Ali on British fans, Frazier rematch & more! An Audience With Muhammad Ali | ITV Sport

[Music] ladies and gentlemen I introduced the heavyweight champion of the world indeed of planet Earth Muhammad Ali of our friends and I think friends of yours here this afternoon see one fell out there he knocked me down once we're gonna come to that in a second a lot of these guys have followed you all over the world writing your about your fights we've got one or two people from the show business world here and we've got some ladies to her in the business of journalism they're going to ask you questions soon but can I start by asking you a few questions I want to say first how much of a pleasure it is to see you back in London and I know that you've said in the past that you regard Britain as your second home why is that well well I say that I really mean sports-wise because in many cases you can say Britain can be ranked as number one as far as supporting me is concerned I know the boxing authorities and the people when Joe Frazier was recognized as champion and this Jimmy Ellison and the little hassles that I had there in the States they just didn't pay no attention to me and they recognized me as their champion you know people it can't call me you're the people's champion and I had got a lot of support from here during the days of my Prussian that's why I always say that about England do you regard them as your strongest fans in many ways well you really can't say who's the strongest fans because I'm not the people I don't know how certain people take it one fan was so strong he got killed after a few of my favorite phrases of second fight I can / I did so we really can't say who's much stronger than a man who's dead if he still livings but I would say that it's real debatable well a lot of a lot of real fancy ranee now you went up to Lancashire one occasion didn't you and you had a lot of strong fans there a lot of ladies who gave you a bit of a tough time did most they did tell us about it well we went up to a supermarket there and thousands and some people this is Birmingham in Manchester and I just never saw so many people in one crowd and they were crushing each other and jumping out in front of the cars and could have got hurt and this is why I know this sincere are you scared when you see that kind of thing well it frightens you not because of my welfare but you hate to see people you know crowd in the stage trying to get autographs and you see somebody being squares though they're suffered in the crowd because too many people are behind them and and this worries y'all somebody sticking their arm in a moving car and getting caught and these type things are falling in front of a car when we have big crowds we just have higher I went back for a week and we had about 300,000 people lined up from the airport in big crowds just all through the streets and the drivers are like racing and excited and those children and people falling you know under the front wheel of a car or in front of the car that stopped just in time and we just killed me if because of me and people admired me I look back see somebody bleed nose squares have to deal because they got caught in a crowd and I feel guilty you know so this worries me you've mentioned Ziya you've mentioned this country and of course we've mentioned you're in country where do you think you are at your happiest and in what kind of company when I met my happiest as I was when I'm in Chicago with my three little girls and my boy and my wife in my mobile home somewheres on the highway eating hamburgers no pressure no bat around yeah right you said that those three girls of yours are really quite dangerous not they yeah what do you mean when you said that dangerous because they're pretty and when they get to be above I imagine 18 and 19 I won't be in trouble some fellow told me the reason you have three girls one boy is because you're gonna be paid back for all the wrong but don't you think there's those kids great kids are there are gonna have a problem when they grow up because their father was the greatest of all time well I think it came percent not a serious problem but a world vehicle people will point to you and say this that but if you keep quiet and don't publicize it I'm sure that people really won't know who you are and Joe Louis's daughter was about was handling some job or court thing in Chicago and didn't know about know as his daughter until she really told somebody you know if you just keep it quiet they handle themselves me yeah what did your mother want for you when you were a young lad mama Dee she just wanted me though like all mothers basically to go to school to get an education to stay out of trouble stay out of bad gangs and try to be somebody in life that's all when did you know that you were the greatest when when did I know is the greatest yeah who say I was born in nineteen know when I was 12 years old I figured I had a great chance of been a fighter yeah when I was 12 you've had so many high spots in your career in your life I know that and a lot of people think that your life is a very glamorous one and you may think that's true too but there must have been bad moments in your career and in your life of Muhammad anything well you know the first Frazier fight you know I was lost three-and-a-half years that was bad and over here Oh a terrible moment in my life is around 1963 even that Henry Cooper hit me he hit me with a left hook that Lake was so hard it jarred my color friends in America bring you in on this one because in fact if that bell hadn't sounded you think you could have nailed Muhammad on that run oh definitely she hit me so fast he hit me foolin Harvey he was one of the greatest British champions he was British champion at three different ways middle light heavy