Muhammad Ali Interview (1968)

any tea presents a conversation with Muhammad Ali [Applause] with bud Collins columnist with the Boston Globe [Music] [Applause] quite an athlete across from me he used to be named Cassius Marcellus clay jr. and his business was price fighting as a fighter he became in my opinion and certainly in his own the greatest at the age of 25 now he calls himself Muhammed Ali and he's unemployed as a fighter his title is gone ripped away by various boxing commissions in the name of patriotism he's been sentenced to five years in prison for refusing induction to the United States Army eight years ago he stood on a podium in Rome an American flag blowing in the breeze the star-spangled banner being played he was given a gold medal as an Olympic champion people thought here's a kid with a bright future and he was known as the so-called credit to his race he had talent in the ring and he had maybe more talent outside of it he loved ballyhoo he loved putting on the nation with a great put on that he was the greatest he maybe was the greatest poet since Robert Frost at least he had more of his poetry published saying Archie Moore must go in for things like that but then the day after he became champion he turned off a lot of the country by revealing that he was a convert to a religious sect known popularly as the black Muslims and formally as the Nation of Islam and that antagonize a lot of the American people so now his principal role is as a Muslim minister he's at a varied career an exciting Bazaar celebrated career and now perhaps a discouraging career or is it discouraging right now with this five-year sentence and I get more out of it than boxing boxing was only for self-gain just beating up for one of my brothers of somebody else's brother for money possibly hurting for life which I didn't intend to do and I'm lucky I never really did but I was having getting more pleasure out of lecture and at the first national mosque converting the so called made clothes you're a minister of the Muslim faith system probably like to Mohammed who preaches or his teachers taught America to our people and I enjoy this much better than boxing I didn't I was guilty boxing I chose this over boxing what about jail you're appealing is that correct oh yes uh jail that could come up and if I should lose the peel then I'll have to go to jail and I'll be out of there in a few years have you thought about jail what it might mean have you talked about people who've been in jail five years well well we all talk about the Honorable Elijah Muhammad the like people actually been in jail for four hundred years we've been here in America but uh I don't worry about jail the phone I believe in our law I believe in Elijah Muhammad is the Messenger of God and many great men have to go to jail and so I don't pay no attention to it the time comes I'll just have to go boys in Vietnam are dying for what they believe and I can't get on them for dying for what they believe so I'll just have to and they died to free or foreign people ten thousand miles away so I'll just have to suffer sold it to so-called Negroes could be free so they could have Idol and the image they can look up to that didn't sell them out do you think you can do more for your people by going to jail oh yes sir there's a report that your manager Herbert Muhammed advised you the head of the army said no no no sir no sir he couldn't do nothing like that everything I do is of my own he couldn't advise me to go to all of me when did that report come out that report was in a New York paper about two weeks ago no I didn't this is this room was they can't believe that I'm this strong they thought they would weaken me and put fear and then by threatening to go to jail and taking my earning power and they won't let me work in America the government won't let me leave America where I can't work and I'm getting stronger and this shakes up a lot of people to see them this strong it also makes other so-called Negro strong who are facing the same problems and in this way I think I can do for more for my people they have never had a big black man they just stood up and identify with the struggle of his people a thousand percent once they can get them a white girl a blonde or brunette on $100,000 home or show on Broadway usually every Negro watching a show now will tell you that you can't talk to them they're too big to be with their own people they go marry other than own kind and I'm so happy and proud to become great in boxing to become the greatest one that ever lived the creator still the greatest yes sir greatest boss that ever live I'm the first one that they had to take a title from in the history of all the red white and blue American title I'm the first one that they tried to make the world believe that what in the champion and never that never has been beaten about this title can you if you're in jail five years can you come back and be the champion well I don't know I'm not really worrying about boxing the Mormont's the spiritual works that elijah muhammad preachers preaching the word of allah god i forget about sports it's not in my blood i don't even ride stakes no more they make you vicious I just eat lamb now and fish holy foods and this keeps me from being vicious feeling and I really don't miss it I have nothing else to gain I beat the best German had to offer the best at Canada a doll for England the best of America had to offer two-time United State Golden Gloves champion AAU champion twice Olympic gold medal one Oh defending the title nine times predicted the rounds on my opponents wrote poems and poetic fashion how they would fall and theirs and I cannot go no farther sports are the first but another thing I'd like to say I'm the oldest black man that black people can now say have such ampion like all I will say Marciano that's undefeated and retired Austrian so Joe Louis came back he let the people down he got beaten chivalry was a black pride and they got him beat up but I'm the first one to they think you