ali!
He is punching him
around the ring!
Ring Announcer:
Judge Hal Rickards
scores it 5 Norton,
4 Ali.
Judge Fred Hayes...
Howard Cosell:
I can tell you now,
Kenny Norton
has won the decision.
...5 points, Norton.
Ladies and gentlemen,
referee Frank Rustich,
7 points Norton,
5 points Ali.
There it is!
There it is!
One of the greatest upsets,
again, in boxing history.
Muhammad Ali, I am told,
suffered a broken jaw
in the first round,
in an unbelievable fight
here today.
Muhammad Ali would have
talked to you, I'm sure.
He couldn't because of
the broken jaw.
He has a broken jaw.
He is a beaten man,
and he is a broken fighter,
and so all of
the millions of dollars
that loomed before him
for the Frazier rematch
are suddenly gone.
What was once
a very great fighter
becomes now part of
fistic history,
in all probability.
( voice fades )
That's the end of
the story here...
Dick Cavett: Fight fans
all over the world
were shocked, really,
when a relatively
unknown boxer
broke the jaw of a man
who's been considered
maybe the greatest
fighter of all time,
and defeated him,
and maybe this is
the only man
who can explain
what happened that night.
All sorts of people
have been trying to
piece it together.
Do you think it was
a lucky punch?
I really don't know.
My mouth wasn't completely
closed, I remember, but...
You can remember
the moment when it
happened clearly?
You know--
you know when it--
when the jaw went?
Yeah. I, uh,
don't make excuses,
you know, for losing,
so, but my major reason
was because I didn't
train properly,
taking him for granted,
mainly, um,
not living up to my
religious convictions
like I should.
If they told you tomorrow
that you
could not fight again--
if they had a look
at your jaw and said
it's just too dangerous,
would you, uh...
would you cry?
No.
I'd rejoice.
I'd be glad that I found out
before I killed myself.
( audience laughs,
then applauds)
Commentator: The heavyweight
championship of the world,
the biggest event
in all sports.
The challenger for
the heavyweight title,
Big George Foreman.
The undefeated champion,
Joe Frazier,
cemented his hold on the crown
with a decision over
undefeated Muhammad Ali
in 1971.
( bell dings )
Foreman having
a very good round.
Twenty seconds to go...
Frazier's never taken
this kind of punishment.
Frazier is being battered
in Foreman's corner.
Joe's about
to go down again!
Joe's been down four times.
There goes Joe down again.
Frazier doesn't know
where he is.
The fight is over,
and the winner
is George Foreman.
George, I gotta know
about your plans
for the future.
Will you
fight Frazier again,
or will you fight
Muhammad Ali?
Right now, that was
my main goal,
was to win the world
heavyweight championship.
You got it now.
I'd like to go out
and tell a lot of kids,
and preach it
for a long time,
that all you gotta do
is work and pray hard,
you can get anything
you want.
I'd like
to spend my whole life
getting that message out.
( birds chirping )
I want to see
the inside of your house.
- Is this it?
- This is an old,
antique house,
replica of
a 200-year-old cabin.
Did you design
this yourself?
Designed everything,
and it's just like
the days of Jack Johnson.
No, come on in,
don't be talkin' 'bout you--
Hey, I love what you've
done with the place.
Oh, yeah,
this is all antique.
I did all this up
myself, Dick.
This is a 200-year-old
rope bed here.
This table weighs
about 850 pounds.
This was made out of
real oak trees.
This is an old antique
pheasant I picked up.
Energy crisis
don't bother me.
I have coal oil lamps.
I've got the big old
coal stove over here,
and the water pump
right from the well
under the ground.
Everything's antique.
I like the idea of
getting up in the morning,
just making my coal,
getting a real natural heat,
something you don't get
nowadays.
Everything's just
gas and electric.
This is real. No pollution.
This comes
right out of the ground.
Nice, cold-- take
a taste of that, Dick.
- No electricity in here?
- No electricity.
- How do you watch television?
- No television.
I go over in my kitchen
to watch television.
What do you watch?
I watch the Johnny Carson
show, mostly.
( off-camera
crewmembers chuckle )
Dick Cavett Show
sometimes.
According to who's got
the most colored guests on.
Ali: I've been so publicized,
I've won fights so easy,
unmarked.
And you can be intoxicated
with not only alcohol
or narcotics,
but you can be intoxicated
with greatness,
and if a man's intoxicated,
he'll do something
that he wouldn't do otherwise.
So, now that I've been
sobered up a little
and realize that I can slip,
that if I don't work
like I should
and my mind might tell me
to do something
but my body won't.
Well, this is getting me
more hungry,
like I used to be
coming up.
Spencer Davis Group:
...around creating
All the groovy kinds
of love
But I'm a man
Yes, I am
And I can't help
but love you so
No, no, no
But I'm a man,
yes, I am
And I can't help
but love you so
Larry Holmes:
That's when I met my pro--
my first pro fighter.
He took me up to
Muhammad Ali's training camp,
and I met Muhammad Ali.
Said, "Wow, I met
the heavyweight champion
of the world."
Just to meet a star
or celebrity,
and most kids don't get
that opportunity.
Spencer Davis Group:
Yes, I am
And I can't help
but love you so
Ali: I say, "Kids,
your chances of being
a great fighter,
or good enough
to make a good living,
is about a hundred thousand
to one,
and if you spend
most of your life
trying to be a fighter,
and you get hurt
or you don't make it,
your whole life is ruined,
it's too late to get
education,
it's too late to look for
a trade
or something to fall back on.
Larry Holmes:
He liked the way I boxed,
and, next thing you know,
I had a job,
a full-time job,
being a sparring partner
for Ali
for, like, four years.
Man: "Operation Test the Jaw"
is not a karate movie
starring Cary Grant.
It is what Muhammad Ali calls
his first sparring session
since Ken Norton
broke his jaw last March.
This is all of course
in preparation
for Ali to break
Ken Norton's jaw
this September
in Los Angeles.
( onlooker shouts )
( applause )
Ali: I'm trim.
My jaw is ready.
Look at my body.
Look at me.
In perfect shape,
212 pounds--
same weight
fought Sonny Liston.
Done chopped down
85 trees for this fight.
Talkin' 'bout
Norton closed my mouth.
You tell Norton
he opened my mouth wider.
Don't believe that stuff,
predicting on the predictor.
I'm gonna be so fast.
Watch what I'm gonna do
with my hands
in the ring that night.
I'm gonna be so fast,
if Norton do
any dirty stuff,
I'm gonna reach from nowhere
and pull out a long cane!