and heavy in the 1930s and the early 40s he fought at every single weight can I ask you Len would you fancied your chances in the same ring as Muhammad Ali was caucus fighter let me this would you prefer to fight the Muhammad Ali of the 1964 s when Henry Ford him or the 1974 Muhammad Ali I think to be fair to myself that I would take the the sixty the sixty four yes you think it have had an easier task if you could have had an easier time I don't think that after that and he began to get good just with this time four hundred you know pick up I see right I know that you're gonna be when I was at my fastest right right he must have been fast yeah rich come in I know there's a question that you want to put on at this point yes I think Lane could hold as good as you Muhammad which would have been very worrying no I you're a boxing student and I wouldn't want to take you on in that field but having have it Len having sense to do oh yes you you say you're a student and you're an expert this is why your world vessel exactly I bow to your superior knowledge at all times you know that would the 1964 then Cassius Clay have beaten the present Muhammad Ali won would the style and the speed and now the one with the weight and the strategy how would you for yourself think well there you know like people really this is why the underestimated me they forgot about what I can do you know they got blind they talk about weight I wouldn't they're fighting judgment about 213 pounds and this is one pound heavier than the Sun just when I was hot in my prime I wasn't heavy I don't know why they keep saying way and I would say that the moving and the dancing I could still do that man you I didn't want to do that because I would have gotten too tired at the pace I danced about one round the first round I'm kind of moved and I was a little too tired for one round and figuring out I had 14 more rounds to go with this pace I couldn't keep up and I had to move three or four steps to his one cuz he was cutting the ring off pretty good I'm surprised the corner man like he could so if I've kept that pace up the dancing for seven many rounds I always had to resort to roast some actually exhaust station and tiredness and then probably he would have got one through so I said I'm gonna get lay on the roads first and let him through all the punches and if you don't have nothing too dangerous then I'll stay on the ropes and leave tile that's what he did but that type style fighting the as you say Cassius Clay of 64 would've won easy the 64 style because I would have moved out I kept moving and land on the ropes wouldn't evolved to me like I did George because for man ladies on ropes I was just jabbed in and back off of him and our tagging man if I'm really hitting him I'll keep it him but if I'm not Landon see George didn't have enough sense to realize he was not landing he just kept throwing and throwing and throwing ran out of gas or what you all call it petrol and it wasn't a station around no word if you feeling so the first Cassius Clay doing the hopping and jumping with a beat that man roll style because I never would have came in hitting range I stayed off when did you decide on those tactics before the fight so it's like you know I'm sure Henry will tell you anything fight oh the knows what's happening you really can't plan to fight it when you meet the man you never met before right you just have to get your tools ready here's a car stops on the highway they call a triple-a or whatever and said my car's broke down what is it lady she don't know us but well the man comes with all the tools and he come equipped to handle whatever the problem is I astronaut goes into space and he pretends that something happens to the ship before he take off he gets out and he works on it he's not looking for something happen but it might happen so I didn't I just had everything ready now after the first round been here with a top professional a man so great had so many knockouts and never been defeated never even scratched I didn't know really how good he was so I had to come in actually a little nervous and with everything ready after one round of deaths and I found out that this would tire me out so I would have to resort to ropes I figured that out after the first round so I said I'm gonna go to these ropes and I'm gonna this man threw everything he can't let me tie herself out it might look like he's winning and if you don't hurt him we'll stay here but if he should be as great as they say he is if he hits as hard as they say he hit when he hits him breaks your arm he knocked out Joe Frazier I couldn't do it knocked out Ken Norton he was a big bad job before the fight you remember and they remember that don't you they don't see that never he was a real bad catch of the day right don't forget that now after I found out he didn't have it I stayed there but if he had had what I thought he had had or what they said he's here I'd have kept running hoping I wouldn't get tired can you want to come back I think on the point in mind that when we spoke about four hours after the fight in the bungalow and in Sully you you said that you'd suspected before the fact that that the man didn't like being heard now I know no one likes being hurt but this had registered with you he don't like even being hit I mean see he must realize this is what I told the press I told you all there would everything is that what happened I said the man is a little too slow the man is though he has no class the man throws a whole lot of wild punches when he's not tired and once he's tired he's gonna be falling all over everybody like I told you I told you this man is never really being hit hard and after he hears the man sit around for round five he's only heard the men say round three in the last five or six