When We Were King Page #3

---

in prison and fined $10,000.'

'The way he fused

politics and sports.

'Very few Black athletes had ever

talked the way Muhammad Ali talked

'without fear of something

happening to their careers.'

'..as a Moslem minister

made him exempt...'

'He was already very unpopular

with mainstream Americans

'because he had joined

the Nation of Islam,

'which was perceived as

a radical Black separatist group.'

On top of that,

when he was called for induction

he refused to take the step forward.

He absolutely infuriated America.

Muhammad Ali said,

"No Viet Cong ever called me n*gger."

The king is going home

to get his throne.

From root to fruit,

that's where everything started at.

This is God's act

and you're part of it.

This is no Hollywood set,

this is real.

Hollywood set up these scenes,

have somebody in the movies

playing his life.

We don't pick up a script.

We get up in the morning,

sometimes we feel good,

sometimes bad,

but we go through it with feeling.

'Muhammad Ali's a prophet, he gonna

be a fisherman for Elijah Muhammad.

'This is only a stop, look and

listen sign he's doing, fighting.'

We been fightin' ever since we met.

We beat Uncle Sam, come out

of the garage and beat number two.

First man ever did it. Rest of 'em

they put out of the country.

'This is God's act,

we just actors in it.

'If Jesus was here

everybody'd want his autograph

'and they'd be filming him.

'This is a sport,

that's why you walking, talk to him.'

I think Muhammad is a prophet.

How you gonna beat God's son?

Anybody who loves poor people

and little people gotta be a prophet.

He was champion of the world,

had a table full of food.

Had a house for his mother, one for

him and he told 'em to shove it.

If he couldn't love his god,

what do you think he is...mister?

'Ali trained for the Foreman

fight at Deer Lake, Pennsylvania.

'He trained very hard

for that fight,

'and had very good sparring partners.

'Larry Holmes was one of them.

'I was struck with how well

he actually handled Ali

'in their sparring sessions.

'He dominated Ali.

That wasn't uncommon.

'Ali would often not show his best

stuff with sparring partners,

'but would work on his weaknesses.

'He'd go against the ropes

and let people pummel him,

'very heavy hitters,

he'd let them bang away at him.

'As if he was training his body to

receive these messages of punishment

'and absorb them faster than other

fighters could absorb them.'

'This is in Africa because

they came up with $10 million.'

$5 million for George Foreman,

$5 million for me.

England was trying to get it.

A promoter said America was trying,

but none could surpass

the $5 million mark.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes