muhammad ali i am the greatest speech transcript

MP: I believe you when you say you dont hate anybody. I am beautiful. But as soon as I heard the truth that Elijah Muhammad teaches us in America, it made me accept it. They prowl the streets day and night - they shooting, hitting, its crazy. ". The slaves were not better offthe boat Ali refers to brought the slaves through a horrific Middle Passage to a life of painful servitudeyet their descendants today, even if they won't admit it, are better off. Come over and say hello! Copyright 2023 Big Fish Presentations, All Rights Reserved. In Hawaii they closed all the factories and had televisions on every street corner and people came out to watch the fight on the streets. Why couldnt I have pretty cars and good money and nice homes now? And a little skinny kid from Kentucky, maybe about 85 pounds, small and in the rain on my bicycle, could hear the man say. The match dragged to the 8th round where a tired Foreman fell to the ground and was not able to get back up on time. They later agreed with me on just that subject. So I wrote a poem and Im going to close with this: Get all the boxing & MMA updates you need with our Mirror Fighting email update - sign up here. "Why should they ask me to put on a uniform and go 10,000 miles from home and drop bombs and bullets on. MA: A lot of things that I feel are going to happen, like we might go half a year without a plane crashing. You crowned us', by Toni Morrison - 1988, for Michael Gordon: '13 days ago my Dads big, beautiful, generous heart suddenly stopped beating', by Scott and Sarah Gordon - 2018, Tara Westover: 'Your avatar isn't real, it isn't terribly far from a lie', The Un-Instagrammable Self, Northeastern University - 2019, Tim Minchin: 'Being an artist requires massive reserves of self-belief', WAAPA - 2019, Atul Gawande: 'Curiosity and What Equality Really Means', UCLA Medical School - 2018, Abby Wambach: 'We are the wolves', Barnard College - 2018, Eric Idle: 'America is 300 million people all walking in the same direction, singing 'I Did It My Way'', Whitman College - 2013, Shirley Chisholm: ;America has gone to sleep', Greenfield High School - 1983, Joe Marler: 'Get back on the horse', Harlequins v Bath pre game interview - 2019, Ray Lewis : 'The greatest pain of my life is the reason I'm standing here today', 52 Cards -, Mel Jones: 'If she was Bradman on the field, she was definitely Keith Miller off the field', Betty Wilson's induction into Australian Cricket Hall of Fame - 2017, Jeff Thomson: 'Its all those people that help you as kids', Hall of Fame - 2016, Dan Angelucci: 'The Best (Best Man) Speech of all time', for Don and Katherine - 2019, Hallerman Sisters: 'Oh sister now we have to let you gooooo!' I beat people up. I had something to do, which most kids really need. Muhammad Ali, original name Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr., (born January 17, 1942, Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.died June 3, 2016, Scottsdale, Arizona), American professional boxer and social activist. Im sad because I want to bow out of my race and leave my beautiful identity? %PDF-1.5 MP: Can we go back to your childhood? I'd like for them to say he took a few cups of love, he took one tablespoon of patience, teaspoon of generosity, one pint of kindness. Only Tarzan can talk to the animals. He was a true beat poet -- as in, he loved having a rhyme to have a reason to . What about other black athletes - in particular Floyd Paterson. And once that belief becomes a deep conviction, things begin to happen." He believed without a doubt that he was the best fighter of all time, and he even pushed this belief upon his opponents. What a beautiful swing. And when I get it out, will a shark come and bust the thing? Of course, he had a strange job, beating people up. Why should they ask me to put on a uniform and go 10,000 miles from home and drop bombs and bullets on Brown people in Vietnam while so-called Negro people in Louisville are treated like dogs and denied simple human rights? The same people will give me hell if I turn to them and say, lets free my people now. Its impossible for 30 million black people to be violent against 170 million - we need a mental revolution, unity in coming together, and not physical. They make a million dollars, they get a Rolls Royce and a nice home and a white wife and think, well, I made it. Get ready to meet God.. I done handcuffed lightning. Im getting more praise and credit for doing what Im doing now on this show than coming here and beating five of your English champions. In Hiroshima werent bad but they still dropped the bomb. Press conference, March 9, 1971, following his defeat to Frazier, quoted in, "The Silent Warrior", dedicated to Joe Frazier and his family, p. 112, Poem composed in 1963 prior to his match with Sonny Liston, as quoted by Bill Traughber in "Brash Clay waxed poetic in 1963 visit to Nashville," Nashville's. They all got different cultures. Thank for inspiration us Champ and empowering the people everywhere. 