1 00:00:15,450 --> 00:00:28,080 Speaker 1: Pushkin. Henry Cooper's nothing but a tramp, a bum, a 2 00:00:28,160 --> 00:00:35,960 Speaker 1: cripple not worth training for. 21-year-old boxer Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. 3 00:00:36,980 --> 00:00:40,730 Speaker 1: was newly arrived in London and didn't think much of 4 00:00:40,790 --> 00:00:45,050 Speaker 1: the British heavyweight champ he'd come to fight. To Clay, 5 00:00:45,450 --> 00:00:50,380 Speaker 1: this London bout was a formality, an inconvenience even. The 6 00:00:50,420 --> 00:00:55,240 Speaker 1: boxer had his eyes set on the world title. Unfortunately, 7 00:00:55,340 --> 00:00:59,340 Speaker 1: the champion he'd have to unseat, Sonny Liston, was already 8 00:00:59,400 --> 00:01:04,730 Speaker 1: committed to fighting other challengers. Until a title shot freed up, 9 00:01:05,530 --> 00:01:09,750 Speaker 1: Clay needed another, lesser fixture to swell his bank balance 10 00:01:09,870 --> 00:01:15,770 Speaker 1: and keep his muscles toned. Britain's Henry Cooper was no slouch. 11 00:01:16,510 --> 00:01:19,590 Speaker 1: He was ranked fifth in the whole world. But that 12 00:01:19,630 --> 00:01:24,750 Speaker 1: meant little to Clay. Clay was already coining a catchphrase, 13 00:01:25,390 --> 00:01:34,210 Speaker 1: telling anyone who'd listen, I am the greatest. Britons didn't 14 00:01:34,310 --> 00:01:37,870 Speaker 1: quite know what to make of the young African-American who'd 15 00:01:37,980 --> 00:01:44,220 Speaker 1: landed on their shores. Heavyweights normally lumbered, hunched and defensive 16 00:01:44,240 --> 00:01:49,440 Speaker 1: around the ring. But Clay danced and pranced across the canvas, 17 00:01:50,260 --> 00:01:53,640 Speaker 1: sometimes with his gloves down by his sides so everyone 18 00:01:53,720 --> 00:01:59,030 Speaker 1: could see his pretty face. So, as a boxer, Clay 19 00:01:59,120 --> 00:02:04,330 Speaker 1: could be considered a clown then. And yet, he was 20 00:02:04,750 --> 00:02:09,490 Speaker 1: undefeated and had won the Olympic gold. He had fought 21 00:02:09,550 --> 00:02:12,850 Speaker 1: some of the hardest men in the sport... and they'd 22 00:02:13,030 --> 00:02:19,080 Speaker 1: barely laid a glove on him. 199 fights, Clay boasted, 23 00:02:19,820 --> 00:02:25,780 Speaker 1: and still as pretty as a girl. And it was 24 00:02:25,860 --> 00:02:31,300 Speaker 1: exactly this sort of remark that further puzzled Clay's British hosts. 25 00:02:32,140 --> 00:02:39,080 Speaker 1: Clay talked and talked and talked. He described Buckingham Palace 26 00:02:39,200 --> 00:02:43,900 Speaker 1: as a swell pad. and mused that since Britain had 27 00:02:43,940 --> 00:02:47,530 Speaker 1: a queen but no king, maybe he should be crowned 28 00:02:47,550 --> 00:02:55,910 Speaker 1: in the role. One British reporter dubbed Clay the Pugilist Parrot, 29 00:02:56,870 --> 00:03:00,010 Speaker 1: but there was a lively mind behind that restless tongue. 30 00:03:00,770 --> 00:03:05,400 Speaker 1: Clay loved nothing more than replying to interviewers in rhyming couplets. 31 00:03:06,440 --> 00:03:09,400 Speaker 1: When they queried me about the coop about, I answered 32 00:03:09,420 --> 00:03:13,280 Speaker 1: with Shakespearean thrift. When they asked which round I'd knock 33 00:03:13,360 --> 00:03:22,940 Speaker 1: Henry out, I answered, Henry, the fifth. Predicting how many 34 00:03:23,000 --> 00:03:27,730 Speaker 1: rounds he'd take to demolish an opponent was a clay trademark. 35 00:03:28,670 --> 00:03:32,330 Speaker 1: He vowed to finish world champion Sonny Liston in eight, 36 00:03:33,230 --> 00:03:40,120 Speaker 1: but Henry Cooper, the tramp, the bum, the cripple. would 37 00:03:40,160 --> 00:03:47,400 Speaker 1: survive only five. Despite his incessant goading and insults, the 38 00:03:47,420 --> 00:03:52,400 Speaker 1: young American warned Henry Cooper not to retaliate in kind. 39 00:03:52,420 --> 00:03:54,480 Speaker 1: He's a bum. I'm the world's greatest. He must fall 40 00:03:54,520 --> 00:03:56,590 Speaker 1: in five rounds, but if you talk about me, I'll 41 00:03:56,620 --> 00:04:03,800 Speaker 1: cut it three. Fight night was set for June the 18th, 1963. 42 00:04:03,790 --> 00:04:11,380 Speaker 1: And at Wembley Stadium... the hallowed home of English soccer, 43 00:04:12,310 --> 00:04:17,170 Speaker 1: an open-air ring was being prepared. It would be a 44 00:04:17,230 --> 00:04:23,510 Speaker 1: fight that would change both men forever. I'm Tim Harford, 45 00:04:23,970 --> 00:04:51,510 Speaker 1: and you're listening to another Cautionary Tale. For his training base, 46 00:04:51,930 --> 00:04:55,530 Speaker 1: Cassius Clay set up in an army drill hall opposite 47 00:04:55,590 --> 00:04:59,500 Speaker 1: a tube station in an unfashionable part of West London. 48 00:05:00,600 --> 00:05:04,520 Speaker 1: The drab location deterred neither the press nor the paying 49 00:05:04,600 --> 00:05:08,300 Speaker 1: public from coming to see the sensation from Louisville, Kentucky. 50 00:05:09,300 --> 00:05:14,100 Speaker 1: But seeing Clay was only part of the attraction. Londoners 51 00:05:14,240 --> 00:05:17,990 Speaker 1: really coughed up half a crown, roughly ten bucks today, 52 00:05:18,850 --> 00:05:24,670 Speaker 1: to hear the man. Whether sparring, shadowboxing, or checking his 53 00:05:24,790 --> 00:05:28,900 Speaker 1: own handsome reflection in the mirror, Clay kept up his 54 00:05:29,100 --> 00:05:34,020 Speaker 1: ceaseless verbal assault on the British champ, Henry Cooper. For 55 00:05:34,060 --> 00:05:37,760 Speaker 1: this guy, it embarrasses me to train that hard. I've 56 00:05:37,780 --> 00:05:40,970 Speaker 1: been training with three sparring partners who could all lick Cooper. 