By Tom Donelson
Sucker Punch, written by Jack Cashill is not your normal Muhammad Ali story. It is less of a boxing story, and more of a cultural analysis of Ali’s impact upon America. There is Ali the legend and there is the real Ali. Writer Joyce Carol Oates began her boxing essay, The Cruelest Sport, “Muhammad Ali, born Cassius Marcellus Clay in Louisville, Kentucky on January 17, 1942, grandson of slave, began boxing at the age of twelve, and by eighteen had fought 108 amateur bouts.” Nice beginning but not true. Ali’s grand parents were not slaves, but born after the Civil War. Here is another irony; Clay was named after a white abolitionist firebrand named Cassius Marcellus. This is just one of many gems Cashill produces.
Cashill major objection to Ali is that at a time when America needed a unifier, Ali introduced the politics of black separatism unto the political scene. In reviewing the history of the Nation of Islam, Cashill found that Elijah Muhammad spent World War II in prison for draft resistance and during the 30’s, he openly supported the Japanese cause. The Nation of Islam appeared comfortable with supporting the Axis powers and their goals. This was the religion that Ali joined.
To understand Ali’s impact, one has to understand the heavyweight champion's hold on the American public. The heavyweight champion was one of the most noted figures in all of sports. Joe Louis became the first man who transcended the color barrier in popularity and had a large following even among the white population. Many whites rooted for Louis even against other white opponents and Louis popularity allowed the great champion to essentially pick his own successor when he retired. Ezzard Charles inherited Louis title after he defeated Jersey Joe Walcott. (Louis declared the winner of this bout as his heir.) For the first time, a black fighter followed another black fighter as heavyweight champion and African-American domination of the heavyweight division took hold. With few exceptions, an African-American held the heavyweight champion over the next fifty plus years.
When Cassius Clay became Muhammad Ali, the boxing world was turned upside down. Just imagine if a white heavyweight came out and declared himself a member of the KKK or a neo-Nazis and you understand the gravity of what Ali did and why much of America was shocked. Not just white America was shocked, but even a few blacks such as Floyd Patterson, who would receive a beating at the hands of Ali in their first fight. Ali never disrespected a white fighter in the same manner that he taunted and tortured Patterson and Ernie Terrell in their fights. (This was due to the fact that both fighters referred to Ali by his former name of Clay.) Ali reserved the worst verbal treatment for Joe Frazier.
Frazier supported Ali’s right to fight and even gave Ali money during Ali’s exile. Frazier felt betrayed when Ali went after him. Years later, Ali would claim it was all to build up the gate but Frazier didn’t buy it and many of his family members were harassed as well. Frazier became the representative of all that was wrong with America, and often derided as the “white man's” champion
While some like Joyce Carol Oates declared that much of the opposition to Ali was due to a “conservative white press,” the reality was not that simple. Cashill wrote, “The major sportswriters of the era- Jimmy Cannon, Dick Young, Jimmy Powers, Red Smith, Arthur Daley and Milton Gross- attacked the flagrantly illiberal character of the Nation.” Cannon, an early supporter of Joe Louis, declared, “Boxing has been turned into an instrument of hate… Clay is using it as a weapon of wickedness in an attack on the spirit
Ali’s greatness as a fighter came from beating George Foreman in 1974 and his trilogy with Frazier. Before these fights, many boxing pundits ranked Ali far below other historical figures such as Joe Louis, Rocky Marciano or Jack Dempsey. But after the “Rumble in the Jungle” and the “Thrilla in Manila”, Ali was viewed as something special in the ring. His fights with Foreman and Frazier became his ticket to immortality.
As the 70’s dragged on, Ali also changed his own political stripes. After the death of Elijah Muhammad, the Nation of Islam began to move toward the more mainstream Islamic faith. The Nation would split with Ali joining the moderates’ forces that moved away from the racist aspect of their faith. Those who followed the original separatist theories maintain the Nation name and identity. As for the rest, which included Elijah sons, forged a new faith.
In the 70’s, the anger that propelled Ali in the ring began to disappear. After the Thrilla in Manila, Ali told Frazier's son that he was ready to bury the hatchet. Frazier's retort was that any apologies had to be done face to face and not through family intermediary. Ali and Frazier eventually buried the hatchet in 2002 in a face-to-face meeting. Ali own political philosophy evolved into a more conservative leaning as he even voted for Republicans in the 80’s and 90’s. Ali became the man that we know and love today.
Many of Ali’s opponents started to gain their due as well. Mark Kram's book, Ghost of Manila, resurrected Joe Frazier's career in the eyes of many pundits, and George Foreman's comeback in the 90’s only reinforced the solid nature of Ali’s own accomplishments in the ring. Ali fought and dominated in the deepest era of boxing's heavyweight division and no heavyweight could claim the number of victories over the number of quality opponents as Ali. Foreman, Liston, and Frazier would have been champions in any era. Even like Jerry Quarry, Earnie Shavers, Ken Norton or Jimmy Ellis would have been worthy contenders in any era, including this present era of “Super Heavyweights.”
Jack Cashill's own thesis was that Ali could have been a force for good at a critical time in American history. With racism being confronted and the cold war at its height, Cashill contrasted Ali’s own action with that of Joe Louis. Louis joined the Army with no guarantee that he would not be sent to fight. The Army preferred to have Louis fighting exhibitions, but it is here that Louis became a civil right hero in his own right. He insisted on fighting before integrated audience at a time when the United States military was segregated. This action made it easier for Truman to fully integrate the United States in 1947. Louis defended his country and loved it, even with all of it's imperfections.
As he grew older, Ali became a part of America folklore. There were many heroic aspects of Ali’s career, but there were blemishes as well. Ali's complexity is clouded by the political agendas of those writing the history books, but even without the mythology, Ali accomplished a lot. He rose to the top of the sporting world and transcended his sport. Ali is one the best examples of the American dream at work.
