Norton, he's big and strong, but he ain't nothin'.
Hold on a second, Joe. They're telling me we have a caller.
- Go ahead, please. - Cosell, this is Muhammad Ali.
It's Muhammad Ali.
Everybody knows that I am the champ.
The crown is a lie. I know it's a lie. Joe Frazier knows it's a lie.
And it's time for everybody to stop lying and tell the truth.
Let's tell it like it is. With your court and boxingproblems...
can you get a fight promoted?
I would fight Joe Frazier for free in a phone booth...
in the middle of Times Square if I wasn't broke.
Did you say you were broke? How can you be broke?
You made more money than all previous heavyweights champions combined.
What about your management? Surely they have provided for you.
All I'm trying to say is it's time for everybody to stop lyin'.
Muhammad Ali is the champ.
Get my son Herbert on the telephone.
Muhammad, thank you for calling in. I'll relay that to Joe.
And tell Joe I said he is very ugly.
Muhammad says that he will fight you anywhere, anytime...
and that the championship really is his until that battle ensues.
Mr. Ali has sporting blood.
Mr. Ali wants a place in this sports world.
He loves it too much.
I am therefore suspending Mr. Ali from the practice of Islam.
He may no longer appear in temple, pray or teach...
or have any conversation with any Muslim whatsoever.
Why didn?t you call an ambulance or a doctor?
Because he gave me your number when he checked in.
Normally, he's up there making a lot of noise.
But now he hasn't answered the door in three days.
- What's that? - It's daylight.
Get me that short dog.
Give it to me.
What's wrong with you?
Ain't nothin' wrong with me. My head ain't bad.
- Leave me alone. - Leave you alone. You called me!
Yes, but that was a week ago.
- Why are you shamin' yourself? - Let me go, man.
Why you doin' that to yourself?
- Why you shamin' yourself? - Ain't nobody shamed.
Ain't nothin' wrong with me.
I'm flyin'.
The Sky Chief talk through me. I know the word.
- You know low. - Yeah?
I know low where the king is goin' back to his throne!
- From the root to the fruit! - Them rhymes is old, Bundini.
You need to get some new ones.
God don't care about you. Don't care about me.
In all of everything, we don't mean nothin'. He don't owe us.
We be.
And that's the onliest thing He did.
But that's good. That's why we free.
But free ain't easy. Free is real and real is a motherfucker.
It eats raw meat.
It walk in its own shoes.
It don't ever waiver.
Yeah.
I-- I sold your belt.
I sold your belt to a barber for $500 on Lenox Avenue.
That's how low I did you. I couldn't help it. I got a crazy mind.
That belt say you the heavyweight boxing champion of the world...
and I took that $500...
and I put it in my arm.
That's what I called to tell you.
I heard about the Nation stuff, the courtroom.
What you gonna do?
Take me back.
I could go down there and get the belt. I can go get the belt.
Hey, champ.
$1 ,000 to the man that bring me Howard Cosell's toupee dead or alive!
Don't bother me. I'm a world-famous sportscaster...
and you're an ex-champion with diminished skills.
I can't be seen with you.
- How's it goin', champ? - Pretty good, man.
Muhammad, I'd do anything for you. You know that.
But I've got bosses who only give a damn about Nielsen ratings.
I guarantee...
it will be a historical and a momentous night.
If they came to me tomorrow and say, "We want you to fight Joe Frazier.
Madison Square Garden. Millions and millions of dollars.
Here's your license back." I will tell them...
"I will never fight again."
Frankly, Muhammad, I'm surprised, because unless you--
or until you fight Frazier--
Cosell, are you losin' your hearing along with your hair?
Don't put no question to it, man. I done told you, I'm through fightin'.
I got a much bigger contender, a much heavier opponent.
I'm fightin' the entire US government.
Do you think you're going to jail?
I don't know. I don't know.
Joe Frazier told me on this show that he could knock you out.
See, there you go agitatin'.
You should've asked Smokin' Joe what have he been smokin'?
That boy even dream he whupped me, he better wake up and apologize.
If I was to get in the ring with Joe...
here's what you might see.
Ali comes out to meet Frazier, but Frazier starts to retreat.
