Ali quickly became the most recognizable and the most outspoken athlete in the world. However, he did receive bad press, having been seen in public with the well-known leader Malcolm X, and being accused by fellow boxer; Joe Louis who believed that he was part of a racist organization and lacked the skills to compete with past greats like himself and Rocky Marciano. But Ali continued to be unstoppable in the ring.
In 1966, with the Vietnam War growing, the military needed more conscripts. Ali was not qualified to serve in the armed forces after failing a military examination twice, but because desperate times called for desperate measures, Ali was made eligible for the draft. As a dedicated fighter who did not want to end his career and as a Muslim who did not want "no quarrel with them Viet-Cong" he refused to join the US army. Many Americans felt that Ali betrayed his country; and many were enraged and called him a” loudmouthed draft-dodging Black racist." The sports writers had a field day criticizing him, saying that he was a disgrace to America and to the boxing world.
The US Armed Forces decided that the 'World Champ' was to be stripped of his title by the 'New York State Boxing Commission'. Ali was indicted on May 8, 1967 by a federal grand jury in Houston, Texas. He still disagreed strongly about taking part in the Vietnam War, and many acquaintances and fellow athletes like Jim Brown, Bill Russell, and Kareem Abdul-Jabar admired Ali's strong stance. But Ali was convicted in the trial vs. the U.S. armed forces on June 19, and although his 5 year prison sentence and $10,000 fine was overturned, his boxing passport was terminated, and 'Heavyweight Champion' title was stripped off his belt. He was no longer the title-holder, but to the true boxing fans, Muhammad Ali was still the true 'World Champion'.
Most of Ali's earnings came from giving lectures at various Colleges and Universities around the country. The speeches that he gave to the young audiences ranged from the lack of Black pride to the reason why he refused to enter the draft for the Vietnam War. Other money-making ventures included a movie documentary called 'A/K/A CASSIUS CLAY', and a starring role in Broadway's 'BUCK WHITE.'
'Smokin' Joe Frazier, the 1964 'Olympic Gold Medal winner', became the new 'Heavyweight Champion of the World' after knocking out Ali's former amateur teammate Jimmy Ellis. Ali was determined to get back into the ring to take his title back, and after persuading the Supreme Court to permit him to fight and Ali returned to the ring to fight his opponent - Jerry Quarry. Ali won the fight, but it was clear that his ability had deteriorated since the 60's. He began taking more punches instead of dodging and dancing from them like he used to. He founght Oscar Bonavena on Dec 7, and Ali gave the people their money's worth after knocking him down three times in the last round.
Ali fought 'Smokin' Frazier; March 8, 1971. For the promotion of this fight, Ali didn't hesitate to ridicule Frazier:
"Joe's gonna come out smokin'
But I ain't gonna be jokin'
I'll be pickin and pokin'
Pouring water on his smokin'
This might shock and amaze ya
But I'm gonna destroy Joe Frazier."
Frazier hit Ali on the jaw with a bonecrushing left hook that knocked him to the canvas. It was clear that Frazier was the winner. It was Ali's first professional loss, and although his enemies were now happy, he was not ready to quit.
The battle between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman took place on Oct 30, 1974 in Zaire. Foreman, was seen as unbeatable, almost all of his fights ended in the early rounds. 'The Rumble in The Jungle' took place in Africa. The American press did not hesitate to criticize the choice of location, but Ali was excited about being in a place operated entirely by Black people. Accompanied by music legends such as B.B. King, James Brown, The Spinners, and The Crusaders, the entire experience was inspiration for 'When we were Kings', a 1996 award-winning documentary. Ali strongly believed that since he was a strong believer in 'Allah', he would win his heavyweight championship back. And when the bell rang, that's what he did, with the people in the crowd screaming
'ALI BOMBAYA.'
But 30 seconds into the 2nd round, Ali stopped dancing and began to lean on the ropes. Everybody in his corner screamed for him to move, but Ali stayed. He took the heavy punches of Foreman for six rounds straight. A right hand knocked Foreman down for the 1st time in his professional career as a boxer, and when the referee signaled, a mob of fans jumped into the ring to greet Ali as the new 'Heavyweight Champion of the World'.
