The only footage I have ever seen of Ali legitimately angry without showmanship

>Italian
>Jewish
>White

What about crooked black promoters? Don King is literally the most infamous boxing promoter in history, don't let any corruption slide. Period.

 

I assume this is 1978-81. He's clearly confused, disoriented and having a difficult time coordinating speech. Seems to be frustrated with himself on his lack of wit more than anything.

 

New Orleans. Must be prior to the Spinks fight.

 

I've seen Ali use the F word for dramatic effect but that's the first time I saw him use it in anger.

 

Is this a serious question? You wanted Ali here in the late 70's, just a few years after Manila, to look into a crystal ball and foretell DKP's then relatively young reputation falling in the mud?

Hey, I know, let me randomly interrupt the broad point I'm making about systemic exploitation of black fighters in this industry on a large scale for most of its history, to say that one black promoter I've worked with a few times and will continue to do until suing him in a few years, might suck too.

I hate Don King as much as the next reasonable person, but...what on earth are you asking of Ali at this juncture in time? Nothing less than clairvoyance, is what. Most of the DKP grift really came to light in the 80's and was common knowledge by the 90's.

 

Don King was just an example that black promoters are equally as capable at being crooked as white or Jewish ones. In the first part of the video, Ali accuses promoters that are white, Jewish and Italian of being the ones that are robbing fighters and corrupting boxing. He isn't specifically talking about them robbing black fighters in the beginning either, so it's unrelated to what he says later on.

 

He kind of had a point. It was a simple question and the reporter was being difficult as if he asked him a deeply personal question. Ali was probably already upset about something else and that just set him off. Asking someone their age is an easy way to gauge someone's experience and it can help segue into the next point you want to make. Could have been an interesting interview.

There were many off camera moments where Ali was genuinely angry and said some pretty harsh things to Norton, Holmes, and others but they didn't care to repeat what he said.

 

Well years back, sans swearing, Ali became pretty angry during an interview with British talk show host Michael Parkinson.

Happy ending though - they became pretty good friends in the ensuing years.

Funny anecdote: Parkinson played golf? I think it was, with Ali and Frazier. Later they showered and Parkinson mentally noted that Ali’s donger was bigger than Joe’s. Lol. I don’t know if Smok’n’ Joe appreciated that revelation - even more reason to hate Ali - haha.

 

Never heard this particular Parkinson revelation. Lol. Good one. My favourite Ali/Parkinson interview was their first one in 1971.

I think Muhammad was genuinely angry with Ernie Terrell and Floyd Patterson prior to his bouts with them.

 

This just in- gladiators can get angry.

 

His hatred of Terrell always seemed forced to me- it’s almost like he was trying to promote a fight.

 

Debatable. Sometimes it was hard to know whether Muhammad was putting the other guy on.

 

Agreed, for sure. Some moments for the cameras, other times, very legit. Very angry with Terrell in particular, among all else, the shove and the slap were for real in my view. I wish I could find record of the Parkinson anecdote - I can't remember if I read or watched it. I had a quick check but no luck.

I did find this though - Parkinson in the gym with Joe Frazier, which might be the time period when Parkinson came to his locker room "revelation", - this being just prior to the 1974 rematch. Perhaps he did a separate piece in Ali's camp. Joe Frazier was such a nice guy.

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Frazier was a class act all the way; and kudos to the reporter who asked good, legit questions and didn't make it all about Ali.

Kind of a shame he took it so lightly - I'd pay good money for a boxing lesson from Joe Frazier