If Joe goes back an inch farther, he'll wind up in a ringside seat.
Ali swings with his left, Ali swings with his right.
Just look at the kid carry the fight.
Frazier keeps backin', but there's not enough room.
It's only a matter of time before Ali lowers the boom.
Ali swings with his right. What a beautiful swing.
But the punch lifts Frazier clean out of the ring.
Frazier's still risin', and the referee wears a frown...
'cause he can't start countin' till Frazier comes down.
Frazier's disappeared from view. The crowd is getting frantic.
But our radar stations picked him up. He's somewhere over the Atlantic.
Now, who would've thought when they came to the fight...
they was gonna witness the launchin' of a black satellite.
But don't wait for that fight.
It ain't never gonna happen.
Only thing you could do...
is wonder and imagine.
This has been another sports exclusive from ABC.
- Two. Go two. - Over to Jim McKay...
in Bern, Switzerland.
- How you gonna go from me to Jim McKay? - Listen, uh--
- Did your wife leave you yet? - No, she hasn't left me yet.
She's going to, 'cause I told your wife when I seen her...
I said, "Listen, why you doin' this to yourself?"
Oh, man, Joe. Who dresses you?
You look like the heavyweight champion of pimps.
Hey, shut up and get in.
That jacket?s a mess, man.
What you in Philly for? Philly's my town.
Well, I just wanted to get a little closer to you, honey.
Man, fuck you.
There'll be two undefeated heavyweight champions, and they ain't fightin'.
- What about your license? - I can fight in Atlanta.
There ain't no state boxing commission in Georgia.
It's all set. I do a prelim in Atlanta against Jerry Quary...
but we got to get this steamroller movin' right now.
So what do I have to do?
All you got to do is announce that after I whup Jerry Quary...
you gonna give me a title shot.
Come on, man. Say it! Say it!
What I got and all I got, I got with these right here.
Hell, man, I already got the title.
So I ain't got nothin' to win, but I got eveythin' to lose.
Yeah, but you know you ain't the real champ yet.
You beat Quary...
I'm gonna get you in the ring. I'm gonna kick your ass.
By the way...
you need any money or anything to tide you by?
No, I'm fine.
Time!
What you want?
Take me back, boss.
I'm clean.
This is a resurrection. This is God's act.
And the prophet is goin' home.
Take me with you, boss.
I'll do anything.
Your hands can't hit what your eyes can't see.
Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.
Rumble, young man, rumble.
God ain't watching'! Ain't nobody but us!
There it is! Stay in his face!
Go, Muhammad!
There it is!
Now for the right. Boom!
Prophet is goin' home to the throne.
That's how you do it, Ali.
That's how you do it.
You okay? You're a goddamn Superman.
Ain't no kryptonite in this ring tonight.
- We want Joe Frazier! - We want him!
- We want Joe Frazier! - And you deserve it. You deserve it.
This prophet is comin' home, goin' from the darkness to the light.
Soak it in this for about 20 minutes.
We don't need their management.
Hey, Herbert, we did good. Doin' good tonight.
All praise to Allah.
The messenger has lifted your suspension.
Congratulations.
So you?re sayin' I can be a Muslim again.
- Yes. - I ain't never stopped.
Just like I ain't never stopped bein' the champ.
I begged my father to reinstate you.
When? When you do that, Herbert?
After I promoted this Quary fight or after I won it?
- We can get Frazier. - Man, I done already got Frazier.
We can get $5 million for Frazier.
We talkin' management, talkin' money or talkin' religion?
When I got leery and talked up why I'm broke...
then come the suspension.
Now you explain that one to me, my brother.
That was my father.
Your father.
I love your father, Herbert. I swear, man. I love the Nation.
But it don't own me.
You go on out there and you make that Frazier deal.
My brother. Yeah, your brother Herbert.
Go on somewhere, make that deal.
And he accepts me. I?m Jewish, but yet he's Muslim...
and we still get along.
He understands me. He understands me and he still allows me to hang with him.
He knows I like pork and white women, but still allows me to be here with him.
Now, I can give up pork...
but them white women, goddamn it!
How you deal with it, boy?
Hello? Muhammad, it's for you.
Thank you, Lana.