17 September 1974, Waldorf Astoria, New York, USA. Archie's been living off the fat of the land. But people talk about fighters dying and how brutal it is. This kid's gonna be somebody better than anybody I ever knew. but we wanted to dig deeper into some of his most inspirational speaking moments. Sharon Stone met Muhammad Ali when she was 17. Muhammad Ali: "I wear one suit a day, I can only eat one meal a day, I can drive one car a day". Ali would subsequently go on to attend the rallies and lectures of Malcolm X and Elijah Muhammad. Impossible is temporary. MA: It happened one night when I heard Rocky Marciano - 1954 or 53 - he had beaten Walcott or somebody. I think I have done that bit', BAFTA acceptance, Leading Actress - 2019, Axel Scheffler: 'The book wasn't called 'No Room on the Broom! He died in 2016. Elijah Muhammad teaches separatism, the two races shall live separately and the blacks should have their own. Jewish people love their culture. \$0__`x~:MC?eb-3J _P4qRM.rJd=/M/8g~0i&1?Ap_d$:e[}@WVU6a(Biac)Qe~uKMuDG/GGCyJxO4vFfa;|MtwXx@4`l[EPZ0,'BlX I do a lot of reading, a lot of studying. I don't try to move into white neighborhoods. He put in a book how bad he felt that he had let down Frank Sinatra. I dont talk no more. Could I first start of by asking you, youve been the champion of the world three times, and youre now the ex champion, do you feel that people are treating you differently now that you are the one-time champion? He thought that Joe Louis was the greatest heavyweight champion of . ALI: And as you lie on the floor while the ref counts 10, you pray that you won't have to fight me again. They love their little slant eyed, pale brown skinned babies. Muhammad Ali was a very good boxer, but he was not unbeatable. Ali knew how to captivate his global audience through his words and actions both in and out of the ring. Watch and read the full transcript of Muhammad Ali's. His crusade was cut short when he was assassinated while giving a speech in 1965. You dont shoot yourself. MP: But do you think if to ever get this separate state, do you think it can be achieved bloodlessly? His hands can't hit what his eyes can't see. All this is going through my mind. I hit him so hard that I made him cry. The world has lost a legend. Celebrate the life of Muhammad Ali in these 200-plus pages of images, quotes, and tributes to the . World-renowned for his confidence, charisma, and will, he was a source of inspiration for many of us that needed a figure to be their champion. MP: Alright, well you call yourselves a pacifist movement. MA: Let me tell you, when I was a kid I got mad enough to want to kill somebody but as you travel the world and Im struggling with a freedom fight against nations, you cant get enough hate in you to be mad at one man just because its a boxing match. As quoted by Lisa L. Colangelo and Clem Richardson in "Muhammad Ali Defends His Religion,". The two were seen March 27, 2022 at the ceremony in LA. But he hit harder than George. Fast! Can I ask what the problem is, if it is indeed a problem to you, about being regarded as one of the most attractive men and the fan adulation from women? Something went wrong, please try again later. MA: Well I wrote about this Africa prison killing the other day. People sold everything - their cars, their land for miles, to come in and see me beat. In The Greatest: My Own Story, Ali says, "It's the repetition of affirmations that leads to belief. I was training for a fella called named of Duke Sabedong - he was Hawaiian fighter and a giant about 6 feet 8 inches tall. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. He was born Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr. in Louisville, Kentucky on January 17, 1942. I dont see the audience. Braveheart.. Unapologetic.. Kind.. ALI: By Cassius Clay. I think Terrell will catch hell at the sound of the bell. They kill all our leaders. Right after a fight I run right to the dressing room and right to the mirror and make sure Im still, you know, presentable. The special . NmQ,#6J;qV7j}y "I'm so mean, I make medicine sick.". UNIDENTIFIED CROWD: (Chanting) Ali, Ali, Ali, Ali. MA: Im nervous but not scared. I believe in Allah and in peace. MA: What do you mean pacifist. endstream It was one right hand. During the fight, he took all the punches that Foreman threw at him. Pigeons fly with pigeons. The late boxing champ predicted movie stardom while her father was skeptical. If you knew it was God calling you would fight for God. Englishmen can come and set up a business in white America and do things I cant do. And Dempsey was more of a wild, rough fighter - a little like Marciano. When you say separation, what youre saying is that black people must do something for themselves and not always beg white people to move in to their neighbourhoods. Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they've been given than to explore the power they have to change it. I done tussled with a whale', The Greatest speech - 1974, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118147/quotes, Jack Buck: 'We have been challenged by a cowardly foe', 9-11 poem - 2001, Michael Irvin: 'Look up, get up and don't ever give up", Hall of Fame induction - 2007 , Jon Stewart: "They responded in five seconds", 9-11 first responders, Address to Congress - 2019, Jacinda Ardern: 'They were New Zealanders. These athletes were able to make themselves and others think that they were already champions. He would stand an easier chance in Vietnam with a BB gun. Just picturing one million people and you couldnt see them all. But we have problems too. He's been preaching he never mentioned England. And they say, if you dont get him in round seven I lose my house, I lose my car. You my enemy. And a lot of time Ive been lucky enough to predict 17 times what round. James Ellis was in a critical state after the fight and I pulled offa him. It sounds big, didnt it? MA: No. Oh, yeah, he's a big dude and he hits hard, you know, I'll call him what he wants. He made all of us. Muhammad Ali I am the greatest! Frank Sinatra told Floyd Paterson how he should whoop me. Thank you. Anytime you live in the twentieth century, 1964, and youre walking around here singing We Shall Overcome, the government has failed us. No good in him, no justice, he's gonna be destroyed! And the world is better for it. If I say the mans going to fall in round five, like your man Henry Cooper here, he was stopped in round five but it was on a cut - it wasnt because he was out. Download. Gene Tunney was a great. So, like Floyd Paterson and other fighters, they just dont take part. The big fight is coming up Ali and Frazier. MA: Who am I to say he was the devil? All rights reserved. Speakola is a labour of love and Id be very grateful if you would share, tweet or like it. Im just in the galley working and I never could get up to see the captain of the ship. The "I Am The Greatest, Muhammad Ali" exhibition at the O2 arena, which hosts high profile boxing fights in . This was a way of working off your nerves, like you did with Liston and indeed all the people you fight. MA: Its Just Muslim. Looking back, Foreman said: Ill admit it. And I said to myself, the champion of the whole world can whoop every man in Russia, every man in America, every man in China, every man in Japan, every man in Europe - every man in the whole world. Even today, if my title hadnt been given back to me and I was in such poverty where I had to go and find a job, I would have done that. I took my gold medal, thought Id invented something. But America still dropping bombs. I love my people and I dont hate nobody and it keeps me out of trouble. Santa Claus was white and everything bad was black. MP: How do you travel when youre in the States then? What did you say? THE MAN. That's right. But I just try to stay half way decent looking. If you was auctioned off to Mr Smith, your name was Smith. MP: You mentioned Nixon there, and I was reading a piece Norman Mailer wrote about you and he described you as the second most prominent American. You think Im going to appear on American television and tell you I dont believe in what Elijah Muhammad teach and Im one of his number one main followers? World-renowned for his confidence, charisma, and will, he was a source of inspiration for many of us that needed a figure to be their champion. This will be like a good amateur fighting a real professional. Ali was not the tallest boxer, nor was he as bulky as most other boxers of his time, his punches were not the strongest, but he was still the best fighter of his time. So now Im going to forget