Man: Even though Muhammad Ali
is training for Ken Norton,
his mind and his mouth
stretch all the way
to George Foreman.
Foreman? I don't know.
George Foreman got the title,
just like Joe Frazier.
He's killing the game.
Frazier had the title
two years, fought twice.
I fought 12 times.
Frazier-- Foreman, haven't
heard nothing about him
since he fought Frazier.
All this preparation
to get ready for some man
ranked number 22
in the top ten.
He should fight
the topnotch fighters,
and after I annihilate
Ken Norton,
going to
Jakarta, Indonesia,
to whup
this Rudi Lubbers,
the Dutch
heavyweight champion,
I'm gonna come back
and settle this whole thing
with George Foreman,
and for old times' sakes,
I'm gonna whup
Joe Frazier again
right there
at Madison Square Garden.
Now, I'm tired.
I've got to go to work.
I ain't got no time
to be talkin',
playin', and jivin',
'cause I'm a-workin'.
Commentator: Remember,
in his locker room interview,
we asked him, did he have on
his dancing shoes? He has.
This is the best
I've seen Ali look
since going back
before the Joe Frazier fight.
Commentator 2: For a year now,
we've seen the layer
of fat around the midriff,
and you don't see it tonight.
Commentator: If Kenny Norton
beats this Ali,
Kenny Norton is gonna get
some great, great respect.
Commentator 2: Last punch
of the fight for Ken Norton,
and he yelled at Ali.
Commentator: Ali got him
a split-second after--
( indistinct shouts )
Ali: When you in the ring
and you hot and you warm
and you started,
and you train all the time,
most fighters are
used to getting hit.
And, uh,
they just ready for it.
They don't feel it.
The punch that might hurt
is a glass scrape
that might tear your skin,
or you might feel the burn
from the leather,
or a thumb might get
in your eye,
but you talkin'
to the wrong man there
when you ask me how'd it feel
to be hurt, or hit.
Commentator:
He's hurt Norton.
Commentator 2: Whoa!
Commentator:
Whopping right hand
right on the jaw of Ali.
A good left hook
on the jaw of Norton.
Another hook on
the jaw of Norton.
The crowd is going
absolutely berserk
as these fine heavyweights
unleash their attacks.
Commentator 2:
Fight of the year.
Commentator: Three minutes
of excruciating time
for these well-
conditioned performers
on this round.
Commentator 2: And he's
on his toes again.
He's on his toes!
It's going the distance.
Commentator:
And there is the bell.
( bell dings )
Ring Announcer:
Judge John Thomas
scores it 6-5, Ali.
( bell dings )
( spectators jeer )
Judge George Latka
scores it 6-5, Kenny Norton.
( spectators jeer )
Referee Dick Young sees it
7-5 to the winner,
Muhammad Ali!
( spectators cheer )
Man: There's a very
tired Muhammad Ali,
worn out.
Hittin' Cosell on the head,
just like he should!
- ( second man laughs )
- Man: Get him!
Ali: I got Ken Norton
out of the way,
now I'm gon' get
Joe Frazier out of the way!
When I'm through, you won't
hear no more about Joe Frazier.
I'm gonna get Joe Frazier,
I'm gonna wipe out
George Foreman,
then I'm go on and put
two more pages in the book
and get on out of this mess.
Man: At Kennedy Airport
this morning,
Joe Frazier and his
rock 'n' roll group,
the Knockouts,
departed for a six-week
European tour.
( indistinct remark )
Do you find this more
difficult than fighting,
or do you have to stay
in the same shape
to dance and sing
as you...
You have to keep
the weight down,
you know what I mean?
So, therefore,
while you're onstage,
you keep the weight down,
and it's much easier,
you know?
But let's say after that,
while performing,
that's something different.
It's twice times
as hard as boxing.
Oh, she didn't
bat an eye
As I packed my bags
to leave
Thought she might
start to cry
Who told him he could sing?
- ( audience laughs )
- He cannot sing.
He has no rhythm,
no footwork, no class.
He cannot talk.
He got him a big band,
he started
traveling the world,
figuring that he's gonna
sell 'em all out.
They said, Joe Frazier appears
this place in England.
The arena held 10,000.
Thirty-seven people
showed up.
( audience laughs )
Man: A Jasmine mink coat
for Joe Frazier,
54 skins of pure white mink.
He's had this one made
to wear especially
for his upcoming fight
with Muhammad Ali.
That's right.
Not in the ring, but...
To the fight.
Yeah, that's all,
and then, I guess,
after the party,
and just move around
with a little bit, you know.
I like fashion.
That's an important thing.
I love it.
I like to see
people look good,
and so, therefore,
aside from making
people look good,
make myself look good also.
The Isley Brothers:
Who to sock it to
Ali: A man like Frazier's
got a certain
rough-looking look,
so I have a sparring partner
who reminds me of Joe Frazier.
Flew him all the way here.
- Does he look a lot like--
- Ten thousand miles away.
I think he
reminds me of Frazier.
- I guess I'd best be looking--
- Well...
Gorilla Jones!
Gorilla Jones!
Let him out!
Let him out!
Let him in.
He can go a round or two.
Gorilla Jones.
Take your time, Gorilla.
- Are you ready?
- Cavett: This isn't
a little corny, is it?
( spectators laugh )
This gets me ready
for Joe Frazier.
- He resembles Joe Frazier.
- Man: Time!
James Brown:
One, two, three
Make it funky!
Make it funky!
Ali: When you see me
get into that ring
with Joe Frazier
at 210 pounds,
which is two pounds lighter
than I was 10 years ago,
this time, I'll be dancing.
Frazier: But people
want to see a fight,
not a dance.
( audience laughs )
All that money to come
and see you and I fight,
and you gonna dance.
Ali: Dancing
and whupping you...
Commentator:
Here comes Muhammad Ali.
Here comes Joe Frazier,
"Smokin' Joe."
Ali: When I get those
little bitty gloves on,
and be real serious,
and no playing,
no standing in the corner,
everybody knows he's gon'
have on gloves like me.
( Ali and Frazier talk
over each other indistinctly )
Ali: We always
have on the same--
Frazier:
All right, then!
( audience shouting )
( indistinct shouts )
Cavett:
You could get hurt!
You could-- no,
you'll hurt your hands.
Commentator: We're waiting
for the bell, round one,
and there it is,
and here's Don Duncan.
Don Duncan:
Thank you, Dan Patrick.
( bell dings )
Dan Patrick:
There's the bell.
That's the end of round one.
And Ali gave us a bit
of a shuffle
at the end of the round,
and goes back to his corner.
Have you ever considered
you've taken
lots of blows to the head,
both of you,
throughout your career,
and there's the possibility
of permanent brain damage.