57 00:05:42,230 --> 00:05:47,050 Speaker 1: The assembled reporters lapped up such quotes and prodded Clay 58 00:05:47,170 --> 00:05:53,030 Speaker 1: into ever more extreme insults. Man, Cooper is in trouble, 59 00:05:53,550 --> 00:05:56,230 Speaker 1: Clay went on. I'm in a mean mood and that 60 00:05:56,290 --> 00:06:03,420 Speaker 1: means somebody is going to get hurt. Such pre-fight theatrics 61 00:06:03,520 --> 00:06:08,300 Speaker 1: are commonplace today. But in 1963, fighters had never talked 62 00:06:08,340 --> 00:06:12,970 Speaker 1: like this before. Certainly not this incessantly. Clay talked in 63 00:06:12,990 --> 00:06:16,590 Speaker 1: the ring... In the gym, in his dressing room, he 64 00:06:16,650 --> 00:06:20,230 Speaker 1: even opened the doors of his posh hotel suite to 65 00:06:20,290 --> 00:06:25,330 Speaker 1: regale reporters with his wit and wisdom. They crowned him 66 00:06:25,690 --> 00:06:32,560 Speaker 1: the Louisville Loudmouth, the Kentucky Klaxon, and finally, Gaseous Clay. 67 00:06:33,580 --> 00:06:39,440 Speaker 1: These journalists simply loved Clay's constant stream of quotable guff, 68 00:06:40,100 --> 00:06:47,210 Speaker 1: but the stories they wrote weren't exactly flattering. In Britain, 69 00:06:47,270 --> 00:06:52,750 Speaker 1: it's easiest to win hearts with modesty, self-deprecation and a 70 00:06:52,880 --> 00:06:57,460 Speaker 1: generous charm. But Clay was proving himself a big head, 71 00:06:58,200 --> 00:07:03,960 Speaker 1: a braggart and above all, a bully, belittling the quiet 72 00:07:04,060 --> 00:07:11,880 Speaker 1: local hero Cooper and calling him rude names. Clay's swagger 73 00:07:11,940 --> 00:07:17,150 Speaker 1: was starting to annoy British fight fans. But others, too, 74 00:07:17,630 --> 00:07:22,130 Speaker 1: found it regrettable. Civil rights activists back home in America 75 00:07:23,010 --> 00:07:27,430 Speaker 1: figured a bright, erudite, successful sportsman would be an asset 76 00:07:27,490 --> 00:07:33,100 Speaker 1: in the fight against segregation. But, disappointingly, Clay used his 77 00:07:33,220 --> 00:07:39,360 Speaker 1: platform to insult his fellow African-American boxers, often using terms 78 00:07:39,420 --> 00:07:44,260 Speaker 1: that echoed the racist tropes of ugly, animalistic black men. 79 00:07:47,050 --> 00:07:52,330 Speaker 1: When asked about their loquacious prize fighter, the men behind 80 00:07:52,440 --> 00:07:57,780 Speaker 1: Clay just chuckled. Expecting him to keep quiet, one said, 81 00:07:58,580 --> 00:08:03,640 Speaker 1: was like inviting Brigitte Bardot over and asking her not 82 00:08:03,740 --> 00:08:10,530 Speaker 1: to wear a tight-fitting sweater. Clay was an employee of 83 00:08:10,590 --> 00:08:15,750 Speaker 1: the Louisville Sponsoring Group, a syndicate of Kentucky's business elite. 84 00:08:16,740 --> 00:08:22,920 Speaker 1: These rich white men had each contributed a few thousand dollars, tax-deductible, 85 00:08:23,460 --> 00:08:27,840 Speaker 1: to bankroll Clay's training and pay him a salary. And 86 00:08:27,890 --> 00:08:32,690 Speaker 1: in return, they'd take 50% of everything he earned inside 87 00:08:32,930 --> 00:08:38,750 Speaker 1: and outside the ring. That investment was now looking quite shrewd. 88 00:08:39,650 --> 00:08:43,920 Speaker 1: The more Clay talked, the more riled-up British fans became. 89 00:08:44,370 --> 00:08:49,360 Speaker 1: and the faster seats at Wembley Stadium sold. But though 90 00:08:49,380 --> 00:08:54,720 Speaker 1: they were benefiting from his showmanship, these white millionaires wished 91 00:08:54,780 --> 00:08:59,720 Speaker 1: to allay fears that Clay was one of these assertive 92 00:09:00,020 --> 00:09:06,910 Speaker 1: or uppity black men. Cassius is a fine boy, said 93 00:09:07,050 --> 00:09:11,210 Speaker 1: one sponsor as he boarded a luxury liner for England. 94 00:09:12,290 --> 00:09:15,570 Speaker 1: All these wild statements are just for the box office. 95 00:09:16,550 --> 00:09:20,010 Speaker 1: We've known him a long time. His mother used to 96 00:09:20,090 --> 00:09:27,800 Speaker 1: cook for us. That was way beyond patronising. Yet Clay 97 00:09:28,000 --> 00:09:32,540 Speaker 1: also used a similar line to explain himself. This is 98 00:09:32,640 --> 00:09:36,620 Speaker 1: why I talk, man, he'd say, holding up a thick 99 00:09:36,810 --> 00:09:42,550 Speaker 1: wad of British banknotes and counting them off. This... And this. 100 00:09:43,770 --> 00:09:49,950 Speaker 1: And this. But in a more unguarded moment, he confided 101 00:09:50,050 --> 00:09:54,420 Speaker 1: to a reporter that... The talk was no gimmick. I 102 00:09:54,460 --> 00:09:58,180 Speaker 1: really like it. I like telling people what I'm going 103 00:09:58,220 --> 00:10:00,880 Speaker 1: to do and then doing it. It's part of me. 104 00:10:02,580 --> 00:10:08,520 Speaker 1: The Louisville loudmouth was perhaps then only just finding his voice... 105 00:10:09,130 --> 00:10:13,770 Speaker 1: and 1963 would be a turning point. He'd soon be 106 00:10:13,890 --> 00:10:18,310 Speaker 1: using his rhetorical flourishes to address issues other than boxing, 107 00:10:19,130 --> 00:10:22,680 Speaker 1: and there was nothing anyone, least of all the Louisville 108 00:10:22,750 --> 00:10:30,610 Speaker 1: sponsoring group, could do to silence him. For his gym, 109 00:10:31,230 --> 00:10:34,890 Speaker 1: Henry Cooper hired a pub in his native South London. 