Ali - More than a Heavyweight Champion
With his undeniable ability to float and sting in the ring, Muhammad Ali was indeed one of the
greatest sportsmen the world ever got to see, but for the black people of the world, he was
much more than that - he was a hero. His heroism extended beyond the realm of sports and
carried in itself a representation and fight for black dignity and black redemption. In the
documentary, When We Were Kings, we get to see through Ali’s reception by the locals in Zaire
and Ali’s own expressions and conduct that he was fighting more than just the opponent - he
was fighting for the blacks.
We can see through the locals' response to Ali and the fight in Congo that Ali represented a heroism that went beyond sports. The way the crowd was ecstatic upon his arrival contrasts with their reception of George Foreman, whom the crowd was even surprised to know was a black man in the first place. Although he was a phenomenal boxer, the Africans did not know him and were not rooting for him in the fight, which left Foreman confused. They overwhelmingly supported Ali, whom they valued more for his political stance than his boxing skill. As the artist in When We Were Kings narrates, when Ali refused to fight in the Vietnam war for America after he was drafted in the army, saying “They haven’t done anything against”, it was extraordinary for the people to see someone in America taking that position. Ali had consequently lost his heavyweight champion title, lost millions of dollars and lost the opportunity to compete during the prime years of his age and career. A hero carries an element of sacrifice for the people he is fighting for - Ali, through this stance, became that hero for the black people and “gained the esteem of millions of Africans”. They also feared for their hero, but supported him no matter how dim his chances of winning had seemed. When Ali entered the ring, he questioned why the people looked so unhappy. As it is narrated in When We Were Kings, the people were terrified and felt that Ali was being “sent to the gallows”. This depicts the emotional connection Ali had developed with his supporters and black people, who were ready to support him and did not abandon him even though his chances of winning were slim. Thus, had it been the boxing skill that had brought the people closer to Ali, people would also have been showering the same love and warmth to Foreman, but that was not the case. Instead, it was the unapologetic truth that Ali uttered and stood for, that made him a hero and connected him to millions of black people across the globe.
Furthermore, we see how Ali associated his career with fighting for the black community. For Ali, the historic 1974 fight was a payback for the punishments inflicted on him for refusing to fight in the Vietnam War. Moreover, Ali dedicated his fight to be not for himself, but for the dignity of the blacks living in shambles in America, who did not have anything to eat, who lacked a knowledge of the self, who didn’t have a future. He states, as we see in When We Were Kings, that he wanted to win the title and walk down to these people and help as many people as he could. He reiterated on several occasions the problems of the blacks that had to be solved. We also see that after winning the fight, Ali spoke to the African groups the next day, mixed and bonded with the people, telling them that they were better than African-Americans for having a dignity that they did not. When we place Ali’s conduct in the context of sports, as a whole, being a source of redemption for the black community, it makes all the more sense why Ali came to be seen as a hero. The “Rumble in the Jungle” was welcomed in Zaire as an opportunity for the country and Africa to be noticed by the rest of the world - it was a matter of great prestige to be hosting this event in which two world champions of boxing would be competing. The intermingling of African culture, music and dance with the event, as we can see in numerous instances in the film, depict that boxing was not mere entertainment - it became a social, cultural and political affair through which the blacks exerted and reclaimed their identity. Thus, we see that sports carried a significance of redemption for the blacks, and hence Ali, who was the king of this sport, became a hero, helping restore the dignity of the blacks and advancing their cause by defeating and speaking against the white man.
We can see through the locals' response to Ali and the fight in Congo that Ali represented a heroism that went beyond sports. The way the crowd was ecstatic upon his arrival contrasts with their reception of George Foreman, whom the crowd was even surprised to know was a black man in the first place. Although he was a phenomenal boxer, the Africans did not know him and were not rooting for him in the fight, which left Foreman confused. They overwhelmingly supported Ali, whom they valued more for his political stance than his boxing skill. As the artist in When We Were Kings narrates, when Ali refused to fight in the Vietnam war for America after he was drafted in the army, saying “They haven’t done anything against”, it was extraordinary for the people to see someone in America taking that position. Ali had consequently lost his heavyweight champion title, lost millions of dollars and lost the opportunity to compete during the prime years of his age and career. A hero carries an element of sacrifice for the people he is fighting for - Ali, through this stance, became that hero for the black people and “gained the esteem of millions of Africans”. They also feared for their hero, but supported him no matter how dim his chances of winning had seemed. When Ali entered the ring, he questioned why the people looked so unhappy. As it is narrated in When We Were Kings, the people were terrified and felt that Ali was being “sent to the gallows”. This depicts the emotional connection Ali had developed with his supporters and black people, who were ready to support him and did not abandon him even though his chances of winning were slim. Thus, had it been the boxing skill that had brought the people closer to Ali, people would also have been showering the same love and warmth to Foreman, but that was not the case. Instead, it was the unapologetic truth that Ali uttered and stood for, that made him a hero and connected him to millions of black people across the globe.
Furthermore, we see how Ali associated his career with fighting for the black community. For Ali, the historic 1974 fight was a payback for the punishments inflicted on him for refusing to fight in the Vietnam War. Moreover, Ali dedicated his fight to be not for himself, but for the dignity of the blacks living in shambles in America, who did not have anything to eat, who lacked a knowledge of the self, who didn’t have a future. He states, as we see in When We Were Kings, that he wanted to win the title and walk down to these people and help as many people as he could. He reiterated on several occasions the problems of the blacks that had to be solved. We also see that after winning the fight, Ali spoke to the African groups the next day, mixed and bonded with the people, telling them that they were better than African-Americans for having a dignity that they did not. When we place Ali’s conduct in the context of sports, as a whole, being a source of redemption for the black community, it makes all the more sense why Ali came to be seen as a hero. The “Rumble in the Jungle” was welcomed in Zaire as an opportunity for the country and Africa to be noticed by the rest of the world - it was a matter of great prestige to be hosting this event in which two world champions of boxing would be competing. The intermingling of African culture, music and dance with the event, as we can see in numerous instances in the film, depict that boxing was not mere entertainment - it became a social, cultural and political affair through which the blacks exerted and reclaimed their identity. Thus, we see that sports carried a significance of redemption for the blacks, and hence Ali, who was the king of this sport, became a hero, helping restore the dignity of the blacks and advancing their cause by defeating and speaking against the white man.
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