- Yeah? - Muhammad? Howard Cosell.
- You TKO'd them. - Hey, what you talkin' about, Howard?
- With Quary? - No.
The Supreme Court ruled today...
in the case of The United States vs. Cassius Clay...
aka Muhammad Ali.
You won an eight-to-zero unanimous decision.
You're free.
Congratulations.
I'm free.
The Supreme Court just set me free.
What are you talkin' about?
Eight-to-oh, unanimous decision.
The Supreme Court just overturned my conviction.
- Yes! - All right. All right.
- Did we get 'em, Ali? - We got 'em, man.
Hey, man.
- Did we do it? - We did it, man.
They wanna be on your side now because the truth has shown itself to the power.
Now the power's comin' to the truth. That's what it is.
And the truth tastes good when there's a belly full of lies.
- What you talkin' about? - It don't matter. It don't matter.
Ladies and gentlemen, 1 5 rounds of boxing...
for the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world.
In this corner, the contender and former heavyweight champion of the world...
weighing in at 21 3 pounds...
with a record of31 and 0 with 25 knockouts...
Muhammad Ali!
His opponent, weighing in at 2051/2 pounds...
with a record of26 and 0 with 23 knockouts...
the current heavyweight champion of the world...
Smokin? Joe Frazier!
I want a good, clean fight. Protect your self at all times.
Gentlemen, touch gloves. Good luck to both of you.
Come on!
Stick him! Come on!
That's okay, champ. Don't stop fightin'.
What's comin'?
Lean back, man. Move back. Work, legs.
Ain't nobody hurt.
That's all right. Ain't no--
Keep puttin' out. Come on.
- Move, Ali! - Back, back, back!
Muhammad, you said you were gonna win the fight.
How do you account for the beating you've taken?
- Did he hurt you? -Joe said you don't wanna fight again.
Oh, how wrong he is.
- Why would it be different? - Muhammad, wait!
- But I wanna ask him something! - We all wanna ask him something.
- Sons of bitches! Get outta here! - When are you gonna get a hairpiece?
Don't worry about it. You lost all of yours.
You cue ball head motherfucker. Get outta here!
-Just one more question. - Let me talk to him.
We're close to the start of round one.
Now that Smokin? Joe done run outta tomato cans...
I got Yank to commit to a rematch with you in about six months.
Frazier said he'd be happy with three mil.
I'll fly to Jamaica, get Yank to sign right after Joe beats this big stiff.
I think he hurt Joe Frazier.
I think Joe is hurt.
Down goes Frazier! Down goes Frazier!
- Down goes Frazier! - Get up, Joe.
The heavy weight champion is taking the mandatory eightcount...
and Foreman i spoised as can be.
Foreman is all over Frazier.
And Frazier is down again!
He maybe-- No, he's rising.
It's over! It is over!
It'd be easy to get a fight with Frazier now.
Only thing he's champion of is gettin' knocked down.
George Foreman is the heavyweight champion of the world.
The Rumble in the Jungle. That is the name that I've given it.
Muhammad Ali and George Foreman in Kinshasa, Zaire.
- Don, Zaire? - Yeah, Don.
I mean, why not Antarctica, somethin' like that?
What's wrong with New York City?
Because you miss the significance.
See, I dream of overcoming 400 years of racial depression...
to the dawn of a new day of liberation, financial and otherwise.
It will raise up the spirits of our inner cities.
It will rise up and fill with hope, the souls...
the unrequited needs of the black proletariat.
That is, the discouraged, dispirited, denigrated denizens...
of the demimonde that is called the ghetto.
Man, Don, you crazy.
You must've studied the whole "D" section of the dictionary.
Good morning, sister.
Hi, brother.
How you doin', champ?
Why they saying that? What they sayin'?
What that mean? I don't understand.
- It means-- - What?
It mean, "Ali, kill him. Ali, kill him."
The champ is here!
Ladies and gentlemen, the heavyweight champion of the world has arrived!
The champ is here!
Hey, man.
He's quite younger than you. How you feeling about that?
He's quite younger than me? Well, we quite younger than you.
What you talkin' about? Thirty-two years old. Best shape of my life.
Hey, stop! All right, back up.