might just stay in yes is there a conflict now you say and I certainly believe you won't have been with you for long enough to know that you're very sincere in your beliefs that you're a man of God now a minister is there a conflict between that and being a price right no well yes we don't believe in peace we don't believe in sports at all we're huge sums you're speaking right we don't consider boxing their violent it's just a sport it's nothing we're not intention is not to kill all we uses our fists their pen and we have referees doctors and judges at ringside the intention is to beat the man out pawn him and I've been criticized for not hurting me and been certified silicon them because I don't like to hurt nobody showed all this in my fights but if I did fight again the only reason would be was to get out of debt this is the only way that I have to make the necessary money to pay my draft lawyers which two hundred eighty thousand dollars that are spent in $280,000 for your Appeals a trial since items for justice cost me that much and then other things back alimony to the wife and I can't pay nobody now because I'm not allowed to work and I had to cut you so if I did fight it'll be for those reasons but just boxing itself I can box tomorrow if I want to I could just go to germination box but it's the money three years ago when we were coming on the way from Boston and big red your great bus with blue Dini Brown Otis 5x was driving we had quite a gang you said to us Whitey's get in the back of the bus which we do and we had a lot of fun the last fight just even though you had all this on your mind and all the pressure you were with buddhini and you put on the Dracula masks with Surya one of your trainers and we we had a great time up there and and people who knew you and you've had a lot of criticism in the press but people who lived with you and knew you knew what kind of person you were and you enjoyed being champion the the people being around you and the notoriety and the celebrity you enjoyed that do you miss that no no as I said I can't go to I can't go no higher in boxing there's no one I could beat who could get me more praise and been a boxer I'm always around people I'm still around people every day I'm on round six of them traveling with me today every city I go to people await the front got just left college here MIT MIT University they were well received we have dominantly white audience yes everywhere I go we was up at Fairleigh Dickinson in New York CW Post I own a university Canisius University and Penn State and Morgan State College and I'd like to be with people yes but I didn't mean that boxing didn't take nothing away from me as far as famous concern our people I can always hold my head I can always put on the necktie and I can talk most boxes so you break them on this show now even the ones fighting they couldn't talk like I'm talking I know it's tough so I have like lots to fall back on so I can't just ask the question and loan I just can't miss boxing do you remember Ali that night then we were on the bus we were newly Florida we stopped to get some food it was a Jim Crow diner they threw Houdini out and you didn't go in I told him not to do it first I told him not to go because oh I can tell I went in first and the man said something but we don't serve Negroes assist yes sir I'm sorry and I won cause we who Muslims don't believe in forcing our places of self and you said lazy that night you said you're following Martin Luther King and people like that and you're wrong did you not now remember saying that I'm not invention him I'm sure didn't I said you I said something about that wasn't the way to go about it well I said oh man don't want you there and this is his restaurant and if he hates you that much to put you out of to shoot his own white brother to keep you out there's a possibility that Fenella milkshake he won't when he go back to fix that he could you don't spit in it and I'm sure somebody spit in the milkshake it mix it up you couldn't see it I don't see why you you have to be sick mentally to want to force yourself in the places where you're not wanted you see the man agent you see they don't want you down here I want you to leave them alone we're going somewhere else he said no I'm going in America I'm America I got a right to go uh I said well come on out huh [ __ ] come on over five minutes lady came out with nothing like Oh boss I told you leave the people alone they they won't you just make yourself look like a fool so we went on down the street another white noise yes fun we could eat but tell us about the Muslims now as I said the day after you won you remember that very well Sonny Liston the big old bear as you call him sat in his corner quick to you you became champion of the world everybody thought this is a relation young man I always wondered what was his trainer talking about I need to finish my dish you know what his trainer was talking about when misting cells to know he says sunny sunny get up to bail wrong son I said my mama didn't raise no fool I'm staying right here my stooge you got that poetry still going what was he gonna sell I was gonna say that the next day Ali when everybody was saying the stereotype thing here's a refreshing young man we found out you were a Muslim and people got scared again people got scared you got bad all of a sudden right over that's a good boy when I was hauling I am the greatest I cannot be beat I am prettier I'm the king he he I was a good boy but when I said I'm a Muslim my religion is this long what's wrong with that you have 600 million Muslims on earth and Musallam only me Martin submits an entirely to the will of God Allah and Islam only means peace entire submission to God and we don't believe in forcing ourselves on Jill he writes why is that growing up you suppose that the most probably Canada to scare Negroes to keep them from coming because the Negroes by nature love their enemy they pray for those who use some Negroes by nature don't hate nobody and so they can make people think that we all hate groups that'll frighten them but we don't hate white people we know white people we know the history of white people for example if a tiger broke in this room now I would beat you getting out if a rattlesnake broke in or out to beat you getting off at this stage I don't hate rattlesnakes I don't hate Tigers I just know I can't get along with them after London nature the snake in the tiger I don't want to try to eat with him asleep with him because I know that he might bite me so down them don't think that we can ever get along I think that was your point I know whites and blacks cannot get along and this is nature this is getting worse every day though latest government fact-finding committee just said that things are becoming to be separate just two societies black and white that's what we've been telling you separation now I'm the government amidst that that's coming white women have got gun clubs all over the country still are now to shoot the black targets understand they're making guns at a shoot through brick walls just to get Negroes and and and and you believe that I just know what I said mayor Daly on Chicago I think some that aren't helicopters or something just with these rats and rotating machine guns on them and all they breeding dogs that just attack black people all kind of spray and miss and bananas licking what are you going to do now as one of the prominent black person can be a leader what is your role in this I can't Civil War is people can be a leader but I can tell them about the leader all I can tell them is the John on to their own kind except their own kind John on to the true religion which is Islam John on to the Muslim teachings which is told to us by the army lights borrowed on this black man preaching the truth to black people clean up your own neighborhoods do something for yourself quit baby in a dreary egg to separate well if number one of the on realized Mohammed the religion of Islam has given me a beautiful name Muhammad Ali which is connecting me with some 56 Muslim countries I have 56 in government imitation this is why Washington won't let me go to Japan to fight because they prosecute an eternity came to Houston and told the judge that if we let this man leave he might not come back because he has 600 million miles on brothers that were gladly making him a meal make him a millionaire fugitive so this is what it's done to me why I used to try to get a love of whites and begged imputed whites now I can go set with Kings in Egypt Lebanon Syria Pakistan Indonesia Saudi Arabia this has taught me a knowledge of myself taught me to love and respect my own people taught me to marry and my own women all great Negroes but you're obviously not uncomfortable with whites I don't know I'm uncomfortable oh are you want anybody right now no I'm comfortable I'm real comfortable with you of course I don't know how far to go with you I'm not gonna go home with you now and reflect with your daughter I'm not gonna try to push you out of your suburb I integrate so far say we don't that's why I like governor Wallace he tells the truth but they like courage walk yes with that truth he tells what he like he tells the truth believe that I see him telling the truth you don't believe he's been a tough influence in this country in a bad influence well I don't agree with everything nobody say but I like what he say when he says that Negroes shouldn't push to force herself in the white neighborhoods and white people shouldn't have to move out of the neighborhood just because one Negro comers they don't want to sell the house to me [ __ ] and that makes sense if a person don't want you why are you gonna push yourself home and Wallace is a mitten that this ain't right and let the people do what they want to do they need local government where they can decide what they want to do their own community just don't make some northern so-called liberal come in and bust the neighborhood up and they all have to pack up and go somewhere else and always be what would you say for your people they're living in deplorable conditions in Chicago now they're living in terrible conditions oh this is all over the world living in terrible conditions this is white lights mama teaches they did some land on them where they can produce and build their own homes schools factories in hospital since they're suffering and been turned away from many of whites and get some land since we helped build America to be fit to the richest states on the planet and Fault in all American Wars to help maintain and uphold of government why not should we have some of the land where we can be able to construct miracles of doctors and their girls or lawyers physicians mechanics plumbers electricians why not can we go somewhere now and build a future for children such as other people washes we just remain beggars and employees why not can we go and a job that's where do you want some land now in the United States now realized Muhammad teaches us that God told him not me that this land should be here are elsewhere just like all people no people can be free and independent without land no people can be free if they can't feed themselves no people can be free if they don't clothe themselves neck rolls or 22 million people he lies you want me to teaches us we don't make Shu strange 22 million people and don't have a toothpick Factory 22 million people if you white people close the grocery stores tomorrow we were starved to death but you have your own stores oh he likes Mama's buying hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland throughout the country can and food and taking it to supermarkets and his restaurant is building all over the country he's got his own colleges/universities he's on radio worldwide now national in America is on TV and Washington he's Prince two million newspapers a week called my mr. Hosking temples all over the country and he is the black man for black people to follow he's not just asking for a job he's not just for house in a