110 00:10:35,690 --> 00:10:40,810 Speaker 1: The Fellowship Inn had spacious function rooms, so one was 111 00:10:40,930 --> 00:10:44,410 Speaker 1: fitted out with weights and punch bags. And here the 112 00:10:44,490 --> 00:10:49,110 Speaker 1: local lad trained, as birthday parties and wedding receptions went 113 00:10:49,210 --> 00:10:54,430 Speaker 1: on around him. Wandering the streets of his neighbourhood, the 114 00:10:54,450 --> 00:10:58,580 Speaker 1: 29-year-old British champion was stopped by old ladies and mothers 115 00:10:58,590 --> 00:11:01,700 Speaker 1: with shopping bags, I hope you hang one on him, Henry, 116 00:11:02,320 --> 00:11:07,140 Speaker 1: they'd say. I hope you shut his big mouth. Cooper 117 00:11:07,160 --> 00:11:11,660 Speaker 1: was asked if Clay's insults bothered him. Not at all, 118 00:11:12,240 --> 00:11:14,930 Speaker 1: he said. He was getting a share of the gate. 119 00:11:16,000 --> 00:11:21,990 Speaker 1: If anything worried him, it was Clay's fighting prowess. On paper, 120 00:11:22,230 --> 00:11:26,750 Speaker 1: Cooper was the underdog. He was older and considerably lighter 121 00:11:26,770 --> 00:11:30,700 Speaker 1: than Clay. Worse yet, The American was taller and had 122 00:11:30,720 --> 00:11:35,260 Speaker 1: a far longer reach. A boxer's reach is their arm 123 00:11:35,280 --> 00:11:40,500 Speaker 1: span measured fingertip to fingertip. Clay's reach was enormous, several 124 00:11:40,550 --> 00:11:45,210 Speaker 1: inches greater than Cooper's. In theory, the American could stand 125 00:11:45,290 --> 00:11:49,370 Speaker 1: back and land blows on his opponent without coming within 126 00:11:49,410 --> 00:11:54,940 Speaker 1: range of a counterpunch. This would spell doom for Cooper. 127 00:11:56,000 --> 00:12:00,710 Speaker 1: For the Londoner had a weakness. his face cut easily. 128 00:12:01,730 --> 00:12:05,960 Speaker 1: It was joked that Cooper's brows had skin as delicate 129 00:12:06,010 --> 00:12:09,760 Speaker 1: as a porcelain doll and that a mere hiccup could 130 00:12:09,840 --> 00:12:14,680 Speaker 1: open up a wound. Even a tiny cut would bleed profusely, 131 00:12:15,260 --> 00:12:20,500 Speaker 1: blinding Cooper and compelling the referee to end proceedings early. 132 00:12:21,820 --> 00:12:25,200 Speaker 1: Clay was said to be as quick as a cobra 133 00:12:25,600 --> 00:12:30,870 Speaker 1: and no more merciful. he'd surely pummel Cooper's eyes while 134 00:12:30,970 --> 00:12:33,960 Speaker 1: dancing and dodging to keep out of the Briton's reach. 135 00:12:36,600 --> 00:12:42,820 Speaker 1: So a plan was hatched. While Cassius Clay showboated at 136 00:12:42,920 --> 00:12:48,700 Speaker 1: press conferences and in TV studios, Henry Cooper quietly studied 137 00:12:48,760 --> 00:12:54,030 Speaker 1: the American's distinctive fighting style, and especially boxing. how he 138 00:12:54,070 --> 00:12:57,970 Speaker 1: preferred not to raise his gloves to defend that pretty face. 139 00:12:59,310 --> 00:13:04,590 Speaker 1: An American heavyweight who'd fought clay and could imitate his hands-down, 140 00:13:04,730 --> 00:13:10,620 Speaker 1: backward-skipping style was duly imported. Cooper sparred with the man 141 00:13:10,860 --> 00:13:13,660 Speaker 1: over and over, all in a bid to find some 142 00:13:13,740 --> 00:13:18,100 Speaker 1: way to close the distance on clay and then unleash 143 00:13:18,460 --> 00:13:24,760 Speaker 1: a potent weapon. Henry Cooper was, you see, leftist. He'd 144 00:13:24,860 --> 00:13:28,360 Speaker 1: use the right glove to protect his chin, then jab 145 00:13:28,480 --> 00:13:32,720 Speaker 1: hard with the left until his opponent exposed their face. 146 00:13:34,860 --> 00:13:40,010 Speaker 1: Cooper would launch his pet punch, a powerful left hook 147 00:13:40,610 --> 00:13:46,890 Speaker 1: one boxing writer said induces acute discomfort. This punch was 148 00:13:47,010 --> 00:13:51,510 Speaker 1: so formidable it even had a name. This left hook 149 00:13:51,900 --> 00:14:02,320 Speaker 1: was called Cautionary Tales will return for round two in 150 00:14:02,360 --> 00:14:15,650 Speaker 1: a moment. London in Midsummer. An open-air boxing match. Of course, 151 00:14:16,510 --> 00:14:23,220 Speaker 1: it's raining. Dampening the 40,000 waiting spectators. It rains on 152 00:14:23,240 --> 00:14:28,220 Speaker 1: the Louisville sponsoring group. It rains on the Hollywood glamour couple, 153 00:14:28,560 --> 00:14:32,360 Speaker 1: Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. And it rains on the 154 00:14:32,410 --> 00:14:36,210 Speaker 1: band of the Coldstream Guards and their long silver trumpets. 155 00:14:38,250 --> 00:14:41,430 Speaker 1: Henry Cooper has trained to such a pitch that he's 156 00:14:41,470 --> 00:14:45,310 Speaker 1: lost even more weight. Making his way to the ring, 157 00:14:45,850 --> 00:14:50,730 Speaker 1: he now barely qualifies as a heavyweight. His crafty coach 158 00:14:50,830 --> 00:14:54,720 Speaker 1: had slipped lead plates into Cooper's shoes at the weigh-in, 159 00:14:55,240 --> 00:14:59,540 Speaker 1: fearing that Cassius Clay would gain a further psychological boost 160 00:15:00,120 --> 00:15:05,140 Speaker 1: if he knew the truth. But navigating the hostile crowd, 161 00:15:05,200 --> 00:15:10,420 Speaker 1: there's little sign that the young American lacks confidence. Ignoring 162 00:15:10,460 --> 00:15:13,510 Speaker 1: the standards of decorum expected in 1963, Clay has donned 163 00:15:13,570 --> 00:15:21,650 Speaker 1: a prop crown. a monstrous thing of velvet and gold 164 00:15:21,890 --> 00:15:27,650 Speaker 1: trimmed in ermine. Despite angry spectators trying to swat it 165 00:15:27,670 --> 00:15:32,070 Speaker 1: from his head, the crown remains on, even as Clay 166 00:15:32,230 --> 00:15:35,760 Speaker 1: climbs into the ring to begin his final warm-up. 167 00:15:36,060 --> 00:15:37,500 Speaker 2: And I imagine there are a lot of people sitting 168 00:15:37,540 --> 00:15:39,400 Speaker 2: around the ringside here in the open air of Wembley 169 00:15:39,420 --> 00:15:42,180 Speaker 2: tonight who may well think that by coming into the 170 00:15:42,240 --> 00:15:45,230 Speaker 2: ring with that Ridiculous crown on his head. Mr Clay 171 00:15:45,290 --> 00:15:47,410 Speaker 2: is doing his best to cheapen the professional fight game, 172 00:15:47,430 --> 00:15:49,550 Speaker 2: and I must say I'm inclined to share those views myself. 