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

He was definitely angry at Terrel. Ali seemingly prolonged the bout just to torture him and never looked as angry in any other fight. He had a serious bone to pick with him.

 

Michael Parkinson said that the next time he visited his parents house they were discussing the interview and his father who was an ex Yorkshire miner said “why didn’t you just hit him?”

 

Oh gee, that's hilarious. His old man just might well have done himself if in the same position. Bad policy though it would've been. I think there's a good reason why miners don't have talk shows. Lol.

 

This is the real Ali you never get to see anymore. Now you only see his charming side because hes become a hero of the civil rights movement. In reality he was a mean spirited bigot and a homophobe who while funny wasnt nearly as bright outside of the ring as hes been painted. Ive got some interviews and speeches with him that would turn most peoples hair white but for some reason you never see that side of him anymore hmmmm.

 

I still find it amusing how Ali always claimed that Cassius Clay was a 'slave name', when in reality it was the name of an anti-slavery radical who was one of the men responsible for ending slavery.

 

This is awesome, thanks so much for sharing. LOVED seeing young Eddie Futch.

 

Cereal box Ali made more money that’s why.

 

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He was mad at that women.

 

Also wasn't exactly pro feminist. His comments like "it's call HIStory, not HERstory" and telling women to stay home, cook for their man and have children is right out of the Nation of Islam cookbook.

 

You likely would never catch Lennox Lewis say anything like that as he sees himself as woke. Ali was a lot of things but woke wasn't one of them, especially the early iterations. OTOH he was very much a product of his environment.

Don King is just a bad guy. The depiction of him in Rocky V is spot on. He didn't respect boxers. I know he shot a fella and stomped another to death but he wasn't a tough guy like boxers who meet opponents on an even plane and that's why he resented them.

 

It was a legitimate slave name that he wanted to rid himself of as a sign of respect to himself and his ancestors. With just a google search it says, "A slave name is the personal name given by others to an enslaved person, or a name inherited from enslaved ancestors."

The last name Clay is the slave name part which is why when Ali originally changed his name he went by Cassius X for that brief period of time before being given the name "Muhammad Ali" upon joining the NOI. Ali was also aware of Cassius the abolitionist and would make some remarks about his racial views as although he was great for wanting to free the slaves, he still was, by modern standards at least, racist. On the other side of things so was Ali.

That's why when evaluating these clips you can't judge it by modern context, rather context of the time. The fact is is that this man suffered so much racial injustice during his childhood, was nearly lynched for refusing to give over his gold medal, and was constantly attacked for his religious beliefs. You would be lying to me and yourself if you were to say that wouldn't drastically impact your view on the world and the people in it.

 

Ali's original surname, technically, was Grady. It came from his great grandfather, who was an Irish immigrant that married a free black woman in the late 1800s. The surname Clay came afterwards, in honour of the abolitionist Cassius Clay. It just wasn't a slave name. But you're right in that we need to judge Ali and Clay by the context of their times.

 

Nailed it.

 

Why didn’t he disown his own father then cos he was also called Cassius Clay and it was him who decided to call his son with the same name as himself? Did Ali think his father was a sellout for not changing his slave name or was he ever resentful that he gave him the same name?

come to think it has anyone ever heard any interviews where Ali’s parents talk about what they thought about their son’s change of religion an his resentment to his family’s slave past.? Afterall it was them that named him Cassius clay not the original Clay. Wonder in private if they still called him Cassius?