white neighborhood this is nothing see Negros actually fight for equality with white men's Dole you may say why well when they say we won't open house and they still not get nothing the dog ain't got the dog sleeps in the house with white people in the bed many of them and Negroes gonna ride on the best transportation up front with the white people our dogs new bed net here at right in the front seat I see him when sunshine and dogs right right in front sees car and Negroes they won't eat the white man restaurant and this net still the dogs eat at the same plate I see this so in reality the Negroes not fighting for equality with the white man he's fighting for equality white men's dog to be equal with the man he she needs some airports he needs from train stations from television companies some water plants he needs some fun way hard to get those and not if he had some land of his own yes ma'am and or if the white man gave me justice and repaid him for building up this country and working still 310 Carmichael rath Brown say that the white man will not do this though well they have to be militant they are militant you know these men do you know I know I'm good we would look like fools trying to be violent against the most powerful as military country on earth we would look like Bulls running down a railroad track head on into a Moute locomotive train you might say look at that brave bull boo and that ball come head-on with that train all he will have left as this monument is his blood in his flush on the track see we can't be powerful against the man who makes the bullets who makes the guns we look like fools with a pop gun hiding on a roof shooting at our me if every Negro had a machine gun a tank-top azúcar years round of ammunition and a good hideout we wouldn't have a chance because we don't control no food after two or three days we be hungry for us to be violent against America we would have to have superior weapons than America and we don't have to factorize another earth to dig the material to matter of fact to the weapons and if we would get the weapons we would have to get off a yacht agree with surely you are not gonna give Negroes reps and shoot you with so I'm not here to talk sad on a grievous toke out on grieving rap Brown I don't agree with Martin the late Martin Luther King we're all black people who are fighting for freedom just in quality everybody have their approach there's a war going on in Vietnam one man fights from the air one man fights from the land one man fights from on top of the water one man fights in the submarine under the water one man comes from he's a Secret Service man on spouts they all fight the same common enemies they say the North Vietnamese and people but they have different approaches Negroes have different approaches for that freedom one men believe in integrating one day we all be white he say look like white people after 200 years one believed in education and politics were solving one belief shooting and looting and burning up the country solve it one man believed integration of solvent and we believe separation somewhere to ourselves to solve it so we're not here to talk about these fellows the same dog to bit them bit means biting me but we just don't agree with that approach to the freedom but we all offer them if they are sincere in that way and one day we hope that they will all soon recognize a true lady lied to Mohammed and will also be Muslims what do you think will happen he Elijah Muhammad is a very old man one day he was dying he will die one day what do you think will happen to your group well when he died we will be and we will be in and heaven will be in the air after earth America will be destroyed and this will all be over the Negroes with America will go down with America and our long guys or when he dies we will be free his work could be over and we have a fierce just around the corner we don't have a lot of more years in America tell us about him now I would like to say that Moses died - nor die a lot all God's prophets but they accomplish their missions using City Elijah Muhammad a prophet he's a messenger he's not here to tell us what's company's tell us what's happened he's a messenger he's The Messenger of Allah - the so-called Negroes what about your own life now you're married you have a young yeah I got a little baby on the way and about Monday I'll have a lovely little boy I hope and I'm young enough to hold the crown until he's around do you think you'll be the champion well I don't think I wanted in the box I'm gonna send him to school but I'm gonna make him study and work it and he's gonna be a wise man a boom box you're living in Chicago right uh bump me a nice little home there and fix it up nice and still got in there like beautiful 18 year old Muslim girl oh yes I got a couple of them old Cadillacs but I'm trying to get me a plate cause a to slow them I travel so much every day I'm in certain cities and I'm always moving I always have calls that driving a killer me and so and I would like to have my own private plane and oh now I'm price that I learned yet that I have a comes like an anarchist and Kansas City where they make those things Wichita they are working now with giving me a good deal on one where I may be it probably Kelis it cuz I guess I'll pry into your personal affairs have been so many stories that you've been like Joe Lewis that you're broke yes so you're launched to an $80,000 on one hand how you talked about buying the leaders yeah I'm about going I said Lisa Lisa Lisa the end yeah but on tax a pay for it in a way but what I'm trying to say is that uh yeah I'm just about broke I'm not allowed to work here now in America I'm not allowed to leave America I'm not gonna like Joe Louis I didn't fight 13 years see how much 29 fights and won them all yeah but I was I had nine title fights and out of those nine big title fights my cup was two million dollars my cut after everybody after everything that was your cut - no no after everything this is before taxes for taxes