Like most ASU students, I have just one memory of Muhammad Ali. That came in 1996 when the former heavyweight champion, who turns 60 years old today, stood atop a stage, shaking with Parkinson's disease while lighting the Olympic torch in Atlanta.
Because Ali retired in 1981, most college-aged Americans have never seen him fight live. It's a shame but easy to make up for by watching his legendary matches on ESPN Classic.
The real tragedy is that most young Americans have no idea what kind of man Ali was in his prime away from the ring, which is why the film "Ali" is an imperfect, but valuable, history lesson. Starring Will Smith, the movie covers a 10-year span of Ali's career from his 1964 title win over Sonny Liston to his reclaiming of the title against George Foreman in 1974.
More importantly, it covers the decade during which Ali adopted a Muslim name, suffered criticism for his association with the Nation of Islam and was arrested for refusing to be inducted into the armed services during the Vietnam War. It's a decade of Ali's life that surprised many young moviegoers.
"There was so much about him I didn't know," English senior Tina Hawkins said. "I didn't know he was close friends with Malcolm X and that he refused to be drafted because of his religion."
It's the controversial aspects of Ali's life that are most important. He was probably the greatest boxer of all time, but his importance transcended athletics.
Ali is the most recognizable Muslim American in history. Following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on America, it was Ali who played the part of a concerned Muslim on talk shows throughout the nation.
"He brought a lot of attention to (Islam) in America," 22-year-old Strange Rachman said. "Watching the news these days, they ask him to represent the Muslim faith. He's an icon."
Ali's fight with the federal government was equally important. Ali refused to be inducted into the military during the Vietnam War because, as he said, "no Viet Cong ever called me 'nigger.'" Instead, he argued that the government should improve racial equality within its own borders before getting mixed up in another country's problems. It's during these scenes that "Ali" shines.
Smith, who lobbied hard to earn the title role and put on 30 pounds to play the champ, pulls off Ali's trademark rants with the perfect blend of arrogance and humor. No other young, black actor has the charisma to play Ali.
The first half of the movie is far from perfect, as it stalls for half-an-hour after the Liston bout. However, the film picks up the pace following a memorable scene in which Ali, storming through a hallway full of reporters, first announces his intentions to refuse induction into the military — a felony punishable by a five-year jail term and $10,000 fine.
By risking a long jail sentence in the prime of his career , Ali stood as a champion worth remembering not only as a boxer, but also as a key figure of the anti-war and civil rights movements.
Reach the columnist at azdude182@aol.com.