- Anything could happen.
- Cars.
More people are killed in this
country in cars than war.
What are we gonna do,
quit driving cars?
Cavett: We heard that.
Let me put it another way.
Ali: And I know you're
not concerned about
two black fighters' brains
being hurt that much, now.
I know you're not that
wrapped up over our brains.
You really considered--
you really worried
about my brains,
or anybody else's brain?
We not worried about it,
so why should you?
You should worry about
what else is happening
in the world.
Then what kind of sport
is it, can it be,
where a guy--
where a guy goes in a ring
and gets his jaw broken?
Watch your handling.
Watch your handling.
What kind of sport is this--
when a guy gets
in a damn car
in your country,
and go around a damn track,
and hit a pole
and he burn up?
Don't get
on our little sport.
We don't have nothin'
over here no way,
but a job, and a few of us
can't get nothin'
unless we can box,
and now you want
to run that out.
Don Duncan:
Under New York scoring...
( continues indistinctly )
Don Duncan: Ali opening up!
( bell dings )
Dan Patrick: Well,
the crowd loves it,
and with round 12
coming up, Don,
a lot depends right here.
Now they shake hands,
and here is Don.
( bell dings )
Dan Patrick: There it is!
The winner
by unanimous decision
is Muhammad Ali!
( crowd cheering )
Dan Patrick:
There it is,
the winner
by unanimous decision,
Muhammad Ali.
Ali: I hit him
with everything.
The man took
a terrible beating.
He wouldn't fall.
I said, "Are you crazy?"
I hit him there.
I said, "You must be crazy!"
He said,
"That's right, I'm crazy!"
He just kept coming.
"I'm crazy!" Damn.
( audience laughs
and applauds )
Commentator: There they are,
in the center of the ring.
What do you think
about Muhammad Ali
when you're in there
like this?
Ali: All right now,
you know-- George Foreman--
just been offered
five million dollars apiece
by the government of Zaire.
And, if he can win
this fight tonight,
which I don't think he will,
he'll have to defend
his champion again
in the Congo!
Commentator:
Oh, good right hand
on left-hand side
of the face of Norton.
Norton is a bit stunned
as Foreman is teeing off,
and it looks like Norton
has really been staggered
as he went up
against the rope.
Foreman just banging on
in the second round.
Norton is down again!
Left hand to the side
of the head.
His legs are rubbery
and the left hand
goes to the side
of the head.
A right uppercut,
a left jab.
And Norton tumbling
to the canvas.
He doesn't know where he is.
I don't know if Norton
can make it.
It might be
all over right here.
It looks like it may be
all over, and it is all over!
George Foreman remains
the heavyweight champion
of the world.
Ali: He hit Ken Norton just
like he do all his opponents.
Caught him out.
This man depends on
gettin' his man
in the first one or two rounds.
If he don't do that,
he's frustrated.
Stick him with left jabs
and right crosses,
tie him up and box him,
and you will retire him.
- Ali--
- I'm the man that's gonna
whup George Foreman,
and I'm gonna whup him,
of all places, in Africa,
in the Congo,
where the Lumuba boys are!
Ali, now that you have
your cool about you
and you're calmed
down at this point,
I want you to answer
this question:
How could that man go
24 rounds with you and only two
with the heavyweight
champion of the world?
Because George Foreman
is not as good of a fighter
scientifically as I am,
but I'll admit,
he's stronger
and he hit harder.
I'm not a hard puncher,
I'm not known for being
a hard puncher.
I've fought many men like
Floyd Patterson, Zora Folley,
George Chuvalo,
who were stronger than I am,
many I couldn't knock out--
Sonny Liston--
but I'll tell you this.
Boxing ability, speed,
whuppin' him on points,
for the distance,
if necessary, then
I'll whup him.
Well, fighting
in your home territory,
you couldn't be any happier
the way this is coming up
in September.
Why would you call Africa
my home territory?
You've been telling me
that for ten years.
That's right,
and if you come over there
talkin' like that,
we'll cook ya!
That's it from Muhammad Ali.
( music playing )
Ali: Last night, I had a dream,
when I got to Africa,
I had one helluva rumble,
I had to beat
Tarzan's behind first
for claimin' to be
the king of the jungle.
For this fight,
I wrestled with alligators,
I've tussled with a whale,
I done handcuffed lightning
and put thunder in jail.
You know I'm bad.
I've murdered a rock,
I injured a stone,
and I hospitalized a brick.
I'm so bad,
I make medicine sick.
I'm so fast, man,
I can run through a hurricane
and don't get wet.
When George Foreman meets me,
he'll pay his debts.
I can drown a drink of water
and kill a dead tree,
wait till you see
Muhammad Ali.
Commentator: Under the auspices
of President Mobutu,
from the heartland of Africa,
the world heavyweight
championship fight,
this is the biggest,
most expensive, single
sports event in history.
Man: It was mind-boggling.
You look around, you don't
see but 200,000 black people.
You know what I mean?
Damn! Whoa! You know?
Commentator:
This is an awesome bar,
of George Foreman
against the boxing skills
of Muhammad Ali.
Interviewer:
Is this definitely,
whatever happens,
your last fight?
Ali: My last.
This is the last--
Interviewer:
Win or lose, it's your--
Ali: There ain't
no such thing as lose.
This is the last
of Muhammad Ali,
so enjoy the fight,
get to the theater, and see...
the most scientific, the most
creative, the most artistic,
the most talked about,
the most colorful,
the most wisest,
the most controversial,
the boldest, most courageous,
the greatest fighter,
the best-lookin'
physically of all times,
this will be the last rumble,
and I invite all
of you to be there
among those of us
who dare to dare.
Commentator:
George Foreman hasn't gone,
in the past four years,
beyond two rounds in any fight.
Can Ali dance
and stay away from him?
George Foreman: Beforehand,
you go into the ring,
and you wanna go out there
and execute some of
the things you've practiced.
This time,
this man got me to the point
where I just distaste
his presence in boxing.
I really want to beat him
more than anything
in the world.
I wanna beat him.
Ali:
Just before the fight,
I'm looking at him,
and the man's giving
us instructions,
I said, "Sucker,
you are in trouble tonight."
"You are fighting the greatest
fighter of all times.
You said I was the greatest,
but you gonna see. I'm fast,
sucker, I'm gonna burn you up.
You're fightin' your idol.
When you were a little kid,
you were hearin' about me.
You're meetin' your master,
your idol.
- ( bell rings )
- Commentator: Here we ago.
Ali, quickly across the round.
Foreman a bit cocky
in the first round,
looking to drop that left hook.