Did you see Muhammad Ali?
- Here's your water. - Oh, thank you, hon.
Bottled water. Frozen steaks.
Brought all that stuffin like Africa's ain't got no steaks.
- You could pick up parasites. - Mobutu eats it.
Mobutu's takin' care of Mobutu.
He steals all the wealth and sends it to Switzerland.
What that got to do with any of why we here?
We are here 'cause Don King got Mobutu to put up $1 0 million.
Don King don't care about Africa. He's worse than Herbert.
Here come Herbert.
And Don King fit right in too.
Now he's a dashiki-wearin' rip-off.
Don King delivered the first-ever...
black-promoted championship fight in Africa.
Don King talks black, lives white and thinks green.
And you're defending him and Brother Herbert?
'Cause clean-cut Muslims in a parade on the South Side of Chicago...
ain't gonna get this done!
I got to put honkies with connections and bad-ass niggas to it.
And now they matched you up against George Foreman.
Do you think they give a damn if you get killed?
So that's what you think?
I just wanna know why my Muslim husband...
is allowing himself to get strung up on a cross.
Just tell me why.
Mayum's sick.
Maybe I ought to go back to Chicago and look after her?
Sure.
Well, then I guess I'll be back before the fight.
If that?s all right, my husband.
This fight is no contest!
He is entirely too slow to fight me.
I say that George Foreman is a mummy.
He's too slow. You know I name all my fighters.
I'm gonna call George Foreman "The Mummy."
He fight like a mummy.
And when I see George throwin' punches, this is what I hear:
Here come the left.
Here come the right.
But the mummy can't hit what the mummy can't see...
'cause I'm too fast for him.
I'm too fast.
I'm too fast. I'm too fast. I move too good for him.
I'll hit George Foreman so many times, he'll think he's surrounded.
He gonna say, "Call the police! It's five of 'em in here!"
I'm bad, man. I'm bad!
Muhammad, I'm sorry. I have to ask.
Are you really fast enough anymore...
to beat George Foreman?
If he gets you against the ropes, he can knock you out with either hand.
Many people believe you?re not the man you used to be ten years ago.
See, now, Howard...
I didn't even want to talk about this, man.
Especially not out here in front of all these people.
But I talked to your wife...
and she said you not the man you used to be two years ago!
Champ.
- Champ, George had an accident. - He-- He had what?
- What are you talking about? - He got cut right above his right eye.
His sparring partner's elbow split it open.
- Can he fight? - Not for six weeks.
This is not a humorous situation, my champ.
This postponement could be long, especially if George leaves.
You tying to pull something here, Don?
If George leaves, he ain't comin' back. George don't like it here.
How right you are, my suspicious and short Italian brother.
Look here, man, my fiduciary responsibility...
to this first all-black promotion...
is analogous to a garden in the African sun-- it must grow, it must bloom.
Cannot flower in the gloom and shade of postponement to the Astrodome...
or any dome out of Zaire where it be deprivileged of light and bled of water.
'Cause what gonna be bleedin' out of there is money-- a hemorrhage of cash.
I'm talkin' about blood on the floor.
Double hotel costs, airplane, travel costs, food and beverage.
- So what do you want us to do? - Muhammad Ali. The people's champion.
My black brother.
I need you. I need your strength.
I need you to find a way to get George to stay.
Be Moses in reverse.
Do not let my people go. Keep them the fuck right here in Egypt.
- If you?ll pardon my Swahili. - Lingala.
- Say what? - They speak Lingala.
Ali wants his title, and he wants it in Zaire.
Okay, all right, okay. Let's take it back.
George go, George go. Hell, I can get you Joe Frazier.
Ali-Frazier 3. That's the fight everybody want to see.
- We don't want Frazier, we want George. - Hell, I don't control George Foreman.
There's been an accidental injury to George Foreman in training.
The truth is...
George knocked his self out.
That's right.
He did three rounds, realized he was gonna lose to Muhammad Ali...
and knocked his self out.
I predict that when the fight is set, he might not show.
Oh, you bad.
- That's right, I'm a bad man. - Ain't no doubt about that.
Yeah, but you tell George the same thing.
I heard you. I been watching you.