173 00:15:49,870 --> 00:15:55,570 Speaker 1: The BBC TV commentator tells viewers, With the crown finally off, 174 00:15:56,290 --> 00:15:59,820 Speaker 1: the referee calls both boxers to the centre of the ring. 175 00:16:01,520 --> 00:16:05,320 Speaker 1: Clay probably expected to dominate the bout from the bell, 176 00:16:06,060 --> 00:16:10,400 Speaker 1: for Cooper is famous for his hesitant and cautious starts. 177 00:16:11,220 --> 00:16:15,020 Speaker 1: But Cooper... comes out of his corner like a tiger. 178 00:16:15,420 --> 00:16:19,430 Speaker 1: He rains blows onto Clay's pretty face. The left hook, 179 00:16:19,710 --> 00:16:25,190 Speaker 1: Henry's hammer, quickly takes its toll. The American looks dumbfounded 180 00:16:25,790 --> 00:16:28,230 Speaker 1: and throws his arms around the British champ in a 181 00:16:28,390 --> 00:16:30,960 Speaker 1: desperate attempt to prevent further blows. 182 00:16:32,340 --> 00:16:34,540 Speaker 2: And Clay's nose is bleeding in the first minute from 183 00:16:34,560 --> 00:16:37,320 Speaker 2: the left hook of Cooper. First blood to Cooper. 184 00:16:38,140 --> 00:16:43,580 Speaker 1: The brash, confident Clay of the pre-fight has vanished. The 185 00:16:43,620 --> 00:16:48,160 Speaker 1: clay now in the ring is part bewildered, part indignant. 186 00:16:48,900 --> 00:16:52,420 Speaker 1: The American even argues with the ref, bitterly complaining that 187 00:16:52,720 --> 00:16:58,540 Speaker 1: Cooper's somehow not fighting fair. But all the time, Cooper 188 00:16:58,680 --> 00:17:02,860 Speaker 1: advances on his man, trapping clay against the ropes, and 189 00:17:02,880 --> 00:17:08,560 Speaker 1: there's no escape from that hammering left hook. Round one 190 00:17:09,240 --> 00:17:14,400 Speaker 1: is over. And Cooper is clearly in the lead. Clay's 191 00:17:14,480 --> 00:17:19,790 Speaker 1: face is now slightly less pretty, with corner men staunching 192 00:17:19,870 --> 00:17:23,690 Speaker 1: his bleeding nose and pressing ice packs to his battered 193 00:17:23,790 --> 00:17:30,470 Speaker 1: brows to slow their swelling. As round two begins, the 194 00:17:30,530 --> 00:17:34,690 Speaker 1: TV commentator dares to give voice to a thought that 195 00:17:34,790 --> 00:17:38,510 Speaker 1: seemed unimaginable just four minutes ago. 196 00:17:39,900 --> 00:17:44,020 Speaker 2: There's Cooper. Can he beat Clay? 197 00:17:45,020 --> 00:17:49,060 Speaker 1: The British champ keeps up his aggressive tempo, landing more 198 00:17:49,150 --> 00:17:53,030 Speaker 1: left hooks, but Clay too is now dealing out some 199 00:17:53,190 --> 00:18:00,650 Speaker 1: punishing blows, aiming particularly at Cooper's delicate eyes. Then the 200 00:18:00,750 --> 00:18:04,670 Speaker 1: commentator spots the signs of an impending disaster. 201 00:18:06,050 --> 00:18:08,700 Speaker 2: And now Cooper seems to be cut slightly underneath the 202 00:18:08,720 --> 00:18:09,160 Speaker 2: left eye. 203 00:18:10,180 --> 00:18:15,190 Speaker 1: At first, the injury seems inconsequential, but like a shark 204 00:18:15,290 --> 00:18:20,810 Speaker 1: sensing blood, Clay concentrates his jabs on the wound, hoping 205 00:18:20,870 --> 00:18:26,540 Speaker 1: to open up the split further. In the interval, Cooper's 206 00:18:26,640 --> 00:18:31,260 Speaker 1: corner men work on the cut. It's not good, but 207 00:18:31,280 --> 00:18:34,740 Speaker 1: a bleeding wound under the eye at least won't blind 208 00:18:34,800 --> 00:18:39,090 Speaker 1: that man. The rain stops as the pair come out 209 00:18:39,150 --> 00:18:43,250 Speaker 1: for round three, and Cooper sticks to his strategy, taking 210 00:18:43,290 --> 00:18:46,310 Speaker 1: the fight to Clay, not allowing the American to open 211 00:18:46,370 --> 00:18:50,910 Speaker 1: up the distance that would favour his longer reach. Clay 212 00:18:50,970 --> 00:18:55,880 Speaker 1: launches two jabs that both graze across Cooper's left brow. 213 00:18:57,520 --> 00:19:02,060 Speaker 1: They're not particularly powerful blows, but they rasp across the 214 00:19:02,100 --> 00:19:05,590 Speaker 1: Londoner's skin. And now he's cut. 215 00:19:05,490 --> 00:19:07,870 Speaker 2: Over the left eye. Henry Cooper is cut over the 216 00:19:07,910 --> 00:19:10,250 Speaker 2: left eye and it looks to me like a very 217 00:19:10,290 --> 00:19:11,270 Speaker 2: bad cut indeed. 218 00:19:14,190 --> 00:19:18,350 Speaker 1: Blood is streaming down Cooper's face and dripping onto his chest. 219 00:19:18,770 --> 00:19:22,250 Speaker 1: It's oozing into his left eye too, blurring his vision. 220 00:19:23,960 --> 00:19:26,020 Speaker 2: This is what we always feared about Cooper. 221 00:19:28,700 --> 00:19:32,360 Speaker 1: With the referee craning to check the severity of the wound, 222 00:19:32,380 --> 00:19:37,110 Speaker 1: a clock He's now ticking in Cooper's head. How long 223 00:19:37,150 --> 00:19:39,810 Speaker 1: does he have to knock Clay out before the bout 224 00:19:39,870 --> 00:19:46,490 Speaker 1: is stopped? He now boxes like a man possessed. But 225 00:19:47,140 --> 00:19:52,420 Speaker 1: Gassius Cassius, the Louisville loudmouth, is reborn before our eyes. 226 00:19:53,040 --> 00:19:57,600 Speaker 1: Clay toys with Cooper. He drops his guard entirely, a 227 00:19:57,640 --> 00:20:01,790 Speaker 1: contemptuous gesture. to show how little he now fears his opponent. 228 00:20:02,550 --> 00:20:07,810 Speaker 1: Clay dances and pulls faces and shouts taunts, barely bothering 229 00:20:07,850 --> 00:20:08,370 Speaker 1: to fight. 230 00:20:08,390 --> 00:20:14,170 Speaker 2: And he's teasing Cooper. He's trying to make Cooper look small. 231 00:20:16,530 --> 00:20:20,790 Speaker 1: In the break, Members of the Louisville sponsoring group, Clay's 232 00:20:20,860 --> 00:20:25,160 Speaker 1: de facto bosses, shout instructions that he should stop clowning, 233 00:20:25,700 --> 00:20:31,100 Speaker 1: cut out the funny business and finish the fight. Across 234 00:20:31,180 --> 00:20:34,880 Speaker 1: in Cooper's corner, enough of the Londoner's blood is swabbed 235 00:20:34,940 --> 00:20:40,930 Speaker 1: away that the referee allows the contest to resume. Despite 236 00:20:41,010 --> 00:20:45,510 Speaker 1: the flow of blood resuming, now soaking into his socks, 237 00:20:46,110 --> 00:20:50,770 Speaker 1: Cooper cries. isn't giving up. In answer to such determination, 238 00:20:51,090 --> 00:20:55,370 Speaker 1: Clay's entourage are baying out more instructions. They're screaming at 239 00:20:55,410 --> 00:20:58,770 Speaker 1: their man to deliver punches with his potent right hand 240 00:20:59,310 --> 00:21:04,220 Speaker 1: and lay Cooper once and for all. But Cassius Marcellus 241 00:21:04,320 --> 00:21:10,560 Speaker 1: Clay Jr. imperiously ignores them. He dances and prances and 242 00:21:10,600 --> 00:21:15,260 Speaker 1: occasionally jabs with his weaker left fist. He's told the 243 00:21:15,300 --> 00:21:19,440 Speaker 1: world he'll finish Cooper in the fifth. And that's exactly 244 00:21:19,500 --> 00:21:22,840 Speaker 1: what he'll do, even if it means carrying the Briton 245 00:21:22,860 --> 00:21:24,880 Speaker 1: through the next few minutes to the bell. 246 00:21:24,900 --> 00:21:27,940 Speaker 2: He's just treating Cooper almost as a. 247 00:21:27,940 --> 00:21:33,430 Speaker 1: Plaything, says the commentator bitterly, as his blood splatters across 248 00:21:33,490 --> 00:21:37,550 Speaker 1: the ring and onto the front rows of spectators. Cooper 249 00:21:37,690 --> 00:21:42,130 Speaker 1: is also being bled of dignity by an adversary who 250 00:21:42,290 --> 00:21:47,440 Speaker 1: clearly doesn't respect him. Come on, Henry, son! Comes an 251 00:21:47,500 --> 00:21:49,140 Speaker 1: encouraging shout from the crowd. 252 00:21:49,540 --> 00:21:50,400 Speaker 2: Come on, boy! 253 00:21:50,420 --> 00:21:56,100 Speaker 1: But the mood in Wembley has darkened. It seems Cooper 254 00:21:56,160 --> 00:22:01,030 Speaker 1: will soon be beaten, and in the most humiliating way imaginable. 255 00:22:03,110 --> 00:22:10,790 Speaker 1: And then it happens. Clay steps forward, his guard down, 256 00:22:11,490 --> 00:22:17,170 Speaker 1: to deliver another left jab. It lands without power on 257 00:22:17,280 --> 00:22:22,230 Speaker 1: top of Cooper's bowed head. So Cooper rises up from 258 00:22:22,290 --> 00:22:27,610 Speaker 1: his crouch, and there in front of him is Cassius 259 00:22:27,690 --> 00:22:35,110 Speaker 1: Clay's grinning face, wide open for a punch. In that instant, 260 00:22:35,290 --> 00:22:40,940 Speaker 1: it's possible Clay realised his mistake, might have seen incoming 261 00:22:41,500 --> 00:22:46,830 Speaker 1: Henry's hammer, But he almost certainly did not predict its power. 262 00:22:50,510 --> 00:22:54,320 Speaker 1: For when it landed square in his face, it was 263 00:22:54,380 --> 00:22:59,120 Speaker 1: less like a hammer, more like a wrecking ball. He'd 264 00:22:59,180 --> 00:23:02,880 Speaker 1: wanted to win the match in his own inimitable style, 265 00:23:03,420 --> 00:23:07,850 Speaker 1: in the round of his choosing. But now, Cassius Clay 266 00:23:08,650 --> 00:23:23,280 Speaker 1: was going down. Cautionary tales will return shortly. What exactly 267 00:23:23,540 --> 00:23:28,680 Speaker 1: is it to win? In sports, there are two schools 268 00:23:28,740 --> 00:23:33,240 Speaker 1: of thought. In one corner, we have the Olympic ideal, 269 00:23:33,800 --> 00:23:37,680 Speaker 1: as expressed by the Games founder, Baron Pierre de Coubertin. 270 00:23:38,520 --> 00:23:43,120 Speaker 1: The essential thing in life, he said, is not conquering, 271 00:23:43,840 --> 00:23:51,130 Speaker 1: but fighting well. The college football coach Red Sanders thought differently. 272 00:23:52,250 --> 00:23:56,830 Speaker 1: In 1950, he told his young players, winning isn't everything. 273 00:23:57,790 --> 00:24:02,380 Speaker 1: It's the only thing. So should we do just about 274 00:24:02,700 --> 00:24:07,640 Speaker 1: anything to triumph? Let me share a story from a 275 00:24:07,660 --> 00:24:12,280 Speaker 1: sport that don't play much in Louisville, Kentucky. test cricket. 276 00:24:13,540 --> 00:24:15,600 Speaker 1: The reputation of the game is that it should be 277 00:24:15,680 --> 00:24:21,460 Speaker 1: played in a civil, gentlemanly way. Indeed, the internationally recognised 278 00:24:21,540 --> 00:24:25,180 Speaker 1: rulebook begins with the warning that the game should be 279 00:24:25,220 --> 00:24:28,720 Speaker 1: played not only according to the laws, but also within 280 00:24:28,780 --> 00:24:34,660 Speaker 1: the spirit of cricket. And that spirit prizes respect for 281 00:24:34,820 --> 00:24:43,720 Speaker 1: one's opponents. But in 1932... Such respect was in short supply. 282 00:24:45,220 --> 00:24:49,260 Speaker 1: The England team was touring Australia for a series of matches, 283 00:24:49,920 --> 00:24:53,340 Speaker 1: but their hopes of beating the home side seemed dim. 284 00:24:54,280 --> 00:24:59,560 Speaker 1: Australia boasted arguably the greatest batsman of all time, Don Bradman. 