A straight left jab
thrown by Foreman
has Ali in the corner--
Ali dances back, hangs on.
What a tremendous set this day,
in round number one.
Crowd:
( chanting ) Ali!
Ali: First round, I laid
in the corners, right?
I said, "Come on,
show me something!"
I talked through
the whole fight.
I said, "Show me something."
"They told me
you could hit hard."
"You're just a sissy."
"Come on. You can do
better than that, George.
You wanna corner me? Here I am!
You been waitin' to corner me.
"You're the world
heavyweight champion."
"You're the world--
come on! Keep punchin'!"
"I want you to get tired."
I said, "Uh-oh. This is
the wrong place to get tired."
- ( interviewer laughs )
- This is the wrong place
to get tired!
( imitates heavy breathing )
He's breathin'!
I said,
"Aw, you finished, boy.
You are in trouble."
I said, "You don't have but two
chances, slim and none."
( crowd cheering )
Commentator:
Muhammad Ali has won
by a knockdown!
The place is going wild!
The thing they said
was impossible is done!
This is the most
joyous scene ever seen
in the history of boxing.
Get down, get down
Get down, get down
Get down, get down
Get down, get down
Get down, get down
Ali: As of now,
they that say I'm the greatest
of all time, just shut up.
So I got the whole critics
and the boxing experts
on a big spot,
'cause George Foreman
was dangerous,
he was terrible,
he was gonna wear me down.
He was gonna get me in a corner
and just murder me, and I,
as always, I proved
to still be the greatest.
- Did he scare you?
- Yeah, I was scared to death.
( onlooker laughs )
( music continues )
I was reading a piece that
Norman Mailer wrote about you.
It described you as the second
most prominent American,
second most prominent
after Nixon.
You might dispute that,
but would you like to president?
- No. No, sir.
- No?
- Too dangerous.
- ( audience chuckles )
Like, in other words,
there's a ship.
People are dancin'
on the ship.
A lot of money's on the ship,
a lot of food's on the ship,
and I cannot integrate
on the ship.
I cannot have
equality on the ship.
I'm just
in the galley workin'.
And I never could get up
and see the captain of the ship.
Now, all of the sudden,
the man tells me,
"Say, come on down, I'll
lead you out of the galley.
I want you to come up here and--
here, have something to drink.
What do you want?"
And giving me number one spot--
from the galley
to the number one spot.
I said,
"This ship must be sinkin'.
( audience laughs )
Why is he so nice to me now?
What moved him
to call me up here?"
Black men have been mayors now.
One might be the president.
America's in too much trouble.
I don't want that job now.
( audience laughs )
Ali: See, I'm lookin' at
the black people as a nation.
We have prostitution problems,
we got dope problems.
Gang fightin' among self,
a lack of love for self.
No respect for our women.
We don't have no property,
we don't have no land.
We done worked 400 years
to make this country
the wealthiest country
on the planet.
This is our problem.
This poem is entitled
"Truth."
T-R-U-T-H.
( reading )
"The face of truth is open.
The eyes of truth are bright.
The lips of truth
are ever-closed.
The head of truth is upright.
The breast of truth
stands forward.
The gaze of truth
is straight.
Truth has neither
fear nor doubt.
Truth has patience to wait.
The words of truth
are touchy.
The voice of truth
is deep.
The law of truth
is simple:
All that you sow, you reap.
The soul of truth
is flaming.
The heart of truth is warm.
The mind of truth is clear
and firm
through rain and storm.
Facts are but its shadow.
Truth stands above all sin.
Great be the battle of life,
truth in the end shall win.
The image of truth
is Elijah Muhammad,
wisdom's message his rod.
The sign of truth
is the crescent.
The soul of truth is God.
Life of truth is eternal,
immortal is its past.
Truth has power to endure,
truth shall always last."
There.
That's my masterpiece.
Very good.
What we got over there?
Stop messing with the food...
Ali: Boy, looky here!
Oh, boy, a big pot
of raw spinach.
...or you'll burn yourself.
Ali: Nothin'
but real iron.
Man: Straight from
the mountain to Muhammad.
Man: Wear him out!
Narrator: This defensive tactic
of laying against the ropes
and allowing the opponent
to wear himself out,
was employed
in the Foreman fight,
and Ali says it will enable him
to prolong his career
by ten years.
Cavett: Muhammad, uh,
I don't want to see you
end up on Queer Street.
( audience laughs )
What do you--
what do you mean,
you mean like...
( lisping remark )
( audience laughs )
Is that what you mean?
Oh.
( audience laughs )
There's an old boxing term
called Queer Street,
which means a guy--
I never heard the term
"Queer Street" in boxing.
Oh, come on, now.
Are you serious?
Not-not in boxing.
You mean punch drunk?
Yeah, a guy who ends up,
um, you know, without--
doesn't have
the goods anymore.
He's fought too long and
is out there--
See, well, that happens to
people that get hit too much.
He's a little punchy.
You know,
even in a car accident,
you can be shook up,
brain can't take but so much.
Put the camera on close-up.
Let me show you something.
No, put the camera
on close-up.
Stop right there.
( audience laughs )
Ali: If you in
topnotch shape
with experience,
you know how
to stand there for a while.
Like, all these fellows
threw shots all day.
Didn't one come through.
Commentator:
Laying on the ropes
a la Zaire,
where he allowed
George Foreman
to punch himself out.
Cosell: Ali is in the corner
with the rope-a-dope tactic,
when George Foreman
used himself up.
Ali: Every punch,
he's growing tired,
and after three or four
rounds of that
and 15 to go,
no contest.
Commentator:
There's the culmination.
Ali has the man in trouble.
He's trying to hold on.
He's still on his feet.
Ali floors him!
Cosell: Muhammad Ali
the way he can be
even at 33!
Ring Announcer:
Unanimous decision
for Muhammad Ali!
Commentator: ...without
yet an interview.
He just took off!
Ring Announcer:
...boxer of the world,
Muhammad Ali!
Cosell: Ali disappeared!
Man: Fighting is hard,
fighting hurts.
You've been hurt
less than most,
your face isn't
marked up much,
but was it fun,
or just a means
to something?
Ali: Well, it was fun
being seen on television,
winning the Golden Gloves,
wearing my jackets,
then you go through a stage
where it's no longer fun,
becomes a business.
( applause )
Ali: After this fight,
I'll hear no more
about Joe Frazier
because I will
totally destroy him.
This time I will show you
that he was a tramp
all the time.
He was an illusion champion.
He got the title because
the draft took my title,
then, when I came back,
they had me because
I was four years off.
I got warmed up a little.
I beat his behind.
Now I'm really on top--
not only on top,
but I have my crown back,
and I'm gonna show you
that I'm much older,
much more wear and tear,
more experienced,
and I'm still the king
of all kings,
and he must lose
in a round I choose!
Commentator: This will be
Ali's fifth fight
in the last 12 months.
Bryant Gumbel:
By comparison to the first
two Frazier fights,
the importance of this one--
is it less than the first
and more than the second,
or how would you
characterize it?
Ali: It's time now
to show the people
that I'm truly
much, much, much more
greater than he is,
because he got his name
when my title was taken
because of draft reasons
and he built himself up.
So, he wasn't really
a true champion.
He didn't beat the champion;
he was just
a little substitute
during my absence.
Commentator: Ali
with a rope-a-dope.
Ali: After four years,
they gave me a chance
to come back.
Then-- then he was
fighting a true champion,
but it wasn't really fair
'cause I wasn't too active.
Commentator:
...leading his own cheering!
Ali: Second time,
I was more active.
I danced 12 rounds
with him.
In the last two rounds
I had a lot of fight
left in me,
came back and beat him
and Foreman.
Commentator:
This has to have been
one of the most bruising
heavyweight championships
of all time.
Ali: Now I've had 41 rounds
of fighting this year.
He's only had nine.
So, now I have everything
together
about like it should be.
What I'm gonna do
to him this time,
I have to show you
this time
what I should have did
in the first time.
Commentator: Doctor comes up
and looks at Frazier.
I think it's gonna be over.
It's all over.
Muhammad, can you say
a word now around the world?
Ali: I was surprised
Joe had so much stamina,
and if I didn't have
the condition,
I know I would have lost.
This is too painful.
It's too much work. I might have
a heart attack or something.
I wanna get out
while I'm on top.
So I'll go beat up
Joe Frazier.
Okay, he beat
Joe Frazier. Good fight.
Tomorrow's another day.
Who did I help?
I didn't help nobody
but myself.
I like doing
something worthwhile.
Fightin' is nothin'.
I think about people,
45, 50, 60 years old,
gettin' up,
goin' to work every day.
They still go to work.
And I'm about ready to retire,
and I'm established.
And I'm thirty-three.
( music playing )
Cosell:
The question tonight,
and it may be
very interesting indeed, is,
ballooned up to 230 pounds
at 34 years of age,
how great
is Muhammad Ali now today?
Ali: I wanna quit
at the end of '76,
and this year we should make
about 20 more million dollars
in five fights,
which 80% of it
I plan to donate
to charitable causes.
Cosell:
I have never seen you
so off on your timing,
missing so many lefts
and rights.
Ali:
I'm getting old. That's
why I'm quitting this year.
If I don't take the money
to give it to my people
as some kind of way up,
then I'm not doing nothing.
So if we can't help people
with our life and make a name
that's gonna live,
ain't no sense in being here.
Feel the funk y'all
Man:
Muhammad Ali
is guaranteed $6 million
for putting his
World Heavyweight Championship
on the line against Ken Norton,
who will earn about a million.
Man 2:
They're fighting now.
Norton is going at Ali.
This is a fight here, Dick.
Man 3:
They're slugging it out now.
Ali:
Some fools still think
Norton can beat me
after I destroyed his daddy,
which was Foreman,
after I destroyed Joe Frazier
who will destroy Norton.
He still thinks he can fight,
whup me, and people do, too.
So I have something
still to prove.
And after I'm through
with Norton,
I can say goodbye
to everybody out there.
Man: I think
Kenny Norton is crying.
It looks to me
like he's crying.
He must've thought
he won the fight.
Man 2:
You got a whole lot of
commotion going on here.
Ali: Are you my man
or Norton's man?
Are you my man?
I like you better
than Carter or Ford.
( laughter )
Man:
Muhammad, since this
is a political year,
do you have a favorite among
the presidential candidates?
And more interestingly,
has anyone asked you
for support?
Ali:
No. No, they haven't.
I made a statement
the other day
about I'm not voting
for no one.
( bell rings )
Cosell:
Evangelista has gone
the distance
against Muhammad Ali.
Ali:
I don't care
what people really expect.
All I care about is winning
and getting paid
and being the world champion
and ready for another day.
( crowd cheering )
Man:
Shavers is trying to survive
till the final bell.
What a fight!
( bell rings )
It's over!
Man 2:
Muhammad Ali, you have said
that you would like to get out
of boxing and carry a briefcase
and be sort of
a black Henry Kissinger.
Did your fight this week
persuade you
that maybe
it's getting to be that time?
Ali:
Yes, sir.
Man:
Have you bought
a black briefcase?
Ali:
No, I have a couple
of briefcases.
Man:
Are you still the world's
greatest fighter?
Some people are now saying
that you can sting like a bee
but you can't float
like a butterfly anymore.
Well, I'm getting old now.
I don't float like I used to.
I'm a little slow now.
So you are getting past it?
Yeah, I'm getting old,
and I'm getting tired
and might get knocked out soon.
Man:
...scores 135-
( crowd cheers )
..scores 142-
The new undisputed...
Man 2:
Spinks has won it!
Leon Spinks has won
the heavyweight championship
of the world!
Man 2:
Incredible.
Man 3:
The end of a boxing era
came like
a right hook out of nowhere
last night in Las Vegas.
A 24-year-old ex-Marine
with a little over one year's
professional experience
dethroned the most famous
boxing figure of all time,
as Leon Spinks
wrested the heavyweight title
from Muhammad Ali
in a 15-round split decision.
Muhammad,
on a day like this,
the day of what will be
your last fight forever more,
do you find yourself
thinking back
over your whole boxing career,
your whole life?
I probably will later,
but not now.
This fight that's coming up
in a few hours
is more important than
all that I've done in the past,
for the fact
this is the last one,
and I want to go out
being the first black man
to retire champion
and the first man to gain it
three times.
Cosell:
You sound almost tired,
and the fight's at hand.
Ali:
I'm not so tired until you're
gonna hear it in my speech.
I'm just relaxed.
I'm not tired.
I'm in top shape.
Probably in better shape
than I was for
the Thrilla in Manila
and George Foreman,
although I'm older.
I've had a few fights
since then,
but this is befitting of me
to do the impossible.
I cannot consider myself
the greatest of all times
if I can't come back
and get this title
from the likes of a man
like Spinks.
I've done this
the first time.
This time,
you will see the real Ali.
I predict it to this camera,
to anybody watching this fight,
and if I'm not
telling the truth,
you can play this thing over
and show it to the public,
make me look like a fool.
I will destroy Spinks.