the 400 years of lynching and killing raping and depriving my people feeding of justice and equality and the lowest of low last respect and Im going to look at two or three white people who are trying to do right and dont see the other million who are trying to kill me? MA: Second class? Black men - one might be the president. People have been saying, for years, youre on of the most attractive men in the world. Oh no. Like Joe Lewis was one of the greatest fist fighters but didnt have the foot work. I tell you what I really fear. I won three days, I fought for this country in Rome, I won the gold medal, and Im going to eat.. And then they got some stuff called White House cigars, White Swan soap, King White soap, White Cloud tissue paper, White Rain hair rinse, White Tornado floor wax, everything was white. But when youre behind the wheel its not like that. Muhammad Ali was a global superstar when he was interviewed by Michael Parkinson in 1971. The fight goes like this: Ding! Interview with Michael Parkinson (1974), quoted by Adam Lusher in ". When I came to the stage on election night to give my acceptance speech[, a]fter thanking my supporters, I'd said this: (At the time of the episode's airing, Muhammad Ali was known as Cassius Clay, so the use of the fighter's name is likely a coincidence even though the two later appeared together in the comic book. And this is happening all over the world. Clay showed me that I'll get locked up for murder if we're ever matched. And I always asked my mother, I said, Momma, how come is everything white? I said, Why is Jesus white with blond hair and blue eyes? MP: If it ever came, and God hope it never does, into a war between black and white you would fight then? And here are two men, fighting each other and they bleed and hurting each other. I can remember a couple of real fights when I ran. I dont have no trouble like that. Muhammad Ali listens to a Nation of Islam speech at Chicago's Coliseum in 1968. . He was later found guilty of draft evasion and was stripped of his heavyweight boxing title. This kid's got a right. Ive heard Elijah Muhammad say that many white people mean right and in their heart want to do right. Do you have fears of anything at all? Every intelligent person wants their child to look like him. And this is what I plan to do after Im through fighting - working with nothing but the people, the little people in the alleys: the downtrodden people, going out and helping them with my image. There is a characteristic mischievous pungency to Ali's remark, yet it also expresses a widely held sentiment. You dont believe that, do you? Those who ever come in to prominence. And who went to jail? His agility was impressive, but what was most impressive was his confidence in himself. Muhammad Ali won the world heavyweight boxing championship three times. I don't have a mark on my face, and I upset Sonny Liston, and I just turned twenty-two years old. Islam means peace, I couldn't just sit home and watch people label Muslims as the reason for this problem. You cant sing up on freedom, but you can swing up on some freedom. MP: Are you saying that every white man in America is a devil? Then I signed to fight Buster Mathis. And they rape our women daily. Takeaway: Releasing an album to trash talk Sonny Liston, Cassius Clay (Muhammad Alis former name) released an album that exclaimed his greatness. We are happy to announce that we are now part of the ThreeSixtyEight family. Ali was awarded a unanimous decision in the 15-round fight with Shavers. He's being laid to rest in his hometown. I done tussled with a whale', The Greatest speech - 1974 17 September 1974, Waldorf Astoria, New York, USA It is befitting that I leave the game just like I came in, beating a big bad monster who knocks out everybody and no one can whup him. Photo of Muhammad and Lonnie Ali courtesy Celebrity Fight Night. Im not crying. But those were the rounds I lost. the most influential books in the history of literature, and is a source of Islam. And you know after that fight, Frank wouldnt talk to him. But if its something I want to be with, the people who started it were black, I wouldnt not get in it. But the people didnt know. On October 30, 1974 Muhammad Ali knocked out George Foreman in a clash of titans known as the 'Rumble in the Jungle', watched by 60 000 people in the stadium in Kinshasa and millions elsewhere . MP: Do you find that peoples attitude in America changed towards you. And not only became the champion of the whole world, but better than all of those before