- published: 01 Oct 2011
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Muhammad Ali (born Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr.; January 17, 1942) is an American former professional boxer, philanthropist and social activist. Considered a cultural icon, Ali was both idolized and vilified.
Originally known as Cassius Clay, Ali changed his name after joining the Nation of Islam in 1964, subsequently converting to Sunni Islam in 1975, and more recently practicing Sufism.[clarification needed] In 1967, three years after Ali had won the World Heavyweight Championship, he was publicly vilified for his refusal to be conscripted into the U.S. military, based on his religious beliefs and opposition to the Vietnam War. Ali stated, "I ain't got no quarrel with them Viet Cong... No Viet Cong ever called me nigger" – one of the more telling remarks of the era.
Widespread protests against the Vietnam War had not yet begun, but with that one phrase, Ali articulated the reason to oppose the war for a generation of young Americans, and his words served as a touchstone for the racial and antiwar upheavals that would rock the 1960s. Ali's example inspired Martin Luther King Jr. – who had been reluctant to alienate the Johnson Administration and its support of the civil rights agenda – to voice his own opposition to the war for the first time.
Actors: David Proval (actor), Philip Williams (actor), Robert Townsend (director), Ving Rhames (actor), Nicholas Turturro (actor), Ving Rhames (producer), Byron A. Martin (producer), Phillip Jarrett (actor), Joanna Syrokomla (costume designer), Rick Roberts (actor), Stephen James Taylor (composer), Stacey Dash (actress), Marek Posival (producer), Michael Doherty (editor), James Binkley (actor),
Plot: The story of World heavyweight champion boxer Charles L. "Sonny" Liston, who was knocked down 2 minutes into a championship fight by a seemingly harmless right hook from Muhammad Ali. It would forever be known as the "Phantom Punch". Liston later died under mysterious circumstances.
Keywords: 1950s, 1960s, black-american, boxer, boxing, heavyweight-champion, interracial-sex, rape, thrown-fightActors: Bruce McGill (actor), Gailard Sartain (actor), Giancarlo Esposito (actor), Ted Levine (actor), Steven Randazzo (actor), Paul Rodriguez (actor), Michael Dorn (actor), LeVar Burton (actor), Jamie Foxx (actor), Barry Shabaka Henley (actor), Vincent De Paul (actor), Joe Morton (actor), Leon (actor), Will Smith (actor), Ron Silver (actor),
Plot: In 1964, a brash new pro boxer, fresh from his olympic gold medal victory, explodes on to the scene, Cassius Clay. Bold and outspoken, he cuts an entirely new image for African Americans in sport with his proud public self confidence with his unapologetic belief that he is the greatest boxer of all time. To his credit, he sets out to prove that with his highly agile and forceful style soon making him a formidable boxer who soon claims the heavyweight championship. His personal life is no less noteworthy with his allegiance to the Nation of Islam, his friendship with the controversial Malcolm X and his abandonment of his slave name in favour of Muhammad Ali stirring up controversy. Yet, at the top of his game, both Ali's personal and professional lives face the ultimate test with the military draft rules are changed, making him eligible for military induction during the Vietnam War. Despite the fact that he could easily agree to a sweetheart deal that would have meant an easy tour of duty for himself, Ali refuses to submit on principle to cooperate in an unjust war for a racist nation that treated his people so poorly. The cost of that stand is high as he finds himself unable to legally box in his own country while his case is contested in court. What follows is a battle for a man who would sacrifice so much for what he believes in and a comeback that would cement his legend as one of the great sports figures of all time.
Keywords: 1960s, 1970s, adultery, africa, african-american, african-american-protagonist, african-americans, airplane, american-broadcasting-company, american-flagActors: Carmen Argenziano (actor), Blue Deckert (actor), Joe Alaskey (actor), Gary Dourdan (actor), Terrence Howard (actor), Brandon Smith (actor), John Ventimiglia (actor), John Sacret Young (producer), John Sacret Young (writer), Vyto Ruginis (actor), John Sacret Young (director), Chi McBride (actor), Jerry Haynes (actor), Darryl Cox (actor), Tom Patricia (producer),
Genres: Biography, Drama,Actors: Joe Morton (actor), Ray Baker (actor), Vondie Curtis-Hall (actor), Clarence Williams III (actor), Harald Kloser (composer), Earl Boen (actor), Kristi Frankenheimer (miscellaneous crew), Antonio Fargas (actor), Thomas Carter (producer), David Doty (actor), Beverly Todd (actress), Barbara Thaxton (miscellaneous crew), Don Pugsley (actor), Leon Ichaso (director), Shea E. Butler (miscellaneous crew),
Genres: Biography, Drama, Sport,Actors: Pim de la Parra (writer), Pim de la Parra (actor), Pim de la Parra (director), Henny Alma (actress), Hetty Krapels (actress), Dorna van Rouveroy (actress), Otakar Votocek (actor), Natasa Hanusová (actress), Pierre Triboulet (actor), Elmar Schiphorst (actor), Pimm Jal de la Parra (actor), Barbara Barendrecht (actress), William Del Visco (actor), Renee van Egmond (actress), Liëla Koguchi (actress),
Genres: ,It was deep in the jungle of ZaireWhere night fears the
dawn
There was a mighty man
He was a powerful man
His fists would draw blood from a punching bag
And who would dare face him but a man
They said didn't have a chance
I'm gonna dance
He took a bomb to the body
A bolt to the head, a bomb to the body
You'd think he'd fall down dead
But it was all just part of his master plan
Cause he was gonna beat down that powerful man
And deep down in his soul
A lion did roar and bomaye
I'm gonna be like Cassius Clay
I'm gonna shine right through the pain
I'm gonna be like Cassius Clay
And win the day
I'm gonna be
Mohammed Ali
You can knock me down
You can push me around
You can put me down
You can knock me down
He was a powerful man
His fists would draw blood from a punching bag
And who would dare face him but a man
They said didn't have a chance
I'm gonna dance
He took a bomb to the body
A bolt to the head, a bomb to the body
You'd think he'd fall down dead
But it was all just part of his master plan
Cause he was gonna beat down that powerful man
And deep down in his soul
A lion did roar and bomaye
But I'm gonna be like Cassius Clay
I'm gonna shine right through the pain
I'm gonna be like Cassius Clay
So bring it on