oh yeah after that my manager was paid after my opponent was paid - peanut man the popcorn man and everybody my covers 2 million and out of 2 million the ten white men to back me in Louisville they made a deal with the government behind my back I knew nothing about it real quick they made a deal with the government where they would give the government 90% of all my earnings before I gather this was called the Joe Lewis law to keep me from being broke they say but 90% of my two million dollars went to the American government so that only left me ten percent out of two million to live on and out of that I had to pay a hundred fifty thousand to get rid of my first wife because she was joined with faith and then naturally it cost me money to live so the money is about going and not only me or I don't know why people so confuse over one Negro boxer getting low in funds are depleted in funds when America's broke America's now canceling trips and things to save money so if you know if big powerful America can get broke in know little Negro boxer can get broke well that's true you can you've severed all connections now as your management group in Louisville mm-hmm which is the group that brought you on did you leave them in a friendly manner oh yeah contract ran out they wanted to renew it but they didn't want to give me the price for it so I just had to find another manager you go back to Louisville often to see your mother and oh yes I was there two days ago I was in Louisville but I don't have time to stay there too much the town looks so small and the people move so slowly friends I raised that will still stand on the same corner ain't doing nothing hanging around the same places and when you get out and travel and knowledge and get when you get knowledge wisdom understanding and been around the world comforted I'm like me and talking to wise men like you newspaper men and all these TV shows and and this makes you wise and intelligent when you go back to these little one-horse towns you just can't stay there two hours just after day I'm ready to get out oh you got a move I've noticed that about you you kind of like to move you gotta lessen this purse even in jail I'm gonna have a moving plan movie from Salus hours I don't know have you have you gotten any specific word about when they will act on your appeal I got a letter though they said get ready because they are cleaning out your cell to take you on the trail to the Geo seal without bail without a bail are you ready yeah if I have to a to my wife she's packing up a few things and I left a certain money I bear it for her to go back to get married you better watch the IRS probably watching this show that's all right I bear a lot of money that I'll make after taxes I'll make a little money like if I make up $1500 on speaking engagement I'll give the government that 30% then I take what's left of mine I don't put in the banks because banks might go broke or they might get robbed I just take my money and I hide it here and hide it there tell her where the highlights are well you're not too worried now Bill Russell who no of course it coaches the Boston so he's here I said to him two years ago I said it's it's a shame that this boy was such an attractive bore and such a fine guy and a good fighter is may wind up Pro like Joe Lewis and he said well that just shows that you don't understand he said you just don't understand that that's why we admire him so is it because he's he's ready to give up everything well yeah I haven't I haven't I have a round and do this and they they don't see quite easily Joe Louis these people you talking about they spent money on white women they set up bars and they went playing pool in golf $4,000 a hole and they were known to make millions and millions when it was no high taxes and they were not hindered by white America they were allowed to see the white America is completely closed all the doors on me I'm not allowed to work in America out America I was stopped right in my prime just when I started making money can't compare me with nobody like Joe Louis or nobody and I don't think I can compare you at anybody I could yes and tomorrow I can go back to get the money if I would only deny my faith if I were only gone up against my religion I could easily go back to make a million so I can always say that I turned this down I didn't I didn't do I didn't lose it I turned it down and I go out still with my head high you've always had your head high man yes I think you and I'm not on what they call Uncle Tom and money mother flush in the blood of my freedom of the flush in the blood and the freedom of our people comes before money and this is why black people of nowhere today the white man such as you are saying now they always talking about money you broke are you losing money they threaten our people with money we you won't eat how you gonna live well this is why I will know where today because every time a black man get in a position where all the babies are falling and where all the youth is falling him then he's looking when you're moving around and say yeah he's who's looking so that everybody's looking when you're there they'd like to see you coming oh yeah oh yes oh I feel proud I can tell him he's the greatest I can tell him to be somebody I can tell him to fear not Oh what are you losing look what I did now I can preach this all helps what I'm standing for and I'm just happy everything I'm doing I like people see me said why are you not tired of Oh looking a grey you're so happy were your bodyguards you'll have no bodyguards I said well it's great to have you with us Muhammed Ali price ranges have to minister to his people now we'll have it Ali and I want Joe Frazier soon as you get it okay Joe Frazier for the type conversation with Muhammad Ali

Channel: AfroMarxist

Views: 37,065

Rating: 4.9253569 out of 5

Keywords: Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X, Ali, Attallah Shabazz, Boxing

Id: 9f1iE36bljs

Length: 28min 49sec (1729 seconds)

Published: Sat Jun 06 2020