( music playing )
Man:
There's the bell,
and we're underway.
Round one.
The champion Spinks
coming right out
against a moving,
advancing Muhammad Ali.
He's moving. He's dancing.
He's been doing it for six,
now going on seven minutes.
No question this is already
a different story
than the last time.
Man 2:
Ali's dictating the pace
of the fight.
Ali is dictating where
he fights and when he fights.
Man 3:
A big left for
the former champion.
Ali again
is in complete control.
( bell rings )
Man: Well, a good scene,
round seven,
and Ali
does his little shuffle,
and the crowd loves it!
They start the chant:
"Ali! Ali!"
Commentator 2:
He is showing
a young Leon Spinks
what it's like to be in
with the real Muhammad Ali.
Ring Announcer:
Ten Ali, one even, four Spinks.
Eleven Ali, four Spinks.
Ten Ali, one even,
four Spinks.
The new champion,
Muhammad Ali!
Commentator 1: Ali is the world
heavyweight champion
for the third time,
and here come...
Jessica Savitch:
The top story in sports
is a report that Muhammad Ali
finally, at age 37,
has officially retired
as champion of
the World Boxing Association.
I'm not gonna set up...
or stand up
and do like many people
I seen goin' out.
- ( phony sobs )
- ( reporters laughing )
It's just so good to--
you know, I hate to--
I'm happy... ( laughs )...
to be gettin' out.
I mean, it's been hell.
( laughter )
( crowd chatter )
Ali:
Russia is invadin'
a Muslim country,
Asiatic country,
lookin' probably
to take oil wells in Persia,
lookin' to take
freshwater ports--
which could lead
to nuclear war.
My purpose in comin' here
was to try to stop that.
Jimmy Carter:
With Soviet invading forces
in Afghanistan,
we and the other nations
of the world
cannot conduct
business as usual
with the Soviet Union.
That's why the United States
has imposed
stiff economic penalties
on the Soviet Union.
And I have notified
the Olympic Committee
that neither
the American people nor I
will support sending
an Olympic team to Moscow.
( applause )
Ali:
If the African people
helped by not going
to the Olympics,
I figure this would
have to show the Russians
and the world
what they're doin'.
- ( camera shutters clicking )
- ( chatter )
Ali:
There are two bad
white men in the world:
the Russian white man
and the American white man.
They're the baddest two men
in the history of the world.
( audience laughs )
And if these two white men
start fightin',
all us little black folks are
gonna be caught in the middle.
( laughter )
So we all should try to help
stop these two white fellas
- from fightin'.
- ( laughter )
- Ali: Right?
- Man 1: Yeah!
- Man 2: Right!
Female reporter:
White House officials say
they expect
a number of other countries
to go along with
Mr. Carter's request.
That means a boycott.
Ali:
Why did we go to the moon?
Because it's there.
Why are we trying
to go to Mars?
Because it's there.
Columbus wouldn't have
discovered America
if he didn't take a risk.
So he who is not courageous
enough to take a risk
will accomplish nothing
in life.
I'm a risk-taker.
I'm now shootin'
for immortality.
Merv Griffin: But you got
immortality now, nobody's ever
gonna surpass that record--
Ali:
Not four times.
Four-time world champion.
They might surpass three,
but if I get four,
I know they won't do five.
Plus, I know Larry Holmes.
I trained him,
- I taught him
everything he knows.
- He was your sparring partner.
I taught him
everything he knows,
but not everything I know.
- Oh....
- That's where
the surprise is comin'.
- He really believes
he can beat me.
- Yeah.
Howard Cosell is saying
the same things about you
that Larry Holmes
is saying about you.
Well, he is!
He said publically,
he said, "Ali is finished."
I didn't say it!
Don't look at me like that.
He said it, Muhammad.
And Larry Holmes said
you are 38 and over the hill.
( audience laughs )
- Man: No way!
- No way, right?
- What do you say?
- I'm lost for words.
( laughter, applause )
Have you got a nickname
for him yet?
Well, he's got
a peanut-shaped head.
- ( laughter )
- I named him The Peanut.
The Peanut?!
And I says,
"After the fight,
I'm gonna shell you,
pack you up, and send you
to Plains, Georgia."
( laughter, applause )
Cosell:
Holmes unbeaten in 26 fights.
There's the left!
And down went Ocasio!
Commentator: And Holmes lands
a crushing right uppercut
that sends Weaver sprawling
for the ring rope!
Ring announcer: Introducing
the WBC heavyweight champion...
Ken Norton!
( crowd cheers )
And in the red corner,
the challenger,
weighing in at 209 pounds,
hailing from
Easton, Pennsylvania,
the Easton Assassin,
Larry Holmes!
( crowd cheering )
Fifteen rounds of boxing.
Commentator: We're in round one,
it's just underway.
As you know,
the world title at stake.
No damage done.
Larry Holmes is actually
a bit taller...
maybe by a half an inch,
maybe as much as an inch.
Commentator 2:
Remember those tassels like
that that Muhammad Ali wore
the first time
he met Joe Frazier
after the layoff?
Commentator 1:
Larry Holmes has them on.
He's copied everything
from Ali.
Ali:
I'll eat him up.
This guy.
Commentator 1:
Kenny Norton, doing what he
has to do to win!
Ring announcer:
143...
142, Holmes.
143, 142...
Norton.
143, 142...
for the new...
Commentator:
Larry Holmes has done it!
The new heavyweight champion
of the world!
Man:
Do you pray a lot,
to Allah, yourself?
Ali:
About five times a day.
Five times a day.
Are they set prayers,
or ad-lib?
Do you
think them up as you go?
Usually when we're in cars
or on airplanes,
you have to just
say 'em to yourself,
but we have, probably,
over 100 different prayers--
prayers for success,
prayers for travelin',
prayers for victory,
and for many things.
Do you pray for victory
in fights?
All the time.
Ali: If I was fightin'
a young Frazier in his prime,
or a young Sonny Liston,
or a young George Foreman,
I wouldn't do it.
But I can beat Larry Holmes.
He's the man I trained,
I know I can beat him.
I see his weak points.
He's tired after eight rounds.
And then I'm just gonna do it.
Oh, Holmes is in trouble.
He dance like me,
he tries to tell jokes like me,
he tries to do
the rope-a-dope like me,
and he tries to write poems
like me--
everything he do is me.
He meet the real me,
meet his idol,
he's gonna freeze.
I'm gonna do him in.
Man: You guys spent time
sparring together,
you spent a lot of time
outside the ring together--
is it difficult to go in there
with a friend?
Holmes: I don't wanna
fight Muhammad.
Muhammad is a legend.