285 00:25:00,700 --> 00:25:04,240 Speaker 1: Bradman could whack the ball time and time again, racking 286 00:25:04,300 --> 00:25:10,920 Speaker 1: up huge scores. But then England's rather spiky captains, Douglas 287 00:25:10,960 --> 00:25:18,430 Speaker 1: Jardine spotted a chink in Bradman's armour. The otherwise imperturbable 288 00:25:18,500 --> 00:25:23,510 Speaker 1: Australian seemed unnerved if the ball was bowled very fast 289 00:25:23,850 --> 00:25:31,810 Speaker 1: and aimed at his torso. And who can blame him? Jardine, 290 00:25:32,230 --> 00:25:36,610 Speaker 1: who referred to Bradman as the little bastard, instructed his 291 00:25:36,670 --> 00:25:40,130 Speaker 1: bowlers to target the bodies of all the Australian batters 292 00:25:41,460 --> 00:25:46,620 Speaker 1: Such bowling wasn't exactly against the rules, but it certainly 293 00:25:46,660 --> 00:25:51,840 Speaker 1: wasn't in the spirit of cricket. Jardine's clear delight when 294 00:25:51,880 --> 00:25:55,080 Speaker 1: his bowlers deliberately struck the thigh or flank of an 295 00:25:55,160 --> 00:26:02,990 Speaker 1: Australian batsman further inflamed the situation. The Australian cricket authorities 296 00:26:03,010 --> 00:26:06,710 Speaker 1: were incensed at seeing their players limp from the pitch, 297 00:26:06,950 --> 00:26:10,610 Speaker 1: battered and bruised, and threatened to cancel the whole tour. 298 00:26:11,770 --> 00:26:14,790 Speaker 1: And even some of the England team balked at the 299 00:26:15,030 --> 00:26:21,510 Speaker 1: ungentlemanliness of the tactic. England won what became known as 300 00:26:21,630 --> 00:26:28,560 Speaker 1: the Bodyline Series. But Jardine's strategy soured the victory. The 301 00:26:28,600 --> 00:26:32,680 Speaker 1: sport's governing body outlawed what they saw as a dangerous 302 00:26:32,960 --> 00:26:37,680 Speaker 1: and disrespectful bowling technique. And then the captain and one 303 00:26:37,720 --> 00:26:42,280 Speaker 1: of his most talented bodyline bowlers were dropped from playing 304 00:26:42,320 --> 00:26:48,260 Speaker 1: for England. Jardine's victory might then fall into the category 305 00:26:48,720 --> 00:26:52,670 Speaker 1: of a short win, a phrase coined by the Olympic 306 00:26:52,730 --> 00:26:58,450 Speaker 1: medalist and world champion rower Catherine Bishop. In her book 307 00:26:58,950 --> 00:27:03,070 Speaker 1: The Long Win, Bishop argues that the thrill of taking 308 00:27:03,110 --> 00:27:07,490 Speaker 1: a title or raising a trophy can be short-lived and hollow. 309 00:27:08,310 --> 00:27:11,970 Speaker 1: To get caught up with winning and losing is she says, 310 00:27:12,820 --> 00:27:16,880 Speaker 1: is to lose the point in sport and in life. 311 00:27:18,740 --> 00:27:23,460 Speaker 1: She cites examples of champions who endured abusive and toxic 312 00:27:23,560 --> 00:27:30,290 Speaker 1: training regimes, sacrificed important relationships, and neglected other life goals, 313 00:27:30,990 --> 00:27:37,570 Speaker 1: all to win competitions. One Olympian ended up contemptuously snorting 314 00:27:37,730 --> 00:27:42,540 Speaker 1: cocaine off his gold medal. blaming the medallion he'd strived 315 00:27:42,620 --> 00:27:46,120 Speaker 1: so hard for for the mess his life had become. 316 00:27:48,120 --> 00:27:54,410 Speaker 1: Catherine Bishop says that increasingly, athletes are questioning the win-at-all-costs culture, 317 00:27:55,170 --> 00:27:58,690 Speaker 1: seeking to find a lasting meaning in their sport that 318 00:27:58,830 --> 00:28:05,210 Speaker 1: transcends mere trophies. Finding reasons why sport matters can look 319 00:28:05,250 --> 00:28:10,330 Speaker 1: different for different athletes, Bishop says. but it typically involves 320 00:28:10,380 --> 00:28:14,060 Speaker 1: the awareness of the person that you're becoming through the 321 00:28:14,100 --> 00:28:22,540 Speaker 1: pursuit of sporting excellence. As Henry's hammer slammed into his face, 322 00:28:23,460 --> 00:28:28,880 Speaker 1: boxer Cassius Clay was about to have just such an epiphany. 323 00:28:33,060 --> 00:28:37,620 Speaker 1: What a beauty, thought Cooper of his punch. Clay was 324 00:28:37,700 --> 00:28:41,720 Speaker 1: standing at the edge of the ring when the blow struck. So, 325 00:28:42,040 --> 00:28:46,020 Speaker 1: rather than crashing heavily to the canvas, his fall was 326 00:28:46,200 --> 00:28:50,540 Speaker 1: broken by the ropes. Still, as he slithers to the 327 00:28:50,630 --> 00:28:56,230 Speaker 1: floor and lays there, Clay's head is swaying drunkenly and 328 00:28:56,270 --> 00:29:02,750 Speaker 1: his eyes are vacant. Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr., the greatest, 329 00:29:03,830 --> 00:29:08,800 Speaker 1: is about to lose. Cooper hovers near the fallen figure, 330 00:29:09,360 --> 00:29:12,740 Speaker 1: ready to pounce if the weakened Clay gets back to 331 00:29:12,780 --> 00:29:18,580 Speaker 1: his feet. Finish him, Henry! Finish him! yells Hollywood star 332 00:29:18,680 --> 00:29:23,930 Speaker 1: Richard Burton from the crowd. It's the bell that saves Clay. 333 00:29:25,390 --> 00:29:30,030 Speaker 1: It rings before the referee can count him out. Reprieved, 334 00:29:30,450 --> 00:29:33,890 Speaker 1: the American totters over to the stool in his corner. 335 00:29:35,570 --> 00:29:40,380 Speaker 1: Where am I? he groggily asks his trainers. He's really 336 00:29:40,420 --> 00:29:44,690 Speaker 1: not sure if he's in London or Louisville. Clay's team 337 00:29:44,710 --> 00:29:48,990 Speaker 1: are ashen. A loss here would delay or even escalate 338 00:29:49,200 --> 00:29:53,280 Speaker 1: end his hopes for a world title match, derailing the 339 00:29:53,400 --> 00:30:00,140 Speaker 1: Cassius Clay gravy train. They have just 60 seconds to 340 00:30:00,200 --> 00:30:04,560 Speaker 1: bring him back to his senses. And it's not looking good. 341 00:30:04,580 --> 00:30:09,210 Speaker 1: And he still doesn't know where he is. shouts the 342 00:30:09,330 --> 00:30:14,070 Speaker 1: TV commentator as Clay inexplicably rises from the stool and 343 00:30:14,120 --> 00:30:15,660 Speaker 1: then slumps back down. 344 00:30:15,680 --> 00:30:17,480 Speaker 2: He's still half up, Clay! 345 00:30:18,880 --> 00:30:23,280 Speaker 1: In a flurry of wet cloths, flapping towels and slapping palms, 346 00:30:23,660 --> 00:30:28,600 Speaker 1: Clay's team struggle to bring their fight around. In this 347 00:30:28,820 --> 00:30:34,020 Speaker 1: melee of movement, some observers see something else. A small 348 00:30:34,160 --> 00:30:38,220 Speaker 1: file is wafted beneath Clay's nose. causing him to wince 349 00:30:38,300 --> 00:30:44,200 Speaker 1: and recoil. Smelling salts are banned in British boxing, and 350 00:30:44,240 --> 00:30:46,940 Speaker 1: if Clay's corner men are using them to revive him, 351 00:30:47,380 --> 00:30:51,580 Speaker 1: their man could be disqualified, with the win going to Cooper. 352 00:30:53,040 --> 00:30:57,870 Speaker 1: But the referee's attention has been diverted elsewhere. Clay's head 353 00:30:58,020 --> 00:31:01,090 Speaker 1: trainer has spotted a split in the stitching of the 354 00:31:01,150 --> 00:31:05,030 Speaker 1: American's left glove. He works on the hole, widening it, 355 00:31:05,750 --> 00:31:08,690 Speaker 1: then asks the ref if they should delay the next 356 00:31:08,790 --> 00:31:14,210 Speaker 1: round so Clay can don a new one. Every extra 357 00:31:14,290 --> 00:31:22,030 Speaker 1: second benefits Clay and disadvantages the still-bleeding Cooper. The referee 358 00:31:22,230 --> 00:31:25,620 Speaker 1: ponders the whole as the allotted one minute of the 359 00:31:25,740 --> 00:31:31,740 Speaker 1: interval ends. Is it really that bad? The referee decides 360 00:31:31,800 --> 00:31:37,250 Speaker 1: to go on. The delay extended the interval by less 361 00:31:37,330 --> 00:31:40,730 Speaker 1: than ten seconds, but it seems to have given Clay 362 00:31:40,910 --> 00:31:45,250 Speaker 1: just enough respite for him to come out swinging. But 363 00:31:45,270 --> 00:31:50,600 Speaker 1: the American now barely needs to box, for, according to 364 00:31:50,800 --> 00:31:57,980 Speaker 1: one sports writer, Cooper's cut eye is now a scarlet Niagara. 365 00:31:59,860 --> 00:32:01,980 Speaker 1: The Londoner is used to the feel of his own 366 00:32:02,140 --> 00:32:06,740 Speaker 1: blood ripping down his face but this cut is different 367 00:32:07,780 --> 00:32:11,380 Speaker 1: to Cooper it feels like he's under a pouring tap 368 00:32:13,390 --> 00:32:18,650 Speaker 1: Elizabeth Taylor who had been covering her eyes now screams 369 00:32:18,730 --> 00:32:24,070 Speaker 1: for the fight to be ended finally Cooper's trainer throws 370 00:32:24,110 --> 00:32:27,930 Speaker 1: a towel over the ropes and the referee pulls Cooper 371 00:32:28,030 --> 00:32:36,580 Speaker 1: aside sorry chum he says The fight's over. Didn't do 372 00:32:36,640 --> 00:32:40,780 Speaker 1: too bad for a cripple and a bum, replies Cooper. 373 00:32:43,280 --> 00:32:48,750 Speaker 1: Drowned out by booing and pelted with programmes, Cassius Clay 374 00:32:48,930 --> 00:32:55,110 Speaker 1: celebrates his victory. But something has subtly changed in him too. 375 00:32:56,650 --> 00:33:00,870 Speaker 1: Clay's brother attempts to place the prop crown back on 376 00:33:00,910 --> 00:33:05,840 Speaker 1: the victor's head, But the fighter refuses, pushing it away. Tonight, 377 00:33:06,600 --> 00:33:12,730 Speaker 1: in Wembley Stadium, the greatest has been humbled. He knows it. 378 00:33:14,050 --> 00:33:19,190 Speaker 1: In post-match interviews, Clay expresses nothing but respect for Henry 379 00:33:19,250 --> 00:33:23,710 Speaker 1: Cooper and his hammering left hook. I've been on the 380 00:33:23,770 --> 00:33:29,760 Speaker 1: floor before, but not hurt so much, began Clay. Cooper's 381 00:33:29,820 --> 00:33:34,750 Speaker 1: a real fighter. Great fighter. the toughest nut yet. He's 382 00:33:34,790 --> 00:33:41,200 Speaker 1: no longer a bum. In the dressing room awaits an 383 00:33:41,440 --> 00:33:47,320 Speaker 1: emissary from the world champion, Sonny Liston. Clay will get 384 00:33:47,360 --> 00:33:57,970 Speaker 1: his title shot. Clay had portrayed himself as non-political. Saying 385 00:33:58,290 --> 00:34:03,330 Speaker 1: civil rights activists and Klansmen alike paid to see him fight. 386 00:34:04,850 --> 00:34:10,050 Speaker 1: I don't identify with anybody, he declared. Anybody except Cassius Clay. 387 00:34:12,980 --> 00:34:17,380 Speaker 1: Back in the United States that summer, Clay was drawn 388 00:34:17,560 --> 00:34:22,640 Speaker 1: deeper into the struggle against racism. He forged a particularly 389 00:34:22,800 --> 00:34:28,460 Speaker 1: close friendship with the Nation of Islam's Malcolm X, piquing 390 00:34:28,500 --> 00:34:33,140 Speaker 1: the interest of the FBI. The promoter of the Liston 391 00:34:33,250 --> 00:34:38,040 Speaker 1: Championship match threatened to cancel the bout unless Clay renounced 392 00:34:38,300 --> 00:34:42,260 Speaker 1: Malcolm X and the nation. But Clay called the money 393 00:34:42,280 --> 00:34:48,460 Speaker 1: man's bluff, and the fight went ahead. The Louisville Loudmouth 394 00:34:48,540 --> 00:34:51,800 Speaker 1: didn't win in the eighth round, though. It took him 395 00:34:51,860 --> 00:34:59,120 Speaker 1: just six. Now undisputedly the greatest, the fighter... declared his 396 00:34:59,160 --> 00:35:03,480 Speaker 1: allegiance to the Nation of Islam, cut ties with the 397 00:35:03,540 --> 00:35:08,370 Speaker 1: Louisville sponsoring group and asked to be called Cassius X 398 00:35:08,910 --> 00:35:13,630 Speaker 1: from then on, rejecting Clay as a name imposed on 399 00:35:13,690 --> 00:35:20,820 Speaker 1: his family by a Kentucky slave owner. When two years 400 00:35:20,900 --> 00:35:24,520 Speaker 1: later he returned to London to give Henry Cooper a 401 00:35:24,800 --> 00:35:28,140 Speaker 1: chance at the world title, he had a new name 402 00:35:29,370 --> 00:35:36,580 Speaker 1: Muhammad Ali. And whereas Cassius Clay had blustered, Ali now 403 00:35:36,800 --> 00:35:41,860 Speaker 1: used his platform with care. The days of hollering are over, 404 00:35:42,740 --> 00:35:46,970 Speaker 1: he now told reporters, and proceeded to explain his moral 