Thomas Hauser - Muhammad Ali - A Tribute to the Greatest

Perhaps Reggie Jackson put it in perspective best. ‘Do you have any idea what Ali meant to black people?’ Jackson said to me once. ‘He was the leader of a nation; the leader of black America. As a young black, at times I was ashamed of my colour; I was ashamed of my hair. And Ali made me proud. I’m just as happy being black now as somebody else is being white, and Ali was part of that growing process. Think about it! Do you understand what it did for black Americans to know that the most physically gifted, possibly the most handsome, and one of the most charismatic men in the world was black? Ali helped raise black people in this country out of mental slavery. The entire experience of being black changed for millions of people because of Ali.’

In sum, Muhammad Ali might not have meant much to Mark Kram. But he meant a great deal to a lot of people. He made an enormous difference.

(2009)

Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier fought three fights that are the pyramids of boxing. Dave Wolf was in the Frazier camp for each of them.

Dave was a gifted writer who later gained recognition as the manager of Ray Mancini and Donny Lalonde. He died in December 2008. Three months later, his daughter and brother gave me a carton filled with file folders containing handwritten notes that detail Dave’s years in the Frazier camp.

The notes are fragments: a phrase here, a sentence there. I’ve reviewed some of them and joined Dave’s words together to form an impressionistic portrait.

Everything that follows flowed from Dave’s pen. Joe Frazier is often referenced as ‘JF’ because that’s how Dave’s notes refer to him. For the same reason, Muhammad Ali is frequently referred to as ‘Clay’. As explained in the notes, ‘JF calls him “Clay”. Knows his name is “Ali”. Called him “Ali” until he heard what Clay was saying about him. Now calls him “Clay” out of disrespect.’

In several instances, I’ve added an explanatory note to clarify a point. These clarifications are contained in brackets.

I don’t agree with everything in Dave’s notes. Some of it runs counter to views I’ve expressed in Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times and other works I’ve written. What I can vouch for is that this article is faithful to Dave’s contemporaneous recording of the relationship between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier as seen through Joe’s eyes.

Born in Beaufort, South Carolina, on 12 January 1944 … Grew up rural poor. Quit school in ninth grade … Married Florence Smith at age 16 … Lived in Brooklyn and Philadelphia … Worked in slaughterhouse; took home $125 a week.

Frustrated by poverty … Starts boxing in 1962 … 1964 Olympic gold medal.

Post-Olympic problems … Hand operation … No help from Olympic committee … Cold Christmas … Father dies.

Turns pro on own … Modest goals. Some material things. Wanted to be important. Believed he’d become somebody.

Others doubt his potential … Not a natural athlete … Small compared to past heavyweight champs.

Likes to fight … Fighting style like his personality … Hit often but doesn’t mind. Doesn’t feel most punches. High pain threshold. Accepts punishment as part of job.

Formation of Cloverlay to back him … Embarrassed at times by lack of education. Problems with public speaking. Called Cloverlay a ‘co-operation’ at first press conference.

Has been a drinker in past. Knows little about drugs.

Inspires loyalty.

Spartan training camp regardless of fight … Roadwork at 4.00am … Brutal training routine. Punishes body.

JF: ‘I love to work.’

Can’t understand sparring partners’ lack of desire … Eats and lives with them. Pushes them hard. Only the tough last.

Gambling with sparring partners as diversion; mostly loses. Doesn’t understand odds. Fleeced by crooked dice.

Yank Durham is great manager and friend. Yank succeeds because he wins JF’s complete unquestioning dedication and trust.

JF: ‘I still remember the look on Florence’s face [Joe’s wife] when I told her about no sex before fights. Imagine the look on my face when Yank told me.’

JF liked Clay at first. Understands how others like him.

JF: ‘I liked his humour and style. Till I got to know him, I admired him a lot; so it’s not hard for me to see why others do.’

When Clay first switched to Muslims, JF thought he was sincere. Knew little about the religion. Shared many racial feelings.

JF: ‘You feel more comfortable when you’re around your own people. I don’t care who you are. That’s the life you know. When you’re around them, you can say little bad words. You can call each other niggers and everything else. You can talk that talk. When you’re around a mixed crowd of people, white and black, you got to be careful.’

Always, JF ambition was to beat Clay. From first pro fight, training for him … Watched Clay’s fights on TV with Yank. Imagined self in ring. Always felt he would win.

Upset by Clay’s treatment of Patterson … JF: ‘I feel like, why take advantage of a great champ? Once, he was a great champion. And if you’re gonna knock the man out, go ahead and knock him out. You don’t suffer people, especially a good athlete. After seeing him playing around with Patterson, I felt like I could straighten that out. Why pick on somebody like that? Try me.’

Watched Clay–Mildenberger. Not impressed.

Watched Clay–Williams in theatre. Felt sorry for Williams … JF: ‘Why was that fight allowed?’

Yank moved and matched JF perfectly. Protected him from too much pressure.

First Bonavena fight a problem. JF disdainfully over-confident; forced fight but careless. Floored lunging in by sneaky right. Floored again; in danger of losing by three knockdowns. Still aggressive. Split decision. Most writers had JF a clear winner. JF thought he’d lost fight. Most impressive: ability to get off the canvas. Durham furious. JF held hands low and didn’t bob and slip. JF realises things had gotten too complacent; thought he couldn’t be hurt.

Doug Jones fight. Left hook in sixth, Jones hanging on ropes. JF might have killed him but held up punch. Jones fell, unconscious for two minutes.

George Chuvalo fight … JF: ‘Joe Louis picked against me. I was a little upset when I heard. But Yank said, “You got to realise, they brought him in for publicity. The Garden tells him who to pick. They pay him. He needs the work.” I was surprised why a man like him go through these scenes. Seems like a man could stand up for what he believe and not have to choose who somebody else say. I always thought, if I could be like Joe Louis, I’d have it made. Thinking about it was depressing.’

JF [on being shaken by George Chuvalo before knocking him out]: ‘It’s a feeling that, if you get up in the morning and raise up out of the bed; you not fully awake and you not giving your blood time enough to circulate through your body; everything is not quite together yet and you fall back on the bed, tired. It’s not pain; it’s just that everything isn’t quite focused. It’s a little hazy or something. It’s like a TV where the thing is a little out of focus and you think you ought to mess with the focus dial a little bit.’

JF [on the party after the Chuvalo fight]: ‘I got to the party and my mom was there. I came over and hugged her. She was smiling but I could see she looked uneasy.

JF: ‘How’d you like that?’

Mother: ‘I was yelling at the referee to stop my son from killing that man.’

JF: ‘Mom, that’s the fighting game.’

Mother: ‘The man was bleeding. You could have killed him.’

JF: ‘Mom, you should have been hollering for me, not him.’