Let him stay home
in his rocking chair.
Stay home, old man.
You don't need me.
Take it and run.
Man:
Well, regeneration...
Ali:
The question I'm gettin'
is, "Why are you doing it?"
The reason is,
I'm out to conquer...
immortality.
We gon' make it right,
if it takes all night
Holmes:
He won't go eight rounds.
I predict it.
Ali will fall.
The old man is
in serious trouble.
( birds chirping )
Ring announcer:
Fighting out of
Louisville, Kentucky,
introducing Muhammad Ali!
( crowd cheers )
Fighting out of
Easton, Pennsylvania,
he is the WBC heavyweight
champion of the world,
Larry "The Easton Assassin"
Holmes!
Fifteen rounds of boxing.
- ( bell dings )
- Ali: I have a poem for you.
Merv Griffin:
Gimme a poem.
Here it comes.
Ali comes out
to meet Holmes,
but Holmes
starts to retreat.
If Holmes goes back
an inch farther,
he'll wind up
in a ringside seat.
Commentator:
Holmes hasn't caught him yet,
but Ali hasn't thrown
any punches yet, either.
Ali:
Ali swings to the left,
Ali swings to the right,
look at Ali carry the fight.
Commentator: Holmes is not
intimidated by him.
Commentator 2: No, I'd say
they both respect each other,
in spite of what they said.
Ali:
Holmes keeps backin',
but there's not enough room,
it's a matter of time,
then Ali lowers the boom!
Commentator 1:
Ali's only thrown
one punch in two rounds.
Ali:
Now he leans to the right,
what a beautiful swing,
and the punch throws Holmes
clean out of the ring.
- ( audience laughs )
- Griffin: Whoa!
Commentator 1:
Kind of sad to this point
to think how great
Muhammad Ali was in his prime,
and to see a man
that's just kinda trying to,
it looks to me, hang on
and keep the thing going
for one more time.
- Ali: Holmes
is still rising...
- Griffin: Wow.
...but the referee
wears a frown,
for he can't start countin'
until Holmes comes down.
Commentator 1:
Quick combination by Larry.
Ali clowning again...
Ali:
We can't believe it,
Holmes disappears from view,
the crowd is getting frantic,
but our radar stations
have picked him up,
he's somewheres
over the Atlantic.
Commentator 1:
The whole attack
for Holmes
is centered on
the head of Ali.
Ali:
Who would have dreamed
when they came to the fight
that they'd witness
the launching
of a colored satellite?
( Griffin, audience laughing )
Commentator 1:
You get the idea
that Muhammad Ali
might explode
at any time, too, 'cause he--
Commentator 2: I don't think
he's figured something to do.
( fans shouting )
Man: Keep the pressure!
Keep it up!
Ali:
Friendship is a priceless gift
that cannot be bought
nor sold...
but its value is far greater
than a mountain made of gold.
For gold is
cold and lifeless,
it can neither see nor hear,
in time of trouble,
it's powerless to cheer.
Gold has no ears to listen,
no heart to understand,
it cannot bring you comfort
or reach out a helping hand.
So when you ask God for a gift,
be thankful if He sends
not diamonds,
pearls, or riches,
but the love
of real true friends.
( bell dings )
Commentator 1:
It's the end of round ten.
Commentator 2:
I think he's gonna stand
and keep goin'.
What a courageous stand.
He handled it
with dignity.
I think Angelo wants him
to stop the fight.
The game's over!
Stop the fight!
And Angelo Dundee
wants to stop the fight.
- ( crowd roars )
- Commentator 1: That's it!
They've stopped
the fight, a TKO!
Holmes:
I did what I had to do,
and I still love the guy.
I don't care what nobody say,
he's one hell of an athlete.
Interviewer: Was the emotion
at the end of the fight
really the sadness
of beating your idol?
Holmes:
Yes, it is.
But, you know,
we all come, and we all go.
Ain't happy this man left,
but he believes
so strongly in hisself.
He thought he could beat me,
so he came back, gave me a try,
and you can't knock a man
for trying.
I'll always respect the man,
people all around the world
respect the man,
and he's going down in history
as one of the greatest
fighters of all time,
and especially in my time.
Cosell:
Larry, I'd like you to explain
why you've been crying.
You know, I really respect
a whole lot--
really respect Ali
a whole lot.
It hurt you
to punish him that way,
didn't it?
I feel that he fought one
of the baddest heavyweights
in the world today,
and you cannot
take credit from him.
Man:
How you feelin', Muhammad?
How do I feel?
I feel with my hands.
( laughter )
Why is there so many press
in here?
Man 2: You glad to be back
in England, Muhammad?
Oh, yeah, I'm always glad
to be back in England.
I love England.
I'm glad the sun's shinin'.
I don't see no rain
and fog today.
Man 3: Muhammad,
the $64 question:
are you gonna box again?
I shall return!
Who will your opponent be,
Muhammad?
Ali: My managers and trainers
are negotiating
for probably...
some top contender.
My mind is not 100% sure yet.
Uh...
I can do better than I did
the last time, with Holmes.
Man: You haven't finished
with boxing, definitely,
- can you tell us that?
- That's right.
- You're still in there?
- You're not as dumb
as you look.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Ring Announcer:
Judge Alonzo Butler
votes it 97-94.
Judge Clyde Gray votes 99-94.
Judge Jay Edson
votes 99-94.
Unanimous decision
for Trevor Berbick!
Man:
Well, there you have it.
Trevor Berbick
with the unanimous victory.
Jim Hill:
Muhammad,
has it settled in your mind now,
after losing,
this is it for you,
you should never
come back in this ring again?
Ali:
Well, I'm sure that
this is enough to convince me.
Today I got hurt,
and I saw the shots,
but couldn't take 'em.
Father Time just got me.
It looked to us at ringside
that you were slow,
you were telegraphing
your punches,
the eyes could see it,
but the physical ability
just couldn't get it there.
That's right.
I think
that's the trouble.
Father Time caught me.
In my young days,
I wouldn't have
had much trouble,
but I think time got me.
- And this is it for you?
- I'm sure it is. This is it.
I'm sure I'm going
to wake up next week,
say I'm coming back,
but as of now,
I'm retiring.
I don't think
I'll change my mind.
Muhammad,
thank you so very much,
and thank you
from all of us
around the world.
Thank you.
( birds singing,
children laughing )
Girl: Can I get
your autograph if I go
get a piece of paper?
- Ali: Would you pay a dollar?
- What?
Would you pay a dollar?
I was joking.
Get a piece of paper.
OK, come on!
They're gonna say,
"He's got brain damage.
He's fightin' horses."