405 00:35:47,170 --> 00:35:51,530 Speaker 1: opposition to the Vietnam War then raging, and why he 406 00:35:51,650 --> 00:36:00,240 Speaker 1: wouldn't join the US Army. Of Cooper... Ali was cordial 407 00:36:00,480 --> 00:36:06,480 Speaker 1: and complimentary. That Cooper can take a punch. I never 408 00:36:06,560 --> 00:36:12,420 Speaker 1: take anything away from him. This maturity showed itself in 409 00:36:12,460 --> 00:36:17,440 Speaker 1: the ring too. Ali had clearly learned from his previous 410 00:36:17,500 --> 00:36:23,000 Speaker 1: encounter with Henry's hammer. After offering up a prayer, Ali 411 00:36:23,040 --> 00:36:26,380 Speaker 1: stayed out of Cooper's reach until in the sixth round, 412 00:36:27,160 --> 00:36:30,460 Speaker 1: he once again created a cut over the Briton's left eye. 413 00:36:31,640 --> 00:36:36,110 Speaker 1: Ali said it was like a zipper opening. This gash 414 00:36:36,210 --> 00:36:43,270 Speaker 1: required 16 stitches. Ali had won fair and square and well. 415 00:36:43,970 --> 00:36:49,860 Speaker 1: No insults, no smelling salts, no ripped gloves. A worthy champion. 416 00:36:53,060 --> 00:36:58,470 Speaker 1: But the days of Ali's reign were numbered. his opposition 417 00:36:58,510 --> 00:37:03,760 Speaker 1: to the war in Vietnam became ever more trenchant. Why 418 00:37:03,800 --> 00:37:06,980 Speaker 1: would he go drop bombs on brown people over there, 419 00:37:07,320 --> 00:37:11,760 Speaker 1: he asked, while black people in Louisville were being treated 420 00:37:11,800 --> 00:37:18,800 Speaker 1: like dogs? When in 1967 he refused to be inducted 421 00:37:18,840 --> 00:37:23,480 Speaker 1: into the army, his boxing licence was revoked and wouldn't 422 00:37:23,520 --> 00:37:29,000 Speaker 1: be returned to him until 1971. That robbed him of 423 00:37:29,040 --> 00:37:35,760 Speaker 1: his prime fighting years and a fortune. Muhammad Ali became 424 00:37:35,820 --> 00:37:42,400 Speaker 1: a global sporting icon. For many people, the greatest sporting icon. 425 00:37:43,620 --> 00:37:49,870 Speaker 1: Not because he won boxing matches. Instead, he earned the 426 00:37:49,950 --> 00:37:56,030 Speaker 1: long win. Ali was an explosive and entertaining talent inside 427 00:37:56,390 --> 00:38:01,270 Speaker 1: and outside the ring. But it was his defiance and 428 00:38:01,350 --> 00:38:06,310 Speaker 1: willingness to sacrifice everything for his principles that inspired the 429 00:38:06,350 --> 00:38:09,940 Speaker 1: millions who to this day, a decade on from his death, 430 00:38:10,840 --> 00:38:17,800 Speaker 1: regard him as a hero. Over the course of the 1960s, 431 00:38:18,720 --> 00:38:23,870 Speaker 1: Ali began a journey from pantomime villain to a secular saint. 432 00:38:25,210 --> 00:38:28,870 Speaker 1: That journey was shaped by the cultural tumult of the 433 00:38:28,950 --> 00:38:33,780 Speaker 1: time and by the complexities of the man himself. But 434 00:38:34,640 --> 00:38:38,140 Speaker 1: would it be wrong to suggest that the journey got 435 00:38:38,200 --> 00:38:44,580 Speaker 1: a jump start courtesy of Henry's hammer? Certainly something did 436 00:38:44,740 --> 00:38:49,900 Speaker 1: change that rainy June night in Wembley Stadium. Ali himself 437 00:38:49,980 --> 00:38:55,600 Speaker 1: said so. When the boxer was honoured on a 1978 438 00:38:55,600 --> 00:38:59,760 Speaker 1: edition of the TV show This Is Your Life, a 439 00:38:59,820 --> 00:39:04,830 Speaker 1: greying Henry Cooper was brought on as a surprise guest. 440 00:39:06,000 --> 00:39:12,650 Speaker 1: The men warmly embraced and traded sincere compliments. But Ali, 441 00:39:13,450 --> 00:39:17,330 Speaker 1: always wanting the final word, held his hand up to 442 00:39:17,450 --> 00:39:21,440 Speaker 1: silence Cooper. I never told you this. 443 00:39:21,860 --> 00:39:23,100 Speaker 2: I'm retired, he retired. 444 00:39:23,460 --> 00:39:26,830 Speaker 1: You hit me so hard, you jarred my kinfolks in Africa. 445 00:39:26,850 --> 00:39:50,180 Speaker 1: Thank you. Sources for this episode include Ali, A Life 446 00:39:50,680 --> 00:39:55,140 Speaker 1: by Jonathan Ige, Henry Cooper, A Hero for All Time 447 00:39:55,540 --> 00:40:00,040 Speaker 1: by Norman Giller, and Ali in Britain by Michael Tanner. 448 00:40:00,940 --> 00:40:03,260 Speaker 1: For a full list of our sources, see the show 449 00:40:03,300 --> 00:40:09,490 Speaker 1: notes at timharford.com. Cautionary Tales is written by me, Tim Harford, 450 00:40:09,770 --> 00:40:14,290 Speaker 1: with Andrew Wright, Alice Fiennes and Ryan Dilley. It's produced 451 00:40:14,350 --> 00:40:18,590 Speaker 1: by Georgia Mills and Marilyn Rust. Sound design and original 452 00:40:18,650 --> 00:40:22,390 Speaker 1: music is by Pascal Wise, with drumming by Jay Davis. 453 00:40:24,050 --> 00:40:28,450 Speaker 1: Ben-Nadav Hafri edited the scripts. The show also wouldn't have 454 00:40:28,470 --> 00:40:31,830 Speaker 1: been possible without the work of Jacob Weisberg, Greta Cohn, 455 00:40:32,310 --> 00:40:38,700 Speaker 1: Eric Sandler, Carrie Brody, Christina Sullivan, Keira Posey and Owen Miller. 456 00:40:39,560 --> 00:40:43,400 Speaker 1: Cautionary Tales is a production of Pushkin Industries. If you 457 00:40:43,450 --> 00:40:47,410 Speaker 1: like the show, please remember to share, rate and review. 458 00:40:47,430 --> 00:40:51,030 Speaker 1: It really does make a difference to us. And if 459 00:40:51,070 --> 00:40:54,480 Speaker 1: you want to hear it ad-free and receive a bonus 460 00:40:54,790 --> 00:41:00,540 Speaker 1: audio episode, video episode and members-only newsletter every month, why 461 00:41:00,580 --> 00:41:04,100 Speaker 1: not join the Cautionary Club? To sign up, head to 462 00:41:04,260 --> 00:41:13,910 Speaker 1: patreon.com slash cautionaryclub. That's patreon, P-A-T-R-E-O-N dot com slash cautionaryclub.