years at the most wrong 607 bro hey what's happening you understand then to heaven a man I told you he's constantly hitting him I was telling you at the office why he constantly feel that this is gonna flush trade him you understand and to have a man that he can't knock out real quick I said this man has never been experienced Joe Frazier was a little fat that night got hit with some freak punch and he'd never had a chance to show what he could do it a Foreman didn't have a chance to really show us what he could do not he got hit too quick to really see what he could do after he got tired and winded Joe King Roman and that's all he had was Frazier Norton and Roman and all of a sudden he's one of the greatest of all times I said you all are wrong this man is nothing I'm the greatest of all time do you are you crazy this will be no match the kids he's a kid I know that reg has got a point to make about the way that you fought that fight and the kind of problems that referees might have with the way you are tactics you adopted there there are some European referees Muhammad who say you're wrestling and hanging on a bit too much or razzing as used to savor the states would you be worried with the European referee at the Disqualification if you were holding on too much yes I'd be worried but what I do see is that my command like Joe Frazier Josh Fullmer when they come at me with all that force and they miss they fall in my chest and then I like rest my hand on them to hold in there so they won't do nothing in clothes now there and I kind of hold him I'm holding him he's trying to get loose and that's tying him you understand after six or seven rounds you tie right here ties you out when the man is holding you trying to fight against him I wish this fellow still fight like [Music] you can see the holdin but you can't really feel how holding them and I really just like it's nothing just looking I'll pick tuppence ire I might not have it tomorrow some that I want to bring you now and have it at this point cuz I know you've got a a boxing question to ask on the habit Allen Muhammad as you know the readers of my magazine have voted you the personality of the decade we know that you're the greatest we're not gonna argue with that but how do you prove you're the greatest if you could pick any heavyweight champion in history say from Marciano Joe Louis back to Jack Johnson or even John L Sullivan who do you think would have given you the toughest fight of them the toughest sight would be the man who the who's the hardest to knock out whether he's got a styled and my fellow who had no style just the bull was Rocky Marciano he would be the most trouble I think Rocky Marciano I would have probably knocked out Joe Lewis some of those fellows because they have their box so they took the time and you could take your time and pick a shot Marcin just kept coming he hurt your arms he could take everything but what I came I cannot prove who are how would I beat them but what I can do the proof of the grace of all time and I'm trying to get it promoted and honest everything I believe this is give me I want Joe Frazier and George Foreman in the same night now you understand I seriously I won't not 15 rounds apiece become 15 rounds apiece means if there goes the distance above him and he's 30 rounds a battle 30 rounds might be a little too much but if I had to go 20 I've been 15 about eight times I've had to go five more I could train another extra two months I could go 20 rounds I want Joe Frazier for 10 rounds I won't fold them for 10 rounds right Joe Frazier first because I think really he can take more than four really understand a form is just a haven the hard punch but basically he can take more than 4 min Zhu Frazier he's always getting hit he keeps coming this man Foreman's like myself we not used to take a lot of punishment I probably couldn't take the beatin that I put on individuals I wouldn't take it myself I would retire if I had to get hitting my pretty face all that long now hinder still pretty too anyway anyway I was I talking about man you can't stop me like that you were out of boxing after you'd been hit so often I was talking about the greatest favor I can say I want both I'm in one night I won't phrase your first and foremost second and then right after I'm finished Frazier was a decision man knocking mouth I want jaws from and jump right in the ring and I got three governments who might promote the fight oh please call us Tony or Russia contact us Iran and China if I have to take him to the communist country I'm on both for them in one night cuz they still got excuses George Foreman's complaining do you know the way I whooped that man would you believe that they want to still make excuses the ropes are too loose that's right have you ever heard anything like I like the ropes was hitting them the canvas the count was too to slow the the canvas was too soft nein that some we stayed in the corner and then there was a lot of dancing and moving and he couldn't catch me you could say maybe the cameras too soft he's hungry made him slow but we stood still the whole fight so the cameras couldn't bother him and as hard as his hand hit that floor he should be glad the cameras or song you said that the other prettiest and you've been saying it a long time and I don't think anyone dispersed disputes that it's very important you being pretty isn't it I know Rachel's got a point that high school let's get it straight now I'm not really I'm handsome don't sound pretty now men don't call themselves pretty I think you're pretty and handsome and after the show would you've been so great if you hadn't have been so pretty this is really something this is going too far so pretty no I just say that to make people mad they come to see me get beat up but I don't want to think I'm pretty I know I'm pretty mean so handsome I don't know I think if I looked like Joe Frazier I wouldn't care and just keep walking into punches like he did Joe Frazier he's so ugly his face should be donated to the Bureau of Wildlife [Laughter] [Music] let's get another lady in on this but Barrow Gibbons over here has a question to ask you on computerization actually Mohamad done Barrow do you think it was fair they computerized and do you think it was fair that they computerized I don't care I didn't know that until you told me I don't pay no attention to what they say about me all I do is just do what I have to do and get paid and that's it but I don't really pay no attention to the rules of boxing I don't pay no attention I defy all the rules I define I've added pages to the book of boxes I have this game is such a thing now until boxing promoters can no longer afford my shows I have governments like Iran ready to put up ten million for me to fight Joe Frazier I have governments like Cairo Egypt we only put up six million with people like Ron Lyle I have countries all like all back to your zyre talking to my Bhutto he wants him back again they put up five more million for retirement fulmen when we talk about 10 million and 6 million and 4 million this is unbelievable and they don't expect to get the money back they're promoting their countries and their ideals so I've like sales so in this sport of boxing until Madison Square Garden is too small Yankee Stadium is too small the Houston Astrodome the biggest promoters in the wealth is Americans and Englishman's you can get for promotions cannot just promote me no more you understand so I've not only added pages to boxing but added new sections to blue boxing book not imagine interview there because I know a lot of questions to be asked can I just bring Colin Hart who's a sporting journalist to all of us have covered your fights in America know very well the effect that you have on the black people of America and they they travel from coast to coast to see you have you ever seriously considered entering politics when your boxing career is over to perhaps help them even further or you had any service if I enter politics you what you saying it was a good question as to the best of intent but if I was in politics did I looks I couldn't help them see when I'm setting it on a white men's office which it would be building a white house on City Hall with the American flag over my head then I can't say things I'm saying now ends there then I have to represent to people it's all key they don't need him as the mayor he's a bad son of it he's talking about the black people see god bless a child that has his own charity starts first at home all I want to do we have dope problems we have black people kill every side in Friday night weekend nice black people fighting each other twenty-seven black people died in Chicago three weekends ago 27 died in fighting in nightclubs over women because they hate one another 27 died we have we need a teaching from a God a man from God to teach them to love yourself to desire to want to be with yourself to want to help herself to quit cutting the flesh and blood his people quit been volunteering let's unite let's love one another we brothers this is what we need not if we don't respect ourselves nobody respect us I can't talk this in politics see so when I'm a representative Allah God who's been appointed by Elijah Muhammad no white man in City Hall had to give me license you know I'm talking some bold talk over here every American out here hearing they can go back and tell the president yes a if he's talking about Elijah Muhammad be quiet we been in America for two years the Muslims nobody attack us they know we right they just don't want the masses to hear this that's why we got white women a day in America coming after black people more so than ever there's never been a day in America where so many white women when black neighborhoods see the black piles coming out here's a brother right here he's affected he's not even from America look at his hair he's been affected by the black men America's African hairstyle this is gradually coming out but it's going to hit America first he's got to come there first before these people be free so what I'm saying is don't forget your question Julie can I bring you in your question very quickly well she received enormous financial offers from say Estonia in Russia and in Red China to fight there would you fight in a country for the money offers come from those countries just the office to fight there yeah well it the question still figures would you fight in the country to which you were politically opposed say one which had a very unattractive attitude towards the black man America to black thing I think it is a valid question Mohammed what about South Africa supposing you had a massive office a twenty million dollars to fight Joe Bugner in South Africa I'll go to South Africa for nothing so long the conditions how I go I'm not going to be the white people hire them for wanting to stay white I wanna stay black so I'm not angry because they're I don't like the injustice as far as a bad living an adequate live girl and that's not my business to get another country's fair so I can go over there preaching like I would in the States but there's so many beautiful people in South Africa who love Muhammad Ali who can't get out of the countries they wanted and I owe it to them to go shake their hands to pick up the babies to walk with them to stay there two weeks just get calm and let them get used to me and see me I don't know I don't have any other South Africa for that understand and I wouldn't dare go over there so while I'm the child for the world and you mean I can't walk over here even if they did let me walk over there I eat over there sleep over there and I can't do it comfortable knowing I'm just a hand-picked one I would have if I go to South Africa I stay in one of the little huts you understand I'd let them cook me some good old African food and I'll hang out with just them so if I won't fight in South Africa for 20 million or even nothing and there was an arena there then they'll just have to give me justice for that day and let them have on this side I wouldn't want no integration at the arena I want all the Africans to set on this side and all the whites and set on that side and have a little rope that whatever that bar know about it and fight ain't nothing wrong with that because let me tell you something if you have any colleges here where black people go to college have an assembly or something and watch you see all the Jamaicans are the Trinidadians of westerns they just naturally come together everybody is on you see some blue birds go on this away rare birds flying this way they may get all mixed up but they'll all come out together and you see the Tigers of the Tigers the monkeys with the monkeys the lines with the Lions the giraffes with the dress they're all animal cats but they got different hangouts you see the Eagles over here the pigeons over here the brothers over here the the the all type Bluebird is a rare birds the Owls they are all birds but they got different little cultures you got your English talking your English food and you and the man in Germany us both brothers but your cultures are different you're the man in Russia even more different yet I was in desire at home with my brothers but the food and the way to talk with the dance I was once John not home did I get back to Harlem to the brothers there baby see so he understands ain't nothing wrong with wanting to be with your own kind what's wrong with me want to be with my kind do you understand I was at the Q clubs of the night buddy I will stop the talk of the town but I wasn't really comfortable for things they were saying well for Europeans and the dances and the white girls and all it was a nice look that but it wasn't my culture I went to the Q club you understand Walter black folks hang out and they was getting it doing the James Brown case then the baby man go on Africa you know just because they like to be with their own kind that's a good place to be I just like to see them have betel conveniences let's bring let's bring in some more people to ask questions Frank are you want to really get that boxing can we ask a question from you boxer means nothing when you look when you talking to mama dolly you're not talking to just a box we can talk to things more interesting a boxing but I wasn't entirely about boxing actually may have it that's what I know about Fantine to mine I think we've all accepted and you've certainly proved that you could probably almost certainly beat any heavyweight in the world today [Music] please say I proved that I probably could beat them you might be someone you can whoop in a man in the hole might be someone you haven't met yet we haven't heard of yet you've also probably proved that you could be any heavyweight of any time but um has it ever occurred to you and if it hasn't could you think about it how do you think it might go in a boxing ring with boxing gloves against a different type of opponent say an all-in wrestler or a karate man I cannot tell you the name I cannot mention this place the but there is a karate man they're trying to get me in the ring with well no one is ranked and but he's will have gloves on his feet and gloves on his hands and and they asked me what I fight yeah he cannot hit me below the belt kicked me enough he can kick but not below the belt and he cannot know nothing around the neck and we're working on that now and I will eat him up I just want a chance to grab I asked him can I have one thing can I give to you I can grab his legs if I catch him throw him down anything hit him when he's down we work you know do you think they'll try you're smiling when you say it doesn't tell the truth I would tell if I was joking this is seriously working on him now yeah [Music] then you know the karate man and not being afraid of anybody in a ring oh but what thing is in life have you ever been afraid of I know you don't like flying been another Muslim Islamic faith I'm afraid of one thing we all only a true Muslim only fears Allah I lost to have name for God we don't fear nothing but Allah I don't like airplanes I'm in all the time though I can see I can't stand flying but I fly morning about it so I just gave up I'm worrying about it now but it's a bad feeling when you're getting a thunderstorm I was clouded you hear lightning in the wings of reaction look I think on the break in the plane like I can't take no more stress you understand you've been in one those lights Oh scary right I saw you scaring those old ladies push two against the wall yeah yeah they were really crush you man John John come in well it's just that whenever anybody talks about you they talk about your your stinging and you're floating and and you're psyching but nobody's ever talked about the fact that you take a punch you take a punch better than anybody since the war apart from Marciano I to them but you do get her take one you yeah I've seen you get hurt and and the way you got out of it is full around or pretend it hurts a bit more than it did yeah yeah right so so so which is the worst round was it 11th against Fraser oh yeah observer level foul phrase you're right I've been hit and I pretend you're a quarry hit man Bobby false hit with you and I would like right and they said no you're not tricking me you're just trying to make me slip in that's what they think and playing possum right but I was really hit but if I had act normal it wouldn't look too genuine so I was hit so hard my toes were shake until I saw him in trouble so just yes I want to pull the lever you know and they laid back to see if I'm really hurt that bad you have a question of could you clear up Mohammed the time against Sonny Liston when you said that there was stinging in your eyes what happened he look like a kidney donor a kid can Kennedy yes well I'm not okay stinging what yeah you know Sonny that Sonny said your eyes were stinging yeah I'm gonna tell you something you hear about the crooked element in boxing I'm gonna take another truth honest-to-god truth a fella came to my gymnasium about a week before I left sire he said do you want to win their Fighting's I said yeah well I got something there's no if you lose look gangster cat had his head turned out he's well-known the New York area his name's been in news I won't say no he came up to me honest to god he said he said he had a little stuff in a bottle he said you see this yes head turned down about 70 years old little gangster fellow you know all along says he was Italian and not married to what yeah well she's not a gangster this is gangster he said he said you take this if you should get in trouble rub this on your gloves you can't see it you can't smell it it's hot but and then when you just jab him as soon as you touch him and the first bit of perspiration is just the heat before it won't blind him or hurt him for good but for a few minutes this man won't actually not be able to see and you use this if you have to I took it I said okay I wasn't on you it wasn't think about that God will punish me think about so my god oh I'm winning my face I just don't do that anyway I still got the bottle but the same fellow was in missiles corner the night that happened to me in the same fellow is real tight with Jack now on the list of people the same fellow I can't say no names or nothin you never guess who he is but now show you how he's about 70 years old where he must have he must have forgotten because he did that to me and he could have popped him in the nose or I had him arrested everything so that's what happened to me because you remembering the list of I talk for one round I couldn't honesty I was holding my hand I were you at their favorite yeah I really couldn't see I'll just clear it up for some reason and that must be what they used on me because it didn't happen to the fifth round after I got distant in trouble they put that same thing on me nobody's ever asked you does this road Mohamed saying it the other way nobody's asked you to lose it no no no give me some gimmicks to win but I wouldn't accept that Henry Mancini's Henry Mancini professional football in the back there Mohammed football yeah we still play yes put you on the floor when he was already bad no I agree I agree everything that people write about you although I don't agree with the press a lot of the times you're the greatest tremendous great showman marvellous he said earlier that you you can't feel they can't feel the Yankee Stadium or Houston Astrodome Vickie what they can't fill it though I'm sorry they can't fill it and they can fill it twice over but your pre-fight your pre-flight to build up some when you go to the weigh-in you have oh they appear mock up battles with the other opponent are they really how much is that is towards the line the fight there because I wouldn't be paid but I really do be angry I have to psych myself up I put myself on spots I'll see it just took pressure and for the boot for the best sort of well I'm not really because even in the fight it's when that happens and it's really sold out by the end I'm but it actually puts fear in your opponent like George Foreman just before the fight I'm looking at him in a man's ear as instructions I said sucker you are in trouble tonight you are fighting the greatest fight of all times you heard I was the greatest like you just said you heard this name you see it I said you said I was the greatest but you're gonna see I'm fair sucker I'm gonna burn you up you were fighting your idol when you a little kid you were heard about me you know and he was he wouldn't even fight he didn't his first fight in 1969 I've been execs out two years after all I'm done he just started fighting so when I was fighting people like you in the sixties he was just looking Jr who I said you're meeting your master your idol he looked at me then I went back first round I laid in the corners right I said come on show me something I talked through the whole fight I don't know if you all know it I talked through the whole fight Hacha come on sucker I said show me something they told me you could hit hard you're just a you want economy hurry I'm here waiting economy he's just see the quickest way to a point of the straight line to hit me he had to do that and why he's doing that never you meet a man coming at you like that don't worry about it don't duck like it's so powerful just pop him see he's going oh I grabbed his head sometimes that's it look at you look at you round seven and you're tired you have eight more rounds to go come on keep punching I want you to get tired I said oh I said this is the wrong place to get tired this is the wrong place to get tired he's just throwing him I said then he got a couple of bruises he knows his face is kind of swollen I said ninja you're the World Heavyweight Champion you're the world was hitting him well heal the World Heavyweight Champion and look at me you can't come another time look at that really come on come on get me I'm going back to the rope now I laid back okay take the best shot he's breathing us all or you finished boy you in trouble I said you don't have but two chances slim and non you in trouble I've talked them through the whole fight just to say God nothing you