Ali:
Everything God created
has a purpose.
Trees have a purpose.
The moon has a purpose.
Rain, snow, cats, dogs--
everything have a purpose.
And the wise man is he or she
who knows their life purpose.
( audience applauding )
Mike Tyson:
In this situation,
every head must bow,
every tongue must confess--
this is the greatest
of all time.
( audience roars agreement )
( cheers, applause )
That's real nice for him
to pay a good compliment,
- but the man is the greatest.
- Hall: You think he could hit
harder than Earnie Shavers?
Do I think?
( laughter )
Are you colored?
( all laughing )
Ali:
Most surely God's
highest form of life,
human beings
have a purpose,
and the wise man
is he or she
who knows their life purpose.
Man:
Saddam Hussein
has allowed the guests
to return to America with us.
Arsenio Hall:
The first question
that we should deal with
is a very sensitive area:
everybody talks about
Muhammad Ali's health,
Muhammad Ali--
and obviously the things
that you're going through now.
Would you like
to comment on that?
( slurred )
I have what they call
Parkinson's syndrome.
It causes a tremor
in your ha-hands,
and... it affects the speech.
So all that old talk,
"I'm the greatest,"
I have to slow down now.
( laughter )
It seems to bug other people
more than it does you.
When I sit and talk to you,
you seem to be fine
with the speech
and everything.
Sometimes.
It don't bother me, but...
I hope it gets better.
Yeah. Yeah.
We're all prayin' for you.
We're all prayin'
for you.
Ali:
My purpose was to be
a heavyweight champion
and live a clean life,
and--in spite of all the money
and all the fame,
and do all I can
to help other people.
Ed Bradley: I'm just gonna
show you a picture,
and you can react to it
any way you want to.
You can talk.
Now, I know
you can talk.
You've talked to me,
you talk to Lonnie,
you talk to Howard.
Bradley:
On this day,
he didn't want to talk.
In his kitchen,
away from the microphone,
Ali explained that
he didn't want people
to feel sorry for him,
didn't want to be pitied,
didn't want people to say,
"Poor Ali. He fought too long."
He still has no regrets
about what boxing did to him,
because of what boxing
has done for him.
- ( Ali snoring )
- Man: Ali. Ali! Ali!
- Don't wake him.
- Touch him. Touch him.
- Lonnie: No. Well--
- Bradley: Ahem.
- Hello.
- Sometimes
he does that.
That happened
after the Frazier fight
in Manila.
What happened?
I don't know,
I wasn't there,
but ever since
the Frazier fight
in Manila,
Muhammad will--
it's sort of like
narcolepsy,
he'll just start sleeping,
but he'll have these flashbacks,
and he'll have--
it's like nightmares,
and his face will twist up
like he's boxing.
And he'll throw punches
at people.
And he does it
at night sometimes.
Whenever he starts
snoring heavily,
I have to get out of the bed,
because I know it's gonna start.
- Really? So, when he starts--
- Man: Go to the next room.
- So he's not... putting on
when he's doing it?
- Lonnie: No.
This actually happens.
And the doctor told us
not to really try to wake him
if that does happen,
'cause he might end up
with a heart attack,
because it might frighten him.
So I don't.
I just get up and move.
That's--that's the hard part.
- You have to sort of--
- ( Ali snorts )
( all laughing )
- Yeeeaaa...!
- Bradley: You got me.
Television host:
OK, we have the next question
right up here in the balcony.
Right, sir.
Muhammad, I'd like to know
what you're gonna do
when you retire from boxing.
( snoring loudly )
( audience laughter )
( applause )
- Host: I think, uh--
- ( snoring )
I think he's probably
taking the last count,
but I'll do my best
to wake him up.
Just sleep.
That's all I'm gonna do.
That's all he wants to do
when he retires.
When I retire from boxin',
I really don't know--
I wanna say something
right here,
this might make you all think.
What I'm gonna do
when I get out of boxing
is to get myself ready
to meet God,
because God is watching me.
He wants to know
how do we treat each other,
how do we help each other.
So this is a test
to see where will we spend
our life, in heaven or hell,
and that's eternity.
This is not the life now.
Your real self is inside you.
Your body gets old,
but your soul and your spirit
never die.
So when I die,
if there's a heaven,
I want to see it.
So God is testing us on how we
treat each other, how we live,
to see where
our real home be in heaven.
( applause )
Ali:
We came in chains,
we came in misery,
now all our suffering
and pain's a part of history.
We came in chains,
you must remember that,
for that and that alone
explains
exactly where we're at.
We came in chains,
we came as livin' loot;
so you could boast
slave-gotten gains,
we've groaned
beneath your boot.
We came in chains,
and how our blood was spilled,
together with our sweat
it stains this nation
we helped build.
We came in chains,
we didn't volunteer,
and yet today the fact remains
we're still held captive here.
We came in chains,
now I say cut us loose,
though that may
go against your grain,
still there's no excuse.
We came in chains,
now who down there's
gonna bear the cost
till every one of us regains
the freedom we have lost?
We came in chains,
and now your choice must be
to either
blow out all my brains
or else just set me free.
( applause continues )
( ovation swells )
( bell dings )
( dings )
( dings )
( dings )
( dings )
( dings )
( dings )
( dings )
( dings )
( dings )
Crowd chanting:
Ali! Ali! Ali!
- Ali! Ali! Ali!
- ( air horn blows )
Ali! Ali! Ali!
Ali! Ali! Ali!
Ali...
Man: One, two, three,
make it funky
Make it funky
- Ha!
- Make it funky
- I got to
- Make it funky...
Ali:
I'm writing the greatest
short poem of all time.
This poem tell how it feel
to be as great as me.
- ( laughter )
- This is it,
the greatest short poem
of all time:
"Me? Wheeeeee!"
- ( audience laughing )
- James Brown: Got to do it
Make it funky,
oh yeah
Make it funky
Make it funky
Make it funky
Make it funky
Make it funky
Make it funky
Make it funky,
make it funky
- Oh, yes, I got to
- Make it funky
- Oh yes, I need to
- Make it funky
- I want to say now
- Make it funky
- Oh yes,
I got to do it now
- Make it funky
Make it funky
Oh yes, I got to do it now
Make it funky
Make it funky
Make it funky
Make it funky
Make it funky
Make it funky
Make it funky
Make it funky
- Ha!
- Make it funky
- Good God
- Make it funky
- Get it now
- Make it funky
- Ha ha! Ha!
- Make it funky
Good God
Make it funky
Take me home
- To the bridge
- Funky
- To the bridge
- Funky
Make it funky
It's so funky
I can't help it, boy