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In an acclaimed new film, the story of a night between four major figures – Malcolm X, Sam Cooke, Jim Brown and Muhammad Ali – is brought to life
One thing is certain: vanilla ice cream was eaten. The rest? If only we knew.
The year is 1964 and activist Malcolm X, singer-songwriter Sam Cooke and American football player Jim Brown gather in Miami, Florida, to cheer boxer Muhammad Ali – then Cassius Clay – to his first world heavyweight championship. No celebration is planned because he was not expected to win, so the four repair to Malcolm’s hotel room in the segregated African American part of town.
‘I gambled on Ali getting a knockout, fastening my camera to the lights way above the ring. And Williams landed flat on his back in a good spot’
Everyone assumes the picture I took of Ali v Liston in 1965 is my favourite – it has even been called the greatest sports photograph of all time. But my favourite photograph I ever took is Ali v Williams, no question about it. It’s the only one of my photographs hanging in my home. I’ve shot everything in my career, from Charles Manson to the pope, but I’ve never taken a better photograph than this.
I shot 35 of Ali’s fights. I was ringside for Sports Illustrated when he won the world title in Miami in 1964 and my photo for that made the cover, so by the time of the Cleveland Williams fight I was pretty well established. Williams was a very promising heavyweight but the underdog; the main thing I remember from that night was how excited I was about how I was going to shoot it. Putting a camera over the ring goes way back, maybe to Joe Louis’ days, certainly Sugar Ray Robinson. But the lights that lit up those fights were always 20-25ft over the ring and there was no lens wide enough to capture the whole scene; photographers used fisheye lenses so the ring never quite looked square.
NFL players kneeling in the US and Premier League stars speaking out in the UK is nothing new: sportsmen and women have always been at the forefront of the fight for civil rights
We may never know why Jake Hepple, a now unemployed welder from Burnley, thought it was a good idea to hire a plane and have it trail a banner reading “White Lives Matter Burnley” across the skies over Manchester’s Etihad Stadium. What we are assured is that Hepple – who has been pictured with his arm wrapped round the shoulder of the English Defence League’s former leader Tommy Robinson, and whose girlfriend was sacked from her job last week, accused of posting racist material on social media (her mother has said her daughter did not write the posts) – was not motivated by any form of racism. After all, he told reporters: “I’ve got lots of black and Asian friends.”
The phrase “white lives matter” is, of course, an attack on the phrase “black lives matter” and the movement that coalesced around it. But while one is a plea for equality, the other, along with the phrase “all lives matter”, was created by those who engage in the pantomime of pretending that anyone is suggesting only black lives matter. These people belong to the same demographic as those who think structural racism doesn’t exist, or that black people should “get over” slavery. And to that demographic, top-flight football’s support of Black Lives Matter really rankles.
On his way to the G-7 Summit, President Trump spoke to reporters outside the White House and said, among other things, that he's considering a pardon for Muhammed Ali , who was convicted of evading the draft back in 1967. The only problem is, Ali doesn't need a pardon: Continuing to draw on his clemency powers, President Trump said Friday that he may soon pardon Muhammad Ali - a sentiment that a lawyer for the late boxer quickly said was appreciated but unnecessary.
President Donald Trump said he is thinking "very seriously" about pardoning Muhammad Ali, even though the Supreme Court vacated the boxing champion's conviction in 1971. And for futures acts of clemency, Trump said he may seek the recommendations of pro football players and other athletes who have protested racial injustice by kneeling during the national anthem.
Louisville police said on Thursday they were reviewing a request to reopen the 51-year-old unsolved murder of the city's first female prosecutor, a civil rights pioneer who once represented boxer Muhammad Ali. The body of Alberta Jones, who was beaten unconscious, was pulled from the Ohio River on Aug. 5, 1965.
Ali's funeral procession is scheduled to pass by the house later in the day. . Television reporter Mario Diaz of New York does a report as a car is towed away to clear the street in front of the boyhood home of Muhammad Ali Friday, June 10, 2016, in Louisville, Ky.
It was an interesting question, and since it came from one of my bosses, one I pondered: why not write about Muhammad Ali for today's column? A simple part of me said it's not a story that I was involved in. It's not what I know.
For Muhammad Ali, the idea of being a humble athlete - someone pre-packaged and palatable for white America - was never an option. Instead, he demanded respect not only as a boxer but as a brash, unbought and unbossed black man and endeared himself to African-Americans as a symbol of black pride.
WASHINGTON - For Muhammad Ali, the idea of being a humble athlete - someone pre-packaged and palatable for white America - was never an option.Instead, he demanded respect not only as a boxer but as a brash, unbought and unbossed black man and endeared himself to African-Americans as a symbol of black pride.
With those pointed words, Muhammad Ali explained his opposition to the US war in Vietnam and justified his refusal to submit himself to the draft. He declared himself a conscientious objector.
The final photo... as The Greatest fight is over: Frail Muhammad Ali in last appearance two months before dying of septic shock as his wife, nine children and brother start battle over his $80m fortune Secret Service agent to release tell-all book about life inside the Clinton White House and the culture that 'sickened' him Clinton sweeps US Virgin Islands, nabbing all seven pledged delegates... and only needs 60 more delegates to clinch the Democratic nomination Broke ISIS resorts to fining people for leaving doors open, trimming their beards and failing on-the-spot Sharia law quiz to line its coffers Thousands flee huge wildfire as it bears down on upmarket LA suburb that's home to stars including Kim, Kanye and Kylie Jenner U.S. and Cuba in talks to have Tupac Shakur's convicted cop killer aunt and notorious Cuban spy exchanged in prisoner swap Jack Black is ALIVE: 'Hacked' account ... (more)
President Barack Obama in a heartfelt Facebook status conveys his respect to the legend. Photo courtesy: The official Facebook page of The White House.
The final photo... as The Greatest fight is over: Frail Muhammad Ali in last appearance two months before dying of septic shock as his wife, nine children and brother start battle over his $80m fortune EXCLUSIVE - 'My father can't do a thing for me, it's the same as not having one': How Muhammad Ali Jr - who lives on food stamps in a ghetto - stopped speaking to the boxing legend two years ago A fighter to the end: Muhammad Ali's daughter reveals that her father's heart kept beating for 30 MINUTES after all his organs had failed as family spokesman says he died of septic shock The legend's last journey: Ali to be given procession through his hometown on Friday before public funeral with eulogies from Bill Clinton and Billy Crystal 'Muhammad Ali was The Greatest.
The question was simple. Your answer was the difference between walking away with a nod or, if things got out of hand, picking yourself up off the ground.