want to say he didn't say one word back to me yes when I was questioned as a heavyweight you're much faster than any other heavyweight I'd like to know if you've always been if it's always been the same when you know when you say light heavyweight a middleweight yeah now I feel pretty fast for preserved men is yeah I could come out dancing and hopping like I didn't I was 21 but I don't know how long I could do it and if I do it and it might take too much out of me for the distance from here on out you won't see a real dance at Muhammad Ali you'll see me using my strength in my power I'll be laying on the ropes and I'll be letting on me and take the best shots like you said people realize I can take a punch in there but they always wonder if I could because I never let them see then I wonder whether you could you wonder what will happen one day you know and you fly a lot right you fly have you ever thought about sometimes what we do is taking off something happen you know how would I do you'd never hope it happened okay Marvin I want to bring their little Smith in here you want to ask a question about posing yeah you know I've always been a great admirer of your ability as you put as a poet um have you had to work hard at it or is it just sheer genius it comes to me it comes to me naturally and I do it mainly because of my fights little simple rhymes I just wrote a poem the other day entitled truth it says the face of truth is open the eyes of truth are bright the lips of truth I ever closed the head of truth is upright the breast of truth stands forward the gaze of truth is straight truth has neither fair nor doubt truth has patience to wait the words of truth are touching the voice of truth is deep the law of truth is simple oh you so you read 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 only its shadow true stands above all sin great be the Battle of life truth in the end shall win the image of truth is the crumbs was the message is its rod the sign of truth is Christ and the soul of truth is God life of truth is eternal M model is its past power of true shannond or truth shall hold to the last that's a masterpiece did you write it down it comes from here no yes but I had the straight out it took me about a week or two to get it together let's look at the future from a Mohammed you've said that you want to get Forman and Fraser in the same ring ten rounds each but let's move beyond that you I think you've also said that you would certainly return after four years do you see that you've now said three or four times I want to retire I want to quit said I'm a retired call said I don't want to be a man looks like you're lying are you just you know you don't you word is no good I don't know what I'm gonna do I wonder a tie after this one but I found out talking to the African presidents are I was a derivative independence Revolution anniversary in desire I talked about 20 African presidents and a couple of those who are fighting for independence in the bush and no jungles to stuff and we talked and I'm so surprised to find out that every one of those presidents they knew me they knew my history and they all want me to come to their country and all their people want me to come to country and I found out through box that I can do so much to help so many people and our people in the States and for me to give up and to get out of the public and go somewhere and cut the grass and lay off at this time when the world is struggling and the so much I can do would be terrible in two bucks and like zyre as a country we'd never heard of it America I don't know if you already much about average man nay about know about saiyr citizen when it was the Belgian Congo we all knew but very few people know about saiyr so I think there's so much I can do back continue fighting and we try to build a hospital Elijah Muhammad our religious group in Chicago we had the land it's gonna take a hundred million dollars or three hundred bedroom hospital our people are dying in the hospital because they're too crowded all kind of problems you know you go to a hospital in a lot of countries and places and your man is sitting on his guts hang and I just got hit in a car that's a bad thing to see that all the doctors are busy man bleed to death and guts are hanging out and the doctors are busy working on another man got shot in the head a case just as important it's a bad thing you know so I want to do something to help you manage it and do boxing I can do a lot and I'm gonna try to get one of these ten million dollar purses donate it to something like the hospital and I don't want 1/4 instead I would rather give the ten million to a hospital then they get even 7 million for myself and give the government 3 I'd rather have the hole 10 million to go to the hospital let's look at to the future for a young man who's gonna see you come to see you his name is Isaac Fleming is a young boxer Isaac come down and say hello to Muhammad you Mikey box he boxes what deep box see girls are on just great see how he shapes up work mium go through now but just look at him and see what kind of boxing finishes he looks like he's built like sugary reversals he's not muscle see you watch he's only 17 years 17 you watch these kind of muscles like George Foreman and that means he's like this man no fighting hands off you [Laughter] yeah my friend you are not as dumb as you look the great Muhammad Ali I hope you've enjoyed our latest installment of sport classics join us again for another trip through the archives [Music] you

Channel: ITV Sport

Views: 228,409

Keywords: itv sport, Muhammad Ali, Ali, Cassius Clay, Boxing, interview, archive, boxer, fight, heavyweight, world heavyweight champ, the great one

Id: 5y645YXJWhI

Length: 44min 36sec (2676 seconds)

Published: Tue Apr 28 2020