I know he's your man, I know you got him picked, but the man is in trouble.
The whole world was gonna know, but now he ain't gonna show.
In order to ensure that George is ready, we are thinking of postponing...
from September 24 to October 30.
What about the concert?
The concert will go on as planned. Those dates are September 20, 21 --
I want all the helicopters guarded, all the private planes, private boats.
I'm serious. I want the airports--
I want President Mobutu and all his paratroopers--
All you Zaireans, y'all be on guard too.
Any strange boats creeping away, they might be taking him out.
Bus stations.
And bus stations!
Right. Watch the bus stations.
The elephant caravans-- They might be tying to take him out on an elephant.
- What'd you say? - Hell, I ain't talking to you.
Hey. Hey, man.
Don?t you never talk to Angelo like that.
Don?t you never talk to Angie like that again.
Something wrong with you, man?
Think you callin' some shots here? You ain't callin' nothin'.
They all know.
All them ladies out there, they know I'm ready.
I see fear in the eyes of his followers.
This was supposed to be the fight that Muhammad Ali was ended.
Supposed to be Muhammad was gonna fall. Supposed to be my destruction.
Well, they miscalculated. They misjudged.
They got it wrong.
Hold on a second.
What's your name?
Veronica Porche.
Porche. Like the sports car.
- Yes. - With just a little something extra.
Hey, you with Don?
Don brought me here, but I'm not with anybody, no.
- Where you come from? - LA.
- LA? - But my people are from Louisiana.
Louisiana.
What, you Creole?
We're Creole, so I'm African, French and Spanish.
My mother's grandfather was Jewish.
Well, they mixed all that stuff up in there real nice.
I'm the only witch doctor here. Bundini Brown.
Bundini Brown is an authentic witch doctor.
- You tell 'em. - The only one in the United States.
I'm real glad you said what you did.
You made sure the fight stays here.
You know all them reporters and writers in there...
they say George is gonna kill me.
What you think?
Mr. Ali? Mr. Ali?
- We want thank you. - Hey, fella.
Y'all wanna thank me?
Y'all gonna thank me? What I did?
They thanking me for something.
Hey, you ever been down to Hong Kong? Thailand? Taiwan?
- No. - No? I can't go there.
- Hi, Ruthie. How are you? - Hi, champ.
What's going on? I'm great. How you feeling?
When I go to sleep, this closes up.
That's what happens. When I go to sleep, all this rests together.
During the day, I got to think.
Get me out of this county. All the women so pretty.
All of ?em, they got hair come all the way down to the back of their knees.
All of ?em-- All of ?em about Veronica's complexion.
Every single one of ?em. Bad, man.
But ain't nothing like the sisters.
Ain't nothing like the sisters.
Come on. Why don't we go take a ride or something?
Wanna come with me?
Ruth, tell us the truth. Is this your kind of guy?
More cushion for the pushin'.
What'd he say?
So why you so glad we still here?
Making the fight stay here in Africa--
Anybody can fight in Vegas.
Well, that's one job. I got two.
Got to whup George.
Islamic faith help you do that?
Listen, girl, as a Muslim I am failed in the eyes of God.
I should've discovered Islam at 50, 'cause I'm weak on women.
First they take my eyes.
My heart follow.
Making me the lovingest husband in the world...
and the most terriblest husband at the same time.
Look at you.
Green eyes.
Cocoa skin.
Okay, rest of me, let's go.
Rumble, Ali.
- Mrs. Ali. - Hello, Muhammad, Mr. Cosell.
- Hey, when you get in? - Today.
And I learned we now have this suite at the intercontinental Hotel.
Muhammad, may I have a word with you, please?
Yeah.
What's goin' on?
What do you mean, what's goin' on?
Do you have to throw it in my face?
Do I have to read about it? Do people have to call me on the phone to tell me?
I didn't mean for that to come out.
And I live with the casual ones. I live with 'em.
So why do you disrespect me like this?
I respect you. I will always respect you.
Do you love her?
I don't know.
So what is supposed to happen now?
I fight George.
I didn't come all this far to lose.
Neither did l.
Belinda.
What, Bingham?
There it is.
Hey, Zack, where's George?
What's he pulling?
Where's George? Where'd he go?