me. Maybe a plane will go down with ninety people on it. Most fighters are scared to say they lightened up because they call the fight a fix or say, you carried him. MP: I read a book about you and he said one theory put forward by way of explanation towards your opponents before fights was in fact that this was nerves. The latest: Chris Rock, 58, has opened up for the first time about the infamous Oscars slap he received from Will Smith, 54. It was on in every bar in America, even traffic stilled. And he was on course to fight Sonny Liston for the world heavyweight championship. endobj MP: When you were 12 and in your early teens, did you imagine yourself to be World Champion? Muhammad Ali - "I'll Show You How Great I Am" speech The fistic world was dull and weary. With a champ like Liston, things had to be dreary. His good Roman Catholic boy Floyd Paterson. Then I was on Joe Frazier. No, Ive never noticed that. Cos the war got unpopular and so many black militants were trying to do all they could. Boxing great and cultural icon Muhammad Ali died Friday after a long battle with Parkinson's. Muhammad Ali vs. Ernie Terrell was a professional boxing match contested on February 6, 1967, for the WBA, WBC, NYSAC, and The Ring heavyweight championships. So I kept working until I did it. You would hate other people if you dont want to stay who you are. Too dangerous. This kid fights great. Because I can control it. At the time, the television interview was deemed edgy. Just the idea of me, a humble fella from Kentucky, lucky in sports and now heres the house and the fight was piped in to places like Thailand in the government house, and Arabian officials took time off just to watch two men boxing. Fraziers still rising but the referee wears a frown. x[9;; ]:OeD9sc%/PMksJU;?W al4x-sy.i;6ZN*}c ,r'?c*. I write: When you come to the fight dont block the aisles and dont block the door. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Responding to a press conference question as to whether he was a "card-carrying" member of the. Nothing in life has defeated me. Muhammad Ali was not only a boxing champion, he was a championship talker. Im just going to win on points. z|i.D;cZJa/*/\yPdD'EC9KR"oV#r?%&MUlo6L@,zse&}Bt6&9!vj^s2ojN^F+ #(gXxdW JuycU(&=b:^U=+AVz![o~=MF6 e]mF[CYP9.i%o5|fd?Y3#%{ai5!QRA1fY\~5eQm =#dp2]3:+S-A8?o[-e~]#]@EOZ_YoTa=#` PDwEh{o("/v9]p:Tc8gzKg neSi:) \_(9l\1"g:PE}FWs{tq|Q`e]Wo\rxgS!f Just thing about ten hundred people - that makes me nervous. No Im not going 10,000 miles from home to help murder and burn another poor nation simply to continue the domination of white slave masters of the darker people the world over. Impossible is not a fact. And I just cant see myself with a man on the ropes and just to prove how bad I am - and I see in his eyes, his head, hes hopeless - and Im just deliberately hitting. I fear aeroplanes. were just human beings. And Im not going to deny I believe everything he teach and for white people in the country who are not devils, then they should prove they are not devils. ", "At home I am a nice guy but I don't want the world to know. stream One punch. I said that before I knew I was." We all have greatness inside ourselves. This is the legend of Cassius Clay, the most beautiful fighter in the world today. June 4, 2016. I have more fans and more followers and more supporters. And when a pilot says its going to be bad, its going to be rough. Here are two men like two roosters - you know, cock fighters - and they put knives on them and they are mad and fighting and dont even know each other, just to please somebody. When asked how he felt about the suspects in the. MA: I have one more poem about your show. Im sick and tired Im getting off this show. No woman can really identify with me and the way I act and the way I talk. At a press conference before Ali vs. Frazier 1: I predict that when i meet Joe Frazier. You my opposer when I want equality. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. And they let me back on my terms - I didnt deny nothing I believe. Subscribe and you'll know every time we have a new post. I mean, Im proud, and Islam did it. But if you sign to fight him, increase your insurance. Elijah Muhammad, is the one who preached that the white man of America, number one, is the Devil. Then he settles into an amazing answer. But if 10,000 rattle snakes were coming down the aisle right there and I had a door I could shut, and one thousand of those snakes meant right. MP: To lighten it a little but away from the political thing for a while, I saw a picture of you in the paper two days ago cornered by a group of fans, mainly women, in the supermarket. The Frazier fight was seen by ten hundred million people. Ali swings to the left, Ali swings to the right. This is a strong indication for a presenter on the power of being humble and real. 46. Im not that big of a fool. To Foreman before the start of the "Rumble in the Jungle" as the referee is giving them instructions (30 October 1974). He's doomed. Would you like to be president? Muhammad Ali was a global superstar when he was interviewed by Michael Parkinson in 1971. Later I found out that this man worked for the show. Red birds fly wanna be with red birds. MA: A swing at ME? I'm the greatest thing that ever lived. Be selfless. Grass grows, birds fly, waves pound the sand. In the early 1970s Muhammad Ali fought for the heavyweight title against George Foreman. Muhammad Ali. I have been warned that to take such a stand would cost me millions of dollars. Parkinson first interviewed Ali in 1971, six months after his defeat by Joe Frazier in 'The Fight . Known to be one of the greatest speakers to walk this earth, he used confidence, passion, and rhyming verse to communicate his points. On June 3, 2016, the world lost a champion in Muhammad Ali. I must be the greatest. On June 3, 2016, the world lost a champion in Muhammad Ali. Selflessness and vulnerability will get people to listen. Not only do I knock 'em out, I pick the round. Were taught its impossible for us to be violent. It says we declare ourselves to be righteous Muslims and do not take part in wars, or in no way fashion or form take the lives of humans unless its a holy war declared by God himself. Not a power struggle. Response to the question, "What would you like people to think about you when you've gone?" P.S. I asked how much money was I getting, you know, for taking up my time. Id had about 35 fights so I came up on this show. With the help Yahoo! This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Let me know by voting on our poll below! Muhammad Ali's interview with Michael Parkinson, Michael Parkinson Show with guest Muhammad Ali, Muhammad Ali was interviewed several times by Michael Parkinson, Muhammad Ali on the Eamonn Andrews show with the host, Muhammad Ali at the opening ceremony London 2012 Olympic Games, Muhammad Ali poses wearing a policemans helmet, Muhammad Ali rides through Brixton, London in a classic open-top car, Muhammad Ali presented a Sunshine coach on the behalf of the Variety club of Great Britain, Muhammad Ali at ex-boxer Jack Bodell's fish and chip shop in Jardine Crescent, Muhammad Ali meets everton fans in Hyde Park, A woman places flowers as she pay respects at a makeshift memorial for boxing legend Muhammad Ali, Muhammad Ali in one of the final pictures, Muhammad Ali exulting in victory over Sonny Liston, Muhammad Ali, Rahman Ali, and their parents Odessa and Cassius SNR, People gather at the star of boxing great Muhammad Ali on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Boxing legend Muhammad Ali February 1999 meets the children of Brixton, London, David Beckham play fights with Sports Personality of the Century, Muhammad Ali, Muhammad Ali Boxing BBC Sports Personality of the Century, Singer with Irish band U2, Bono (L) and former World Heavyweight Boxing Champion Muhammad Ali, A Happy Muhammad Ali Jumps Over A Fence In London's Hyde Park, Boxing legends past and present Lennox Lewis, Harry Carpenter and Muhammad Ali, Muhammad Ali running in The Mall London ahead of his first fight with Henry Cooper, Muhammad Ali at the weigh in for the Heavyweight title fight against Henry Cooper in London, People pay homage outside the Scottsdale Healthcare Hospital, where boxing legend Muhammad Ali passed away, Muhammad Ali, addressing pupils at Tulse Hill comprehensive school in South London, where he later gave the boys a demonstration of the 'Ali shuffle'. I respected him then, and I respect him now. The way we perceive things is crucial. Do they have a lot of bathrooms in Heaven?. MP: Theres talk of a rematch with Frazier and anyone who saw the first fight Im sure theyll want to see because it was a great fights - one of the best Ive ever seen. MP: Thats because societys fault. I am still "The Greatest." This I believe. Which is five times the population of the United States. Tell me when Im wrong. This boldness in telling the truth overshadows sport greatly. When I say two, there's never a third. No athlete embodies this better than Ali.

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