I just wanna make sure you're gonna control the evening.
George is jerking us off, making us wait.
It's all over for you, man. You don't have a chance.
You don't have no chance.
The rumble in the jungle!
You don't have no chance, man.
Okay, let's go.
You guys know the rules. I want a good, clean fight.
Ali, be quiet and listen to the instructions.
You been hearing about me ever since you was a boy.
Ali, be quiet. Listen to the instructions.
- Now you got to face me. - No hitting low.
- When I tell you to break-- - You got to face me now.
Be quiet, or I'll disqualify you.
When I tell you to break, I want a clean break. Understand?
- You shoulda never came to Africa. - All right, shake hands.
Take your corners.
Okay. All right. No problem.
Break!
All right, break. Step back.
Take it to him! That's what we came to do, Daddy!
The heavyweight championship fight...
- That's all you got? - ive via satellite...
direct from Zaire, Africa.
- There we go. - That's it, Daddy.
You just keep dancing around him, okay?
Just keep moving.
Legs hurting.
Air heavy...
ike I'm in water.
Get away from the rope!
Get off the rope! Get off there! Move it!
Get off there! Get off there!
Get off the rope!
Get off them ropes!
Come on now, Ali, get off the ropes!
Come on, baby!
Come on, Ali!
That's it? That's all you got? That's it?
Move him out to the center!
There he goes!
Get away from the ropes! Get off the ropes!
Been here before.
Little greenroom.
Open that door. Gonna get out this place.
Come on, man, get up and get out.
They said you could punch, George.
You ain't hittin'. You hittin' like a sissy, George.
You can't lay up on the ropes like that.
You're letting him beat on you. You can't do that, champ. Come on, now.
-You wanna explain that to me? -Jab, then go to the middle of the ring.
- You had your fight going, then-- - You gotta dance, baby.
Shut up! Just be quiet! You let me take care of this!
Got to dance. You can't come out there like that.
- You can't back up. - You got to respect the man.
What is with the ropes? Something going on you wanna talk to me about?
Tell me what's going on with you. What are you doing?
Put the jab on him. You got to let him go and dance.
Don't let him get in your corner. He's tying to cut the ring off you.
He's tying to cut you off the ring. You can't let that happen.
Just take care of it!
And there's the bell. The fighters meet in mid-ring.
Get off the ropes!
Stay off the ropes!
Foreman again pushing him against the ropes.
And Ali laying back, fighting those blows against the sides of his body.
Get back in the middle of the ring, Ali!
Muhammad, get off the ropes!
You're punching like a sissy, George. Punching like a sissy.
What the hell's going on? Come on.
George, get him back. What the hell's going on? Come on.
You got to get off the ropes!
Get off the ropes!
Eight rounds to go. Running out of gas, big fella?
Let him go.
Can't let you get that second wind which you don't even know is there for you.
You want the title? Want to wear the heavyweight crown?
Nose broke, jaw smashed, face busted in.
You ready for that? Is that you?
'Cause you facing a man who will die before he lets you win.
Ali, don't let him beat on you on the inside.
Don't let him beat on you on the inside.
Come on, Ali.
Let's go, Ali.
Let's go, baby! Stay off the ropes!
Get off the ropes!
There it is. Keep 'em in his face.
Break!
Oh, you missed him, George!
You gotta go to work on him, Ali!
I thought you could punch, George. They said you could punch.
Come on, Ali!
Get away from the rope! Get off the rope!
He got him!
Move him around! Take him!
Come on, Ali!
Get off the ropes! Get off the ropes!
George Foreman is hit by a combination of punches...
and down he goes!
George Foreman is down!
He's fallen like a tree in the forest!
He is felled by a combination of blows from Muhammad Ali!
Okay, this fight's over! This fight's over!
I told you! I told you!
Referee Zack Clayton is counting. Seven, eight!
And he's on his knee. It is over!
It is over! It is over!
It is over!
George Foreman has been knocked out by Muhammad Ali!
Muhammad Ali has done the impossible!
He has regained the heavyweight crown...
that was taken unjustly from him in 1 967.
What a moment of history in this arena...
in Zaire, Africa!